Driver sentenced over crash that killed 'soulmate'

A driver has been sentenced for causing the death of "the most selfless, loving and affectionate person" after swerving onto the wrong side of the road.

Michael Ramstedt, 58, died in the two-vehicle collision on the B4070 in Birdlip, Gloucestershire, at about 05:30 BST on 2 July 2024.

Nuno Gouveia, 32, of Chipping Street in Tetbury, initially gave differing accounts of what happened, but ultimately pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

He was sentenced at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, and issued with a one-year driving ban.

In a victim impact statement, Ramstedt's wife Livia said she lost her "soulmate and other half" in the fatal crash.

"Losing Michael was the hardest thing we experienced. There is no one and nothing who can ever replace him or the things he did for us all," she said.

"I cannot just delete 28 years of marriage; I lived most of my life with him and having to live without him is incredibly difficult.

"I still have the video of him leaving for work that morning, I cannot bring myself to delete it as it is the last memory I have.

"He was the most selfless, loving and affectionate person. I believe he did not deserve to die like that.

"We miss him so much and would do anything to have him back with us."

Ramstedt is survived by his two sons, two daughters, eight grandchildren and two dogs, his family said.

The collision involved a silver Kia Picanto which was travelling towards Stroud and a grey Nissan Qashqai, driven by Gouveia, travelling towards the A417.

Emergency services attended and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

During police interviews, Gouveia said he had glanced down at his sat-nav to check the route that he was travelling, before swerving onto the other side of the road.

Phone enquiries found he had ended a phone call just minutes before the collision but he denied being at fault, and later provided a signed account of what happened.

This account gave differing reasons for the cause of the collision, including a claim that Ramstedt had caused the collision by driving on the wrong side of the carriageway.

Despite this, officers established that the collision happened on the Stroud-bound carriageway which meant that Gouveia's car was on the wrong side of the road.

Police staff investigator Hannah Moore from the Serious Collision Investigation Team added: "Being distracted behind the wheel is not only completely unacceptable and reckless, but puts lives at risk as we sadly saw in this case.

"Concentrating on the road is far more important when it comes to keeping you and other road users safe."

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.