Motorcyclist jailed for killing ‘kind and lovely’ LSE academic

A motorcyclist has been jailed for killing an LSE academic, who her loved ones called a “kind and lovely person”.

Adeline Stuart-Watt, 33, died at the scene in a crash in Loughton on the 16th April 2023. The biker operating the vehicle, Christopher Allen, 61, was convicted for causing death by dangerous driving following a five day trial at Chelmsford Crown County Court. 

A policy fellow at LSE, Adeline had spent the day cycling through Epping Forest. However, when crossing Epping New Road, she was struck by Allen, from Crooked Mile, Waltham Abbey, who was driving double the speed limit.

An investigation by Essex Police found Allen to have drunk two pints of alcohol shortly before the crash at around 16:15 BST.

Adeline is remembered as “intelligent and professional” as well as “a kind and lovely person”. Prof Elizabeth Robinson, a colleague at LSE, described her in a statement issued to the BBC as “thoughtful, skilled, supportive, friendly, and collegiate”. She was said to have “made a strong impression” during her time at the university, having been “someone who was not afraid of asking difficult questions and challenging ideas”.

Allen will serve 14 years, and was jailed on 3rd April, nearly two years after the incident. According to the BBC, Det Con Jacqueline Dean showed admiration for Adeline’s family, praising their “great dignity” during the trial.

Featured image via a family handout