A 24-year-old man who was arguing with his girlfriend on his mobile phone when he crashed head-on with another vehicle killing the driver has been jailed for three years and eight months.

Lewis Stratford, of Field Avenue, Oxford, pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court in January to causing death by dangerous driving.

Stratford's white Vauxhall Corsa hit the central reservation of the A34 near East Ilsley in Berkshire, on June 11, 2016, and crossed on to the opposite carriageway, colliding with a blue BMW.

Gavin Roberts, 28, who worked for Network Rail - the other driver - was seriously injured and died in hospital four days later.

Mr Roberts moved to Swindon from Dapto, New South Wales, Australia, earlier last year and his positive impact on those around him continued even after his death by saving the lives of seven others through organ donation.

Passing sentence at Reading Crown Court today, Judge Stephen John said: "This was a wholly avoidable accident which caused a wholly avoidable death.

"Only you are to blame"

He also disqualified Stratford from driving for four years and ten months, starting from the date of his guilty plea in January.

The 24-year-old sat with his head in his hands for most of the hearing.

The victim's father, Geoff Roberts - who had flown from Australia, sat in court with his arm around his son's girlfriend Meg Williamson as the pair prepared to read out their statements.

A court heard today that Stratford accused his girlfriend, Alice East, of cheating on him and told her over the phone that he was going to see her on the south coast.

Prosecuting Alan Blake told Reading Crown Court that he told her "if she hung up on him he would kill himself."

Mr Roberts’ grieving girlfriend, Meg Williamson, an English teacher, who lives in Swindon, launched a petition in the weeks following his death calling to reduce the speed limit from 70mph to 50mph and install speed cameras along the A34.

It has now reached more than 2,400 signatures and Mr Roberts’ brother, Brendan Tuck was one of the many people to sign it.

Ms Williamson has described her partner as 'radiating energy' and was a 'wonderful person.'

She previously set up a meeting with Stratford where he apologised for having ruined a lot of people's lives, while Ms Williamson told him she would probably be able to forgive him "eventually".

Mr Roberts told the court he could not accept that his son - his closest family member - had died in an accident.

He said the actions of a speeding driver in an over emotional state "should not be regarded as an accident", but as a "deliberate series of actions leading towards an inevitable and catastrophic collision".

"My belief that Gavin's death was totally preventable makes it even more difficult to accept," he added.

Stratford was in a highly emotional state and arguing with his girlfriend on the phone when the crash took place, the court heard.

His car was probably being driven in excess of 70mph due to it being able to crash through the central reservation, built to withstand such a speed, prosecutor Alan Blake said.

The court also heard that Stratford admitted having consumed some alcohol prior to the crash, but due to the nature of his injuries, no breath sample was taken.

He was placed in an induced coma and underwent surgery to repair a torn aorta and broken leg, leaving hospital three weeks later.

In an emotional statement, Mr Robert's girlfriend spoke of how her life had been filled with anxiety since his death, causing her to need time off from her job as a school teacher.

She said she had been worrying about losing another person she loved after the death of her "funny, smart and compassionate" partner.

"We always talked about going to Australia together," Ms Williamson said, having travelled across the world for his funeral.

"I never imagined it would be in that way and for that reason."

"Goodnight my angel," she said, ending her statement in tears.

Stratford's insistence on driving late at night in an emotional state - despite being warned not to by his then girlfriend - was an aggravating factor, the judge said.

He reduced his sentence by half a year to account for his guilty plea.

The court heard Stratford had been left with post-traumatic amnesia and post-traumatic stress disorder following the accident.

"The amnesia, if it persists, may be seen as a blessing rather than harmful to you," Judge John said.

In mitigation, Giles Newell said Stratford was full of "deep and heartfelt remorse" and was "eternally grateful" to Ms Williamson for having met with him.

He said it was totally out of character for his client, who had a full, clean driving licence since 2013 and no previous convictions.

"He knows it is of little or no comfort to Mr Roberts's family that he is wracked with guilt, regret and shame as a result of this."

Gavin Roberts' father, Geoff, said his son was a 'great mate to him.'

He said: "The last time I saw my son, Gavin, was three months before he died when we spent three days in Dublin together.

"I was on a trip to Ireland from our native Australia and he came to meet me.

"We had a good time. We always did. He was a great mate to me.

"He was a good mate to other people too. Gavin made friends easily, that’s who he was.

"Every day he was in England he called friends and family in Australia, keeping in touch with everyone, seeing how they were.

"The last contact I had with him was the day before he died when I had booked a trip to Europe which included four days in London.

"I emailed him to ask what we could do together during that time. I never got a reply."

Mr Roberts said his son left Australia to become an electrial engineer and started work in the UK in February 2016.

He added: "Gavin’s friends in England were wonderful to us and looked after us.

"Later in Australia we held Gavin’s funeral. It was overwhelming how many people were there.

"Gavin wasn’t a politician or a famous person but people liked him, they really liked him. Everyone wanted to pay their respects to him.

"He was a great guy, a delightful person. I am very proud that he was my son.

"At his funeral I found out that Gavin had made a pact with his brother to return to Australia after a couple of years in England so that in the future the two of them could bring up their kids together."

When the steam locomotive Tornado pulled a special service through the town on Wednesday his mother, Rose, posted on the Advertiser's Facebook page: "My son, Gavin Roberts, lived in Swindon... working for Network Rail and the GAVIN ROBERTS train is helping to electrify your railway system!

"He would have loved seeing this steam train today..."