A DRINK driver who killed a motorcyclist will not face the prospect of having his prison sentence extended.

Dumitru Radu was put behind bars for five-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of Colin Lazenbury by driving dangerously in Bournemouth.

It was requested that this sentence be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office to consider whether it should be referred to the Court of Appeal through the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

However, following much consideration, the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP, has decided not to challenge Radu's sentence.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said: “The Solicitor General was saddened by this case and wishes to express his sympathies to the family of Colin Lazenbury.

“After careful consideration the Solicitor General has concluded that this case cannot properly be referred to the Court of Appeal.

"A referral under the unduly lenient sentence scheme to the Court of Appeal can only be made if a sentence is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.

"The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met in this case.”

As reported, Radu, 27 and of no fixed abode, failed to stop the car he was driving at West Overcliff Drive's junction with West Cliff Road on the morning of May 26, 2019.

Salisbury Crown Court heard that despite visible stop signs and a solid white line, the defendant, who was almost twice the drink-drive limit, drove the Volkswagen Sharan out into West Cliff Road and crashed into 54-year-old motorcyclist Mr Lazenbury, who went on to collide with a car travelling in the opposite direction.

Mr Lazenbury was taken to hospital but died from the injuries he sustained around seven weeks later.

The court heard that the defendant had been "fiddling with his phone" prior to the crash.

Bringing Radu to justice was delayed after he fled the country. A European arrest warrant was eventually secured, which led to the defendant being arrested in Germany on June 1 of this year and extradited to the United Kingdom.

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