The parents of a Norfolk man have spoken of their disgust at the leniency of the sentence given to an army captain jailed for killing their son moments after using a mobile phone at the wheel of her car.

Jane and John Taylor, of Dereham, spoke out after Alison Dray, the only woman to complete a full tour of duty in Afghanistan defusing Taliban bombs, was jailed for nine months at Norwich Crown Court, leaving her military career in the balance.

Dray, 30, from Kent, was driving a Mitsubishi 4x4 along the A1075 Watton-Thetford road, near Wayland Woods, when she hit Ashley Taylor, from Watton, who was trying to hitch a lift to see friends, the court heard.

The 32-year-old suffered a severe head injury and died at the scene.

In a statement after the case, Mr and Mrs Taylor, who are taking legal action against the Ministry of Defence in the form of a civil claim, said: 'We are absolutely disgusted and appalled at the leniency of the sentence. Our son's life was worth more than nine months.

'She will be free in a matter of months to get on with the rest of her life but we'll be visiting our boy's grave for the rest of our days.''

The court heard Dray, who received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in 2008 for her work in Afghanistan and also toured Iraq, had been using her phone 50 seconds before the crash and had been searching the Internet and had a screenshot of a hotel in Switzerland on her phone.

The collision prompted Norfolk police to warn of the dangers of using mobile phones while driving.

Christopher Morgan, prosecuting, said a police investigation showed that Dray had been using her mobile phone about 50 seconds before the collision which happened around 12.25pm on January 8, 2014.

He said her phone records showed there was extensive use of her mobile phone.

'This included accessing an internet site with details of a hotel in Switzerland and taking a screenshot on the phone.'

He said at the crash scene Dray had told a witness: 'I did not see him.'

In an impact statement, Mr Taylor's mother, Jane, said that part of her died with her son and he was on her mind every day.

'It does not get better for me, in fact it's getting harder, if anything,' she added.

Dray admitted causing the death of Mr Taylor by dangerous driving.

Michael Clare, for Dray, said that she was full of remorse and her work defusing bombs had saved countless lives.

'The references speak of her humanity, bravery and courage. On a daily basis she is defusing bombs to protect other people.'

He stressed there was no evidence she was using her phone at the time of the crash, saying: 'At the time of the collision there is no evidence that she was using her phone.'

A number of references from Army colleagues outlining her courage were handed in to the court.

'There is nothing to be gained by depriving this defendant of her liberty and this country of one of its finest assets.'

Jailing her and imposing a two year driving ban, Judge Anthony Bate said: 'You are a decorated soldier of previous exemplary character.

'You have served our country bravely and with distinction since being commissioned into the Royal Logistics Corps.'

Judge Bate added: 'The prosecution has accepted that it cannot say for sure that at the moment you drove into the bends at Wayland Woods you had the mobile phone in your hand, rather than beside you. It follows that it could not be said for sure that you were distracted by the use of your mobile phone at the point of collision.

'He said he had no option but to jail her but hoped after her release the Army board would be able to permit her to keep her commission.

He added: 'It is plain that your remorse is sincere and profound. You have an intelligent and heartfelt understanding of the misery that several seconds' inattention on your part that day has since wrought upon the bereaved family of Mr Taylor.'