A DIABETIC who blacked out and caused a fatal collision after carelessly failing to undertake a blood glucose test has been spared prison.

The family of Aironas Gzimaila, 23, say they now spend every special occasion in a cemetery after his death on the A120 between Ramsey and Parkeston.

Ipswich Crown Court heard how Thomas Treadwell, 32, who has lived with diabetes since the age of seven, experienced a hypoglycemic episode while behind the wheel and swerved into oncoming traffic.

Richard Kelly, prosecuting, said Treadwell had “mismanaged” his condition for more than a decade and chanced his arm before the incident, having had his driving licence revoked previously due to concerns about his “carelessness” towards his condition in both 2010 and 2016.

Read more: Family pays tribute to Aironas, 23, killed in head-on A120 collision with diabetic driver

At 8.15pm on March 27, 2018, Treadwell stopped at Marks Tey Shell garage, in Coggeshall Road, for a bite to eat, but was lambasted by Judge Martyn Levett for not testing his blood sugar levels, despite a test lying next to him in the car.

DVLA guidance says Treadwell should have tested at 7.30pm, having already been driving for two hours, but the 32-year-old chose to continue to ignore the responsibility.

Instead, he consumed a Red Bull and a sandwich before looking to complete his journey to Harwich, before the fatal head-on collision at about 53mph which killed Mr Gzimaila instantaneously.

The court heard yesterday the deceased’s mother, Zaneta, felt like she had a brick permanently tied around her neck following the loss of her son.

But James Thacker, mitigating, insisted Treadwell was remorseful and since the incident, had installed an inbuilt blood sugar monitor.

Treadwell, formerly of Langdon Hills, Basildon, and now living in Wickford, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to one year imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He was disqualified from driving for ten years and ordered to pay £2,500 in prosecution costs. Treadwell must also undertake 250 hours’ unpaid work and 30 days’ worth of rehabilitation.

Sentencing him, Mr Levett said: “This case leaves a family with continued grieving; it brings a lot of pain and harm to the lives of others.

“I can’t sentence you as I think it should be however much I feel aggrieved and want to do so as I am bound by law.”