81-year-old from Cirencester sentenced for causing fatal crash
Motorcyclist's death prompts driving ban for Cirencester man
An elderly man from Cirencester has been sentenced for causing the death of a motorcyclist in a collision that occurred in October 2024.
Patrick Kirwin, 81, was driving an Audi A4 when he collided with 53-year-old Tony Stepp, who was riding a Honda Fireblade, on the A433 Tetbury Road near a crossroads close to The Thames Head Inn.
Emergency services were called to the scene at around 9.15am, but despite intervention from members of the public, including an off-duty police officer, Tony was pronounced dead.
On Friday 13th March 2026, Kirwin received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was banned from driving for 18 months at Gloucester Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving on 9th February 2026, following an investigation by Gloucestershire Police's Serious Collision Investigation Team.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Tina Stepp, Tony's wife, expressed her loss:
"On the 5 October 2024 mine and my whole family's life was destroyed. The best part of me died on that day."
Tina described her husband as loving and thoughtful, stating "The knowledge that Tone's death was caused by a split second of carelessness makes the pain all the harder to bear."
Sergeant Williams from the Serious Collision Investigation Team commented after the sentencing, advising drivers to be vigilant:
"This collision was entirely avoidable if more time had been spent looking out for others on the road, and I ask motorists to look twice for motorcyclists and cyclists, particularly at junctions."