The Cyclist

A " territorial" pedestrian whose actions killed a 77-year-old cyclist when she was angered by her being on the pavement has been jailed.

Auriol Grey, 49, shouted an expletive and gestured in an " aggressive way" towards Celia Ward, who fell into The Path of a car in Huntingdon in 2020.

Peterborough Crown Court heard Grey " resented" The Presence of The Cyclist .

Grey, of Bradbury Place, Huntingdon, was jailed for three years after being convicted of manslaughter.

A trial heard The Women passed each other in opposite directions on the pavement of the Cambridgeshire town's ring road, during the afternoon of 20 October.

The Incident was captured on CCTV which included sound, and Grey could be heard shouting at Mrs Ward to " get off the [expletive] pavement".

Prosecutors said the defendant was " angered by The Presence of a cyclist on a footpath" and gestured towards Mrs Ward, who fell into The Path of a car.

Jurors heard The Vehicle had " no chance to stop or take avoiding action" and Mrs Ward was pronounced dead at The Scene .

Grey left prior to emergency services arriving and went to Sainsbury's where she bought groceries.

Sentencing Grey, Judge Sean Enright said she was " territorial about the pavement" and " resented" The Cyclist Being There .

The Trial heard Grey had cerebral palsy and was partially sighted, but The Judge said: " These actions are not explained by disability. "

He Said that she had given a " dishonest account in interview" and there was " not a word about remorse until today".

Judge Enright added that " consideration of other road users is The Lesson of this tragic case".

He Said The Victim impact statements had made for " painful reading" with Mrs Ward's husband of 53 years, David, stating " rarely A Day goes by without thinking of her".

Their daughter, Gillian Hayter, described her mother's death as " needless and senseless" and paid tribute to The Police officers who were " a credit to the uniform they wear".

The Driver of The Car which hit Mrs Ward said there was " always a piece of me that feels guilty" and that her whole life had " turned upside down" following The Incident .

Miranda Moore KC, Who Said in mitigation for Grey that " she does not pose a risk or danger to the public" stated she would be making an appeal against The Sentence .

The Trial was told police could not " categorically" state whether the pavement was a shared cycleway.

Cambridgeshire County Council subsequently reiterated that and said they would review the location, but in his sentencing remarks Judge Enright said it was a shared cycleway.

Source of news: bbc.com