Woman gets 14 year jail sentence for killing motorcyclist Thomas Maguire in Birmingham

A woman has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of killing Thomas Maguire, who suffered fatal injuries when he was knocked off a motorbike in Kingstanding last May.

Thomas Maguire had been travelling along Kings Road on 18 May when the bike he was on was hit by a car being driven by Kerry Fair.

Kerry Fair deliberately pursued the 30-year-old after being told that he had taken the motorbike from her daughter’s boyfriend’s address hours earlier.

“The motorbike had previously been stolen from its owner in Birmingham in 2018,” West Midlands Police revealed.

“Moments before hitting the motorcycle, she was captured driving a Ford Focus speeds of between 76 and 86 mph in a 30mph speed zone as she pursued Thomas.

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“Thomas was knocked off the motorcycle and Kerry Fair immediately fled the scene leaving Thomas seriously injured. She abandoned the Focus on the side of the road where we later discovered it with a steering lock on and the engine still running.

“Thomas was taken to hospital by his friends where he remained in a critical condition for three weeks. He passed away on 9 June as a result of his injuries.”

Fair’s wallet was found in the front door pocket and following further enquiries, Fair was arrested shortly after the collision.

The 39-year-old of Parkeston Crescent, Kingstanding was found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court last week (7 March) and today was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manslaughter.

Paying tribute to Thomas, his family said: “Thomas is our first thought in the morning and our last at night, he is loved and missed by each and every one of us. There isn’t a day that goes by when we don’t miss him. No one will ever replace him.

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“We miss his crazy ways, the laughs and our mad chats and us having to tell him off. We talk about him every day and as the younger children get older they will always know how proud Thomas was of them and that they bought out the softer side of him. He looked after his mom and all of his family and now we will look after her, hopefully we can do him proud.

“Today with the guilty verdict for manslaughter and the 14-year sentence, he gets some justice, rest peacefully Thomas.”

Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood, from Homicide Team, said: “At the speed she was travelling, at the very least she was reckless to the fact Thomas would be injured as a result of her actions that night.

“Had Fair applied emergency braking when she realised she was gaining rapidly on the motorbike, the collision could have been completely avoided, which inevitably could have prevented Thomas from being injured.

“Our thoughts remain with the family of Thomas and I hope today’s sentence can bring them some closure.”