Elizabeth Tiffin jailed for causing death of Georgia Porter

Elizabeth Rachel Tiffin, now 31, didn’t see motorcyclist Georgia Porter, 21, before turning right across her path and crashing into her, said Dan Cordey, prosecuting.

Georgia was riding at 40mph to 45mph, was wearing a reflective jacket, her bike’s front light was on and Tiffin could see for 100 metres ahead.

“Georgia was clearly visible and was there to be seen,” said Mr Cordey. “Her riding didn’t contribute to the collision in any way.”

The crash happened at the King Hill A165/A1039 junction near Filey on August 29, 2020. Tiffin was twice convicted of speeding in a 30mph zone six months apart in 2022.

“Despite causing the death of a young woman who had her life before her, you went on to break the law twice more,” Judge Simon Hickey told her.

Tiffin cried as she was jailed for nine months. The judge said he would have suspended the sentence but for the later speeding offences. 

“This case is a tragedy that is going to last a lifetime for her (Georgia’s) family who will never get over it. It is a tragedy for you and your family. You will never get over it either, I am sure," the judge told Tiffin. 

Tiffin, of Derwent Street, Cockermouth, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. She had been driving a Volkswagen Beetle.

In addition to the jail term, she was banned from driving for a further two years and four and a half months. She has already served a nine-month driving ban imposed when she pleaded guilty and must take an extended driving test before driving alone again.

Georgia Porter

Members of Georgia's family were present to see Tiffin jailed at York Crown Court.

A family personal statement said Georgia had studied nursing at University of York from 2018 to 2020 and loved her time there before deciding nursing was not for her. She was considering returning to the university to study English. She was a creative person who had written stories and her Christian faith meant a lot to her.

She was on her way to work at Blue Dolphin Holiday Park when the crash happened and died in hospital from her injuries on October 13.

Mr Cordey said Tiffin was on the southbound side of the A165 when she tried to turn right into the A1039 across the path of Georgia’s motorbike, which was heading towards Scarborough.

For Tiffin, Nick Peacock said the death had “devastated her days and haunted her nights for almost four years”. She apologised for her actions. 

She had been in complete shock after the crash and the crash had affected her mental health so badly she had lost her job at an estate agents’ and was now living on benefits at her parents’ home. She was on anti-depressants and receiving counselling.

The two speeding offences had been going at 35mph in a 30mph zone, said Mr Peacock.