Forklift truck driver Neil Urwin, who suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, sought advice from GP in months before collision, reports The Guardian.

He saw a specialist at the sleep clinic at Hexham general hospital on 8 August 2014, the day before the crash, and she told him he should not drive, the court heard.

He was also handed a DVLA leaflet called Tiredness Can Kill Advice for Drivers, Richard Bennett, prosecuting, said.

But Urwin chose to head out the next day in his new Ford Fiesta to go fishing in Rothbury. On his way back that afternoon, while driving at 50-55mph on a straight section of the A6079, he hit the back of Charlton’s bike, sending him on to the bonnet and over the back of the car.