Eling driver Deividas Balkauskas in court over 'dangerous driving' death of Sway man Simon Poole

A MOTORIST has appeared in court accused of causing the death of a Sway man by driving dangerously.

Deividas Balkauskas (40), of Eling Lane, Eling, is alleged to have committed the offence on 16th December 2019 near the Red Funnel ferry terminal in Southampton.

He also faces a second matter of driving a BMW X5 with defective tyres on the same day.

The defendant did not enter a plea to either charge when he appeared before Southampton magistrates.

The Bench granted him unconditional bail and sent the matter to the city's crown court, where he will next appear on 4th June.

As reported in the A&T, victim Simon Poole was 47 and lived in Manchester Road. He was marred to Louise, a personal travel consultant, and they had three children.

He was a veteran, having joined the Royal Navy straight from school and completed operational deployments to the Falkland Islands and the Middle East, before working in start-up companies including his own which specialised in Blackberry smartphone services.

At the time of his death, he was chief operating officer of WightFibre, which provides fibre optic broadband, phone and television services to homes and business on the Isle of Wight.