Motorbike rider jailed for killing cyclist in Oxfordshire

A motorbike rider who killed a cyclist while attempting to overtake a car on a road in Oxfordshire has been jailed for 28 months.

Mitchell Young, aged 22 and from Duns Tew, pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court to causing death by dangerous driving having earlier denied the charge, reports the Oxford Mail.

He had been riding his motorbike on at 6.30pm on 15 October 2018 on the A4260 Banbury Road close to the Sturdys Castle pub when he attempted to overtake a Range Rover.

Cyclist Jurij Odinocenko, aged 63, who had been riding in the opposite direction, was stationary as he waited to turn right to head home to Woodstock.

The court was shown CCTV footage which revealed how Young ‘drifted’ across the road as he overtook the car and hit the cyclist at speed.

Mr Odinocenko died at the scene despite paramedics trying to save his life, and Young was taken to hospital to have his own injuries treated.

Besides jailing Young for 28 months, Judge Nigel Daly also banned him from driving for four years and two months and he will need to take an extended retest to get his driving licence back.

A victim impact statement from Natalia Baeva, Mr Odinocenko’s daughter, was read out to the court.

She wrote: “He was not just the best father in the world, he was the best person in our life.

“This bereavement is the hardest and [most] irreplaceable loss for our entire family. He was loved by everyone who knew him.”