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news
Statue of Justice, Old Bailey (licensed CC BY 2.0 on Flickr by Ronnie Macdonald).jpgDriving ban for motorist who “abandoned” cyclist after knocking him from bike
A motorist who seriously injured a cyclist when he knocked him off his bike then failed to return after he said he was going to call an ambulance has been banned from driving for six months.
Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard that the victim was forced to “drag himself to safety” after the incident on 11 March this year, reports the Norwich Evening News.
Bertie Soanes, aged 72, hit the cyclist on Chapel Lane in Wymondham after failing to give way to him, causing injuries including broken ribs and a broken shoulder,
The cyclist was in hospital for three days and was unable to work for almost two months, and afterwards continued to have reduced mobility in his right shoulder.
He said in a victim impact statement read out in court that following the incident he does not cycle as much as he did before.
Soanes, who lives in Hingham, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and failing to stop and was fined £133 for each offence plus £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
He was also handed a six-month driving ban, with chair of the bench Dick Meadows telling him: “What makes this worse is you abandoned the cyclist in the road.”
In mitigation, Vedrana Pehar said that Soanes had no previous convictions and was “extremely apologetic” and had not realised the extent of the cyclist’s injuries at the time.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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26 comments
It just goes to show that drivers are prepared to use their cars as weapons. But I don't think any of them give a flying fudge about the consequences because sealed inside their tin box they don't feel the pain of their victims. Only when they're in court does it sink in, but as sentences are usually pathetic, they don't worry about it.
Jesus wept, driving 10mph, bollocks.
Also, he said he saw a space but he was worried about blocking the road, hence there was not a space.
You drove along a pavement and ran over an innocent child, if it was me I'd be asking to be locked up...
Looks pretty harsh sentencing compared to this:
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-che...
Hit and run should be a minimum 12 month sentence. Also, the driver wasn't wearing a helmet which shows how reckless he is.
Meanwhile, a friendly driver gets a 10 month sentence for helpfully giving a teacher a ride into school: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teacher-mowed-down-crazed-dad-11243226
Thanks for posting, had missed that case. Would like to see much tougher sentences for offensives on school properties as children could be traumatised.
He will likely not drive again, insurance will crucify him. Small consolation.
Wouldn't be too sure of that. I went from a careless driving charge and 6 month ban to insuring a scirocco as a young man, many years ago. It didn't make a massive difference and a couple of renewals later not really a problem.
FIFY
I've never entirely understood why having no previous convictions matters?
Presumably there was a first time for any criminal? At some point, even Jack the Ripper had "no previous convictions " (yes, I know he was never caught so never had *any* convictions, but you know what I mean).
This bloke really deserved a far harsher sentence for his actions.
Should be custodial. To injure someone so badly they need an ambulance and then just leave them lying in the road.
Driving ban for the original offence maybe. Failing to stop is bad enough but to KNOW someone is injured and just drive off?
'ban' (revoke, more like) from driving not long enough.
Also needs a ban from society for being an utter cunt.
Should be locked up for 18 months. The victim has at least got justice, that £30 sees him set for life!!!
Sentences are way too lenient and need urgently reviewing. Have always considered it perfectly reasonable to expect that a jail sentence should be given for the same time it takes a victim to fully recover.
I suppose he can be grateful he was driving, not riding a bike, and the victim was a cyclist not a pedestrian, otherwise he'd be banged up for a couple of years at least.
How can a paltry six month ban be justified for an extremely serious case like this? Surely at least five years is sensible for leaving an injured human being in pain, which you had caused, in the road and likely to be struck by other drivers?
Mind you, this guy only got ten months http://metro.co.uk/2017/09/26/father-jailed-for-knocking-down-teacher-fo...
Certainly a weak punishment.
Failed to give way and just drove off... Ditto the above about 12 month ban and extended retest somehow I doubt he is fit to be on the road.
God forbid had a cyclist failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing and knocked this old man down then cycled off. Imagine that for a can of worms.
He's not a blonde haired, blue eyed, slim middle class mother of two so you would only hear one line about it.
OAPs, disabled people and children aren't worth as much.
BTW apparently female cyclists have a habit of knocking such people over but we don't get done for it even if we rude.
it would be front page news in the daily mail for months
This is right near the top on the front page - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4922170/Driver-condemned-indescr...
Driver not white OAP victim attractive young woman.
Failing to stop is most serious when the victim may lie undiscovered for some time.
I will be watching that case with a great deal of scrutiny, in terms of the sentencing.
So maximum sentence 14 years, reduced by 1/3rd for pleading guilty, reduced by 75% because the victim was a cyclist - probably 2 years, out on parole after 1..... or am I being cynical?
Why is the justice system so full of utter cunts?
Silly old c*nt.
In mitigation, Vedrana Pehar said that Soanes had no previous convictions and was “extremely apologetic” and had not realised the extent of the cyclist’s injuries at the time.
but yet he said he'd call an ambulance, so must have known the severity of the accident.
12 months or more and an extended retest should have been on the cards.
£381 (if my arithmetic is right) and a six month ban does seem extremely lenient. What does a driver have to do to get a proper punishment?
Be a cyclist
Maybe he should do the honourable thing and surrender his licence.