A MOTORIST has been found guilty of causing the death of a young moped rider in a crash in a York street.

Now young mum Tamara Bennett, of Lycett Road in Dringhouses, York, has been warned she could face jail, after a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict of causing death by dangerous driving.

A five-day trial at York Crown Court heard how the 23-year-old drove her Renault Clio straight into the path of an oncoming moped while overtaking another car on December 12 last year.

Its rider, 17-year-old Andrew Pycroft, was killed. Bennett was driving along Chaloners Road, in York, after an afternoon playing pool at the Acomb Hotel, when the fatal smash happened at about 5.30pm.

She had drunk three pints of Carling lager, although she was not over the drink-drive limit, and a Proclaimers song was blaring very loudly from her car stereo.

Bennett claimed these factors had not affected her concentration, and said she often listened to loud music while driving, except when her son was in the back.

She was driving behind a Ford Mondeo driven by Christine Battams, which had slowed down and was indicating to pull off the road when Bennett decided to overtake.

She said she had first checked the road and had not spotted anything in her way. It was only when she had fully pulled out from Mrs Battams' car that she spotted an indicator flashing in front of her, and swerved to the side of the road to avoid it.

But she could not prevent the horror smash that followed, when the young moped rider was flung from his machine and died soon afterwards.

The trial heard from Traffic Constable David Taylor, who said the tyres on Andrew Pycroft's machine had been almost bald, which meant the machine was unroadworthy.

The jury was also told that neither Bennett nor Mrs Battams spotted the moped until it was almost upon them.

But the jury decided Bennett's driving was dangerous.

Sentence was adjourned for four weeks for reports to be prepared and Bennett was granted bail.

Judge Scott Wolstenholme warned her that unless there were "exceptional circumstances" she faced a spell in jail.

Her barrister, Nicholas Barker, said afterwards that she was planning to lodge an appeal.

Updated: 09:33 Saturday, October 29, 2005