THE wife of a former police officer killed by the careless driving of a Knutsford man has told a court how her whole world fell apart the moment he died, as the man responsible was sentenced.

During an emotional reading of her personal statement, Leighanne Glanister, told Chester Crown Court how she had been talking on the phone to her husband during the moment of the fatal collision on March 28 2019.

Ian Glanister was riding on his motorcycle on Manchester Road when he was involved in a collision with Gordon Hyland's Mercedes, as he was leaving Cottons Hotel in Knutsford at around 6.25pm.

Hyland, 50, of Bexton Lane, denied causing death by careless, but was convicted by a majority verdict following a three-day trial in December.

His Honour, Judge Everett, The Honourary Recorder for Chester, disqualified Hyland from driving for 12 months and made him subject of an 18-month community order, which includes a provision for him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

He told Mr Glanister's family that he understood the sentence was merely 'a cold comfort' for them and nothing could bring the much-loved husband, son and father back.

In explaining his sentence, Judge Everett said he hoped the public understand that he can only sentence Hyland in accordance to how the law is laid out, with the starting point being a mid-level community order.

Judge Everett thanked Mrs Glanister for being so dignified as she read out her statement, saying her husband would have been proud of her had he been there to see it.

Struggling to hold back tears, she told the court how she had been on the phone to Ian as the crash happened.

"I was on the phone to Ian as he came from work, a call we make daily," she said.

"I heard him say 's**t' and then I heard a bang before the line cut off.

"I tried to call him back at least 20 times."

After having no success trying to contact him, Mrs Glanister took the couple's daughter Jennifer and drove to Egertons Recovery, Ian's place of work, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Leighanne went on: "Due to Ian's previous experience in the police and because he was such an experienced motorcyclist, I knew something was wrong.

"I received a call from a neighbour to tell me there was a police officer outside our home and he told me to meet him at Knutsford Police station.

"My whole world fell apart and as one of the officers handed me Ian's wallet I just collapsed to the ground.

"I felt so alone and from that moment, our family dynamic had completely changed."

Mrs Glanister, said her husband was a loving father and how much their daughter was struggling to come to terms with her dad's death, saying 'she will have a shadow hanging over her for the rest of her life'.

"She writes him a note every night before she goes to sleep," she added.

Mrs Glanister has suffered with her own mental health issues since the tragedy and has been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD.

She said: "The medical issues I now have to deal with are as a direct result of what happened that day. The day I lost Ian was the day I lost a part of me. He was my spark and gave me my drive for life. He was my soulmate.

"Our daughter has lost her hero. She was his shadow and they were inseparable.

"One time when she saw me crying, she came up to me and kissed me on the head, like Ian used to do, and said, 'daddy isn't here to fix things anymore'.

"Ian was my rock and his life was taken far too early. Someone else's actions were responsible for his death.

"But I welcome the fact the Judge has said he won't be handing out a custodial sentence.

"I wouldn't want anyone else's children to have to suffer like Ian's have and not have their daddy."

As he sentenced Hyland, Judge Everett told him: "You undoubtedly drove carelessly and undeniably contributed to the collision that resulted in Mr Glanister's death.

"It is disappointing you had not been able to look yourself in the mirror sooner and realised it had been your careless driving that had caused it.

"What is clear is that Mr Glanister was a much-loved husband, father and son. Whatever your views, there is clearly a high level of regret.

"And although your own suffering pales into insignificance compared to that suffered by Mr Glanister's family, there is genuine remorse here.

"This is a really sad case and there really are no winners or losers. Everyone has lost out."

Judge Hyland went on to explain that Hyland will not simply get his licence back after the disqualification period is over and mandated that he must complete an extended test to prove he is able to return to the road.

"This is simply not a case of you getting your license back,” he said.

"I must disqualify you from driving for a period of 12 months. The community order is not a let off. If you breach the terms of it, there is a chance you can be sent to prison."