A woman has been given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to causing the road death of renowned Northern Irish musician Alisdair Wallace.

Sentencing Amy Allen at Downpatrick Crown Court, Judge Geoffrey Miller KC imposed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He said it was clear that, like the legendary trumpeter’s grieving friends and family, the 24-year-old “knows all too well that because of her carelessness, he has been deprived of the opportunity that would have given him time to enjoy the many aspects of his life that he enjoyed.”

Judge Miller said that while he did not consider Allen’s driving style to be dangerous, it was also significant that she had “lead a blameless life up to this point” and it was highly unlikely she would ever face trial again.

Known locally as the Four Corners Crossroads, this dangerous spot is located between Newtownards and Millisle.

Judge Miller said that since the tragedy on April 1, 2021, additional signs had been erected to warn other drivers of the approaching intersection.

Allen, of Meadow Court, Ards, was due to appear at a trial on Monday but after prosecutor Jonathan Connolly added a second charge to the indictment, the 24-year-old pleaded guilty to causing Mr Wallace’s death by careless driving.

Mr Wallace (66), from Kircubbin, who played trumpet in hundreds of pantomimes at the Grand Opera House, was killed when his motorcycle collided with Allen’s Volkswagen Up on Ballyblack Road East.

It was reported that at the time, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a report of an incident at the junction of Ballyblack Road East, Ballyblack Road and Grange Road, just before 5pm. Although the Air Ambulance was among the units sent to the scene, Mr Wallace was tragically pronounced dead by a doctor.

Opening the case, Mr Connolly said there was dashcam footage from the defendant’s car which showed that as Allen approached the junction her car was travelling at around 43mph in a 60mph zone but that she did not stop.

As she crossed the finish line, Mr Wallace’s motorbike struck the driver’s side front of the car, throwing him over the bonnet and roof, while the VW continued on before hitting a tree.

An autopsy revealed that Mr. Wallace had suffered serious injuries, including fractures to most of his ribs, lacerations to his heart and a cerebral hemorrhage, which resulted in his instantaneous death.

Turning to the mechanics of the fatal collision, Mr Connolly noted that at the time of the accident there was a stop sign 100 metres from the intersection, another approximately 20 metres from the intersection, that there were markings on the road to warn drivers and that the stop line itself was visible to a driver 45 metres from the intersection.

During police questioning, Allen admitted that she had been talking to her sister on her cellphone, but the prosecutor said she had been using a hands-free kit.

In his leniency application, KC defence lawyer Frank O’Donoghue assured the court and Mr Wallace’s grieving relatives, who watched from the public gallery, that both he and Allen were “fully aware of the loss of life”.

“She told me to apologise to everyone for what had happened,” the senior barrister said, describing the case as “terribly tragic”.

He stressed that despite the road signs, the layout was such that the road Allen was driving on “appears to be continuous,” so anyone who missed the signs might think they could continue on.

Allen has “always taken responsibility” and in February she pleaded guilty in the case for which she was due to be convicted, but the prosecution did not accept it at that stage.

Mr O’Donoghue argued that, in addition to the lack of aggravating circumstances, there were a number of mitigating factors, including Allen’s spotless past, her quick guilty plea, her obvious shock and remorse, and her genuine insightfulness.

He revealed that psychiatric and psychological reports showed Allen suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), daily flashbacks and had been prescribed antidepressants, although KC admitted he had made no effort to minimise the pain and suffering of Mr Wallace’s family and friends.

During sentencing, Mr Justice Miller said it was clear that Mr Wallace was “a gifted musician, described as the finest trumpet and flugalhorn player in Northern Ireland for over 40 years” and that he had performed throughout Ireland and beyond, including at the Royal Albert Hall.

Victim impact statements painted a clear picture of a man with “a wicked sense of humour, a warm and charismatic personality and a man of integrity” who, having recently retired, was looking forward to getting back to doing the things he valued most.

He told Allen that although road signs “should have alerted her to the presence of the intersection, the court finds it is a black spot where an accident could occur.”

In addition to the suspended prison sentence, he also sentenced him to a three-year driving ban.