A MOTORIST accused of causing the death of a motorcyclist by careless driving was concentrating on picking up a colleague as opposed to other road users at the time of the collision, a court has heard.

Philip Stocks has denied causing the death of popular biker Carol Carr, known as "Bubbles" in the incident on February 18 last year.

He is standing trial at Southampton Crown Court and this morning Stuart Ellacott, prosecuting, told the jury the 54-year-old had left his home in Fareham that morning to pick up a work colleague, Collette Drew, but was later than intended because he had watched Team GB's curling team at the Winter Olympics before getting stuck in traffic on the M27.

He was driving north on the A27 Moorhill Road in West End when he took a call on his hands free set from Ms Drew shortly before 8.43am.

Seconds later his Vauxhall Insignia collided with Mrs Carr as he turned on to Southern Road and she drove south along Moorhill Road.

She was pronounced dead at hospital at 10am.

Mr Ellacott told the jury: "He accepts that he never stops and continues to move straight around the corner, suggesting that his concentration is in fact more on his lift, his colleague, rather than on other road users and that in fact is careless and what has caused this terrible incident which has led to the death of Mrs Carr."

He said Mrs Carr would have had no time to have moved out of the way, saying: "A fighter pilot with the best reactions in the world would not have had time to react".

The trial is expected to last for three days.

Proceeding.