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Dangerous driver who killed Ormskirk cyclist jailed for two years

Said he took corner too quickly because he felt under pressure from a tailgating driver behind

A man who hit and killed a cyclist near Preston was found guilty of dangerous driving and jailed for two years at Liverpool Crown Court this week. Andrew Irish took a bend too quickly and collided with Daniel Richmond from Ormskirk who had been riding behind a friend on the opposite side of the road.

The collision took place shortly after 9.10am on Sunday April 13, 2014. Richmond was riding along Runshaw Lane, Euxton, about three miles south of Preston across a bridge over the M6 when he was hit by Irish’s Audi Quattro with such force that part of the bike was sent over the bridge onto the motorway below.

The Southport Visiter reports that 38-year-old Irish stopped immediately after the collision and rang the ambulance services and told them he had “skidded on the corner and hit a cyclist coming the other way.” Richmond was pronounced dead at 9.40am from multiple injuries.

Irish had bought the car for £12,850 a week earlier. Under cross-examination, he denied that he had been trying to see how fast it would go. He said that a blue Astra had been close behind him and had made him feel pushed.

Judge Aubrey accepted his driving had been compromised by the car behind.

“It was being driven at an inappropriate speed and very close to your vehicle and that caused your distraction and failure thereafter to manage your speed accordingly. The accident arose from your failure to negotiate that bend because you were driving too fast and lost control of your vehicle.”

Aubrey also pointed out that the incident took place at an accident blackspot where chevron signs had not been replaced following damage resulting from an earlier incident.

Irish had been travelling at about 52mph on a road with a 60mph limit and said he had not seen the red warning bars and ‘slow’ written on the road. A police expert estimated the safe speed for negotiating the bend was no more than 30mph.

Irish is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Aubrey said: “I am satisfied you are a broken man. You are described by a psychiatrist as having severe thoughts of guilt and express self-hatred towards yourself.”

Irish had admitted causing death by careless driving but denied that it had been dangerous. However, the jury convicted him of the more serious offence and Judge David Aubrey, QC, said that only an immediate prison sentence could be imposed. Irish, who has no previous convictions, was also banned from driving for three years.

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Airzound | 8 years ago
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Irish is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Aubrey said: “I am satisfied you are a broken man. You are described by a psychiatrist as having severe thoughts of guilt and express self-hatred towards yourself.

 

Oh please, stop this shit! The cyclist he hit is dead. This cunt Irish has killed some one by driving extremely dangerously, far too fast, the consquences that he killed some one and has destroyed a family, pass him by. How about taking into account their PTSD? They are surely broken you idiot judge? They will never see Daniel ever again unlike this fucking weasel who will after several years, probably months, be out of prison and back driving on the roads. WTF do you have to do to get the max jail sentence for offences as this is pretty high up the scale IMHO. Drive like a total fucking lunatic, killing some one and you should go to jail for a long time and be banned from driving for life. Like I wrote in another thread where a dangerous driver killed another cyclist, the best thing this driver Irish can do is kill himself.

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kie7077 | 8 years ago
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I had a bus tailgate me, I felt under huge pressure, but I stopped pedalling anyway, idiot bus driver then panicked* and slammed his brakes on, this he no doubt blamed on me.

* he tailgated me for a little while more after i had stopped pedalling before getting far too close and panicking.

 

 

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DaveE128 | 8 years ago
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It's amazing how easily some people are influenced to do stunningly stupid things. I just can't grasp why so many people seem unable to take the advice of their driving instructor - when tailgated, slow down. Or maybe they just didn't bother to remember the things they were taught when they were learning to operate their lethal piece of mahinery  7

I have my doubts that tailgating had anything to do with this one based only on the information in the story, but maybe that's just based on my prejudiced view of Audio drivers (born of personal experience) :-s

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mrmo | 8 years ago
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2years? Was he a serial offender, for a first offence i would expect a stern talking to.

 

Really is a pathetic sentance though, in "control" of a dangerous  vehicle, acting an idiot, kill someone! Where is the deterent?

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mike the bike | 8 years ago
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As excuses go, that's pathetic.  The car behind might irritate you, it might momentarily distract you, but it didn't push your speed up to nearly double the 30mph that was safe.  Prat!

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