Drunk driver told he was “a cyclist’s worst nightmare” by judge who jailed him

A judge has told a drunk driver that he was “a cyclist’s worst nightmare” and “an accident waiting to happen” after jailing him for seriously injuring a bike rider in Wiltshire.

The male victim was returning home from a ride to the Westbury White Horse when he was hit by a BMW driven by 47-year-old Anthony Adams, who had drunk up to eight pints of lager, reports the Swindon Advertiser.

Adams, an undertaker from Westbury, was jailed for two years and 10 months at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink driving.

Passing sentence, Judge Jason Taylor QC told Adams: “You were, frankly, an accident waiting to happen that day – and the cyclist was the victim.

“He was waiting at a junction, waiting to turn out onto the main road, in fact it was the road you live on. He was wearing reflective clothing and his back was lit. He was there to be seen.

“As he waited he was confronted with what must be a cyclist’s worst nightmare. He became aware of your [BMW] coming round the corner far too fast, leaving him no effective means of escape.

“He at one point thought the car was going to go into the bushes but then recalls seeing the car swerve toward him, no doubt as you either panicked, lost control or both.” 

The judge added: “You were drunk and you’d been showing off your powerful car to your friends. You even ignored them, such was your arrogance, when they told you to slow down.”

David Scutt, prosecuting, had told the court that the victim was stopped on Coach Road, waiting to ride onto the A350, when Adams crashed into him.

“He became aware of a vehicle engine either revving or gunning and he saw headlights coming around the bend,” Mr Scutt said.

One of the cyclist’s legs was shattered from the knee down, requiring a metal rod to be inserted, and he also needed skin grafts to be taken from his other leg, with the victim saying he felt “lucky to have escaped this crash with my life.”

According to another driver on the A350 prior to the crash, Adams' driving suggested he was “either an idiot or drunk.”

Adams, who was three times over the limit for alcohol when tested at the roadside, told police: “I’m sorry, I f*cked up.”

Besides the custodial sentence, Adams, who had a prior conviction for drink-driving dating back to 1996, was banned for driving for three years and will need to take an extended driving test to regain his licence once his ban ends.