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broken bike.jpgJail for motorist who killed cyclist while driving “like an idiot” in Leeds
A driver who killed a cyclist while driving “like an idiot” has been jailed for six years. Robert Hall – who had his young daughter in the back when he hit Andrew Wilsea – was told that he had shown no remorse and no real insight into how bad his driving was.
Robert Hall lost control of his car during a shopping trip with his daughter to buy toiletries in August. The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that he hit a kerb while driving at over 70mph which caused him to career across Gelderd Road in Leeds.
Hall’s Rover hit Wilsea, who was cycling in the opposite lane, before ending up in a hedge. The court heard that the bike had been left “embedded” in the side of the car.
Hall said that he believed he had been driving at 50mph – the legal limit for that stretch of road – but accepted expert evidence indicating this was not the case. Analysis showed that he had been driving in excess of 70mph for about a minute just before the collision.
Camera footage from a bus showed Hall’s car overtaking another vehicle shortly before the collision and the court was also shown CCTV footage of the vehicle going out of control.
Witness Jonathan Braithwaite saw Hall’s car moments before the collision and said: “I saw the vehicle and I thought ‘what an idiot, why do you need to travel that fast?’ but I didn’t think any more of it at the time.”
Braithwaite then came across the collision scene shortly afterwards.
After going over to Wilsea and trying to give him first aid, he approached Hall.
“He had blood on his face but it didn’t look like he had any injuries. I asked if there was anything I could do. “He was looking for his glasses. I held his daughter while he was looking for his glasses.”
Wilsea had become a father for the fourth time two weeks earlier and had just finished his paternity leave.
Asked by prosecutor Michael Smith whether there was a significant difference between 50mph and 70mph when driving a car, Hall replied: “Not in my perception, no.”
Smith asked Hall: “Do you agree that as a driver you should have realised it?”
Hall replied: “I do now, yes.”
Hall pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving but not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He was found guilty of the more serious charge.
Judge Tom Bayliss, QC, said: “I observed you in the witness box. You showed no remorse. You showed no real insight in to how bad your driving was. I am quite sure you lied to the police. You knew perfectly well what speed you were doing.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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24 comments
I cycle this road twice daily on my commute and there's definitely the need for speed cameras.
But I fear it will take more deaths before the authorities agree.
So we have an idiot that killed a parent and a little girl that will get deprived of her father company for six years. Even if she has an idiotic father she still has a father.
And here is the real problem, if our society has people that we perceive to be idiots in such great amounts, aren't we idiots too for not having mechanisms that would prevent such unfortunate events? But we don't really want too. The majority simply doesn't want any more speed cameras or any other measures that would keep travelling speeds within legal limits. So who is the real idiot? Should we look at the mirror perhaps?
I know what you mean, but as someone who doesn't drive, supports better enforcement of stricter laws, and would support a party advocating the removal of private cars if one existed, no, I don't see this sort of idiot in the mirror. Other sorts maybe, but not this sort.
Perhaps we should look in the mirror. But it's essential that the laws be enforced, especially in a case such as this, to serve as a deterrent. And before you shed tears for the driver's daughter, please consider the cyclist's family, too. It's a tragedy, but one that could have ben prevented by exercising just a smidgen of care and responsibility. Decisions have consequences - the driver made a decision.
Any chance we can sterilize the whole family?
I think Wilsea was the victim and not the driver!
You are correct. I am ashamed for not having read this more carefully. At this stage my reactions are nearly completely irrational having seen so many of these stories where someone cycling is killed or crippled or incapacitated for life.
I can hardly bear to read any more of them.
In any case my sincere apologies to the Wilsea family.
Sorry I did'nt mean to call you out, I understand what you were getting at and I agree with you. Thoughts to the Wilsea family.
Hmmm, driving LIKE an idiot??!
According to another report he received only 18 months for the 'death by dangerous ...' . The other half of the sentence was for attempting to pervert the course of justice, ie lying to police and destroying vehicle documents.
So in the eyes of the law the two offences are somehow equivalent, which I don't understand.
It is easy to catch people like this once they have killed someone, isn't it?
Look folks ... vote for and support political parties that have no interest in enforcing the laws of this land and this is the reality of the country that you have created.
Are you seriously suggesting that a Labour, LibDem, Green, UKIP, Tory, Monster Raving Looney Party government would have changed the laws? I have seen _no_ manifestoes which call for a massive reduction in motorized vehicle usage.
So you haven't read the Green manifesto then?
And even the 'major' parties aren't all equal in this regard.
Valbrona's point was about enforcement. We currently have a government that is happy to slash central police funding because of an evidence-confounding ideological addiction to austerity.
We've got a transport minister who's an ineffective pretender. He thinks transport is cars and failing train franchises should be used for political purposes. As secretary of state he doesn't understand his remit or position. He called for a review of driving offences and sentencing as justice secretary, seeming to overlook the fact that he's better-placed than anyone to start that review. Nothing happened. As transport secretary he's called for the Southern franchise management and unions to continue talking... Way to use that influence, Chris.
A cynic might think he's all mouth and no trousers, using his position to make noise about an issue and then failing to use his position to do anything about it because he only gives a shit about his career. A cynic might suggest that it takes an ignorant, selfish bastard with no awareness of how busy London roads work to just open the door of their chauffeured Chelsea tractor, while some way from the kerb, without looking.
We've also got a Chancellor who called for an end to the 'war on motorists', when he was transport secretary, a few years back.
For people who don't just rely on cars, the Tories are particularly shit all-round and, given their demographic of self-centred baby boomers, that's not really a surprise, is it?
In Scotland, at least, the Greens are too busy drooling over electric cars to worry about major reduction in usage.
Not really. I have a copy of the Scottish Greens manifesto to hand, and you need to read a long long way through it before you get to the first environmental topic (which happens to be Fracking). The Scottish greens have become Scotland's third socialist party and don't actually seem to be "busy drooling" over any environmental matters at all. As for their leader, Harvey only seems to be interested in Independence these days. Perhaps he thinks an independent Scotland will have the wealth to save the planet.
Have you read the entry in their manifesto, that relates to cycling? For a party supposedly "on our side", it's worse than useless.
I have asked a number of party members and election candidates about this, and they all just say the same repsonse, obviously quoting some internal PR statement. "It's being re-written". I'm not sure if the Green party have literacy problems or something, but that's what they have been saying for several years now. Surprising that cycling is such a low priority for them that they can't write 2 paragraphs on it.
For this reason, I would say that the Green manifesto is just as irrelevant as the manifestoes of all other parties, which have been shown through a number of recent elections to be complete works of fiction.
6 years is still not enough should of been 15 minimum and a life time driving ban. Personally I'd shoot the bastard, save some tax payers money!!
A driver convicted of dangerous driving, it really is Christmas!!
Finally
Hope he is gang raped every night in jail. Twat.
Nasty pikey, hope he's a bit naughty in jail and has to do the full six years.
No remorse = scumbag.
I do hope he is not allowed to drive for a very long time come his release.
With a young child in the car too.