A POLISH lorry driver was jailed last night for causing the death of a "clever and artistic" 21-year-old woman by crashing into her broken-down car after being grossly distracted by his mobile phone.

Dariusz Tokarczyk used his phone several times to change the music playing in his cab in the few minutes before the fatal crash which killed Jodie Moss.

Her Vauxhall Corsa suffered "catastrophic engine failure" which caused it to drift to a stop in the left-hand lane of the southbound A34 close to the junction with Chieveley, Berkshire, where there was no hard shoulder for her to pull into.

Miss Moss had been travelling to visit her boyfriend in Swanage, Dorset, from her family home in Swindon.

Dash cam footage from his lorry was played to a judge at Reading Crown Court, showing him using his phone as he approached the point where Miss Moss's car had broken down.

A car in front of him was shown avoiding the stationary Vauxhall but Tokarczyk, after being distracted by his phone, ploughed straight into the back of tragic Jodie's car at 54mph.

Analysis carried out after the crash showed he did not brake at any point other than as the collision took place and only moved to the right to try and avoid the car 0.4 seconds before impact.

Michael Roques, prosecuting, told the court Miss Moss had put on her hazard warning lights which would have made the car visible from at least 250 metres away despite the low light at 9.30pm on March 22, 2016.

"Other cars were able to identify Miss Moss' vehicle and make there way around it without any need for an emergency manoeuvre. The hazard lights can be seen for 11.5 seconds before the point of impact," he said.

"It seems the handheld device and that device was being used to control the audio played in the cab.

"It's being consistently used and in particular it's still being used when the hazard lights are in view.

"It follows that the prosecution would submit the defendant was grossly distracted in the run-up to the collision."

After the collision Tokarczyk claimed to police the Vauxhall had its lights off and he had been looking in his mirrors before the crash but admitted one count of causing death by dangerous driving yesterday.

Mr Roques read victim personal statements from Miss Moss' family about the devastating effect the loss of her life had on them.

Her father, Jerry Moss, said: "Life will never be the same for any of us as we have lost a very talented, beautiful, and kind heated person. We will never see her get married and have been denied the chance to see her become a parent.

"Our home is now empty after 21 years."

Miss Moss was living with her parents in again Swindon after living away with her boyfriend Callum due to mental health issues and a suicide attempt but had improved greatly before her death.

Her brother, Jorge said: "She was the happiest she'd been in a long time the past few months studying horticulture, she lived her last days and weeks so happily.

"It has to be said I don't only feel the pain of losing my only sibling, I feel the loss of an intellectual inspiration. She was amazingly clever and artistic.

"I love my sister forever and I won't forget her. I hope for the first time in my life that heaven exists because I love her and I need her with me."

Alan and Theresa, Miss Moss's grandparents, added: "I cannot begin to describe the telephone call we received, we immediately went to Swindon where the whole family gathered and we were there until dawn broke the next day.

Tokarczyk bowed his head in the dock as the statements were read out and members of Miss Moss's family broke down in tears in the public gallery.

In mitigation, defence barrister Charles Row, read a statement from 47-year-old Tokarczyk which said: "I made such an unforgivable mistake while carrying out such a responsible job.

"I have acted so irresponsibly and unprofessionally that, because of me, a person has lost her life.

"I would like to apologise for what happened and am very sorry. No matter what sentence I get I sentence myself for life because I cannot bear the guilt."

Mr Row said a psychiatrists report stated the lorry driver, of Kennion Road, Harrogate, Yorkshire, had become suicidal after the incident.

"Clearly in this case, there is genuine and heartfelt remorse," Mr Row said.

"He was described as decent, hard working, trustworthy. It killed the joy of life inside him.

In her sentencing remarks, Judge Angela Morris said: "There is no sentence I could impose which could in any measure reflect the life and the loss of Jodie Moss' life.

"Sadly this is not the first time such an accident has occurred on this busy stretch of road in circumstances where a driver takes a cavalier attitude and uses a mobile phone.

"Miss Moss sensibly applied the hazard warning lights to warn other users of her position, tragically despite doing the right thing this was insufficient to avoid what would have been an avoidable collision.

"It is clear for a considerable time before the collision occurred you were using a handheld mobile device, probably your mobile phone.

"You were arrested at the scene and initially suggested you did not see the Corsa because you were looking in your mirror and there were no lights illuminating it.

"That was plainly incorrect. Had you been paying any proper attention to the road you would not have failed to see that car ahead of you.

"It seems to me that as a hard-working, law-abiding man of 25 years with an impeccable driving record you must have known looking at your mobile phone that night was an egregious disregard of road safety.

"I accept you are truly remorseful but you also understand driving in the dangerous manner you did caused the death of another.

"The man behind wheel of the truck in March last year was an irresponsible and reckless one."

The judge jailed Tokarczyk for four-and-a-half years. He will also be banned from driving for two years and have to take an extended test before receiving another licence.