A 42-YEAR-old woman has denied causing death by careless driving following a fatal crash in Worcester.
But Charlotte Riley has been told she faces an 18-month wait until her trial.
Riley stood at the back of Courtroom 2 of Worcester Crown Court and entered a not guilty plea to the count when it was read to her by the court clerk.
Riley, of Comer Gardens, St John's, Worcester, is said by the prosecution to have caused the crash which led to the death of Shane Davies.
Mr Davies died in the crash when he was riding a motorbike on the B4206 Henwick Road at the junction with Oldbury Road last autumn.
The court heard Riley, who was driving a green Seat car, denies causing the crash that led to the death of the 46-year-old from Ferryside, Carmarthenshire.
Stage dates, when the prosecution and defence reveal their cases ahead of trial, were set during the hearing.
Footage of CCTV taken at the scene of the crash was also played to the court.
Simon Phillips, prosecuting, said he expected Riley's trial to last four days.
His Honour Judge Nicholas Cartwright asked Riley to stand and told the defendant her trial will take place on May 5, 2025.
He stressed to the defendant that the important stage date for her was September 19.
By this date, through her solicitors, the defence must have issued a statement explaining why she denied the offence.
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The judge gave her the standard warning that if she failed to attend the trial it would go ahead in her absence.
Nicholas Berry defended during the hearing at the court on Tuesday, (August 22).
Multiple ambulances and an air ambulance, as well as other emergency services, attended the crash that took place at around 2pm on October 3, 2022.
Henwick Road and a section of Oldbury Road were closed for hours while an investigation of the scene took place.
A spokesperson from West Mercia Police said at the time: "Around 2pm we received a report of a collision between a motorbike and car at the junction of Henwick Road and Oldbury Road.
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"The roads have been closed while we attend with West Midlands Ambulance Service."
Worcester Crown Court judges have been explaining to defendants - and others involved in cases - that trials are being scheduled for 2024 and 2025 due to the Covid backlog, the ceiling collapse of Hereford's Shirehall and last year's barristers' strike.
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