Welcome to our sentencing round-up, a regular compilation of sentencing stories from local publishers and police forces from around the UK, and sometimes internationally in particularly notable cases.
All sources are credited with a link, and where a case has been picked up nationally, we’ll always credit local publishers who have attended court.
Since our last round-up in July, we have also reported on a couple of cases as standalone stories, most notably the lorry driver who avoided jail “by the skin of his teeth” after killing a cyclist.
Suspended sentence for “blind” driver who hit cyclist after not wearing glasses
A driver who was not wearing glasses despite their licence requiring they do so has been sentenced for hitting a cyclist and causing serious injuries, Humberside Police report.
Uchenna Agunenye, from Hull, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for 12, a two year driving ban and further disqualification pending an extended re-test, 180 hours unpaid community service work and ordered to pay the cyclist £187.
The victim was taken to hospital having sustained a broken leg, heel and several toes, as well as suffering lacerations and a fracture to her elbow. Agunenye later said he forgot to wear his glasses.
Following his sentencing, Humberside Police uploaded footage of the collision online, which you can watch below:
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12 years jail for speeding driver who killed cyclist then tried to cover it up
A Birmingham man who killed a cyclist whilst driving at least twice over the 30mph speed limit then denied and tried to hide his involvement in the collision has been jailed for 12 years, West Midlands Police report.
Jayden Adams, 27, hit Thomas Brown, 29, in the Hodge Hill area of the city on 26 April 2025. Brown suffered fatal injuries and died in hospital three days later.
Adams drove off after the crash and “abandoned” the Seat Leon involved, “only to return to it later that day to retrieve and burn it”.
Following enquiries he was arrested and told officers he was the car’s passenger. Detective Sergeant Chloe Collins said “Adams lied hoping he would get away with what he had done. His actions were callous.
“Fortunately, we were able to prove he was the driver on that day. He will now spend many years behind bars where he can reflect on his actions.”
For causing death by dangerous driving, Adams was jailed for nine years, and was handed a further three years for perverting the course of justice.
He was also given concurrent jail terms for driving while disqualified and driving without a licence, as well as a ban from driving for 12 years.
4 years jail for speeding driver who killed cyclist
In a similar case, a man from Newcastle driving at almost double the speed limit has been jailed for four and a half years for causing the death of a cyclist by dangerous driving in Norfolk, The Chronicle report.
Yasin Khan, 23, was driving a white Volkswagen Golf when he collided with a cyclist travelling on the A140 Farrow Road at the junction with Bowthorpe Road in Norwich on 27 February 2023. The cyclist died at the scene.
Norfolk Police said forensic analysis found Khan had been travelling between 55mph (89km/h) and 59mph (95km/h) while passing through the junction which has a 30mph (48km/h) speed limit.
In addition to his jail sentence, Khan was also disqualified from driving for seven years and three months.
Det Supt Mark Bassett, a serious collision investigation unit supervisor, said: “This collision was entirely avoidable and resulted in the tragic loss of a young man’s life.
“This is sadly another case that should serve as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences that can result from driving in an irresponsible and selfish manner.
“Mr Khan made the conscious decision to drive at almost double the speed limit on a busy urban road, with catastrophic consequences.”
Suspended sentence, community service and three-year driving ban for motorist who killed cyclist in early hours
A van driver received a suspended prison sentence for causing the death by careless driving of a cyclist in North Yorkshire, BBC Look North report.
Robert Wade, 25, crashed into Graham Nash, 54, in August 2024 causing “catastrophic injuries”. Bradford Crown Court heard the victim died at the scene after suffering a cardiac arrest. Wade subsequently said he had “no idea how he hadn’t seen him”, but stopped after hitting the victim and attempted to perform CPR.
Nash, from Giggleswick, had been riding on the single carriageway section of the A65 Settle bypass at about 4:50 AM on 6 August 2024 and was wearing a helmet with a light attached. His bike also had a working rear light. Judge Ahmed Nadim said Wade would have had eight or nine seconds to see the cyclist before hitting him and added: “You failed to observe him despite having ample opportunity to do so.” There was no alcohol, drugs, mobile phone use or racing involved in the incident.
He was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community service. Wade was also banned from driving for three years.
In a victim impact statement, Linda Nash, who had been married to Graham for 30 years, said her husband was “one of a kind” and a “truly special man who made life better simply by being in it”.
“The sentence imposed by the court will one day end. Ours never will.”
The court heard Wade had no previous convictions but had received penalty points on his licence for using a mobile phone while driving in February 2024.
His barrister, Rhianydd Clement, said Wade had shown extreme remorse and understanding of the devastating impact on Nash’s family.
Suspended sentence for van driver after causing death of Olympian due to “low sun”
An Olympic decathlete who competed alongside Daley Thompson was killed when a driver hit him with his Ford Transit van, the BBC report.
BRAD McSTRAVICK R.I.P#SALtogether
Really sad to report on sudden passing of top Scottish CE athlete at 68
Condolences to Brad’s family, friends
Short tribute on Facebook (with thanks @ArnoldBlack1) https://t.co/Fj9MboXGO1@SALChiefExec @OvensDavid @leslie_roy1 @Team_Scotland pic.twitter.com/2hBc1bnFqx— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) August 31, 2024
Bradley McStravick was cycling up a hill along the B6165 in Burnt Yates on 20 August 2024 when William Langley, 38, rear-ended him. McStravick, 68, was riding his bike after being informed he was cancer-free after treatment earlier in the day. He was due to attend his niece’s wedding the following day.
At a previous court appearance, the prosecution said Langley had a 16-second gap to see the bicycle but failed to do so. Langley admitted causing death by careless driving and was sentenced to a 26-week jail sentence suspended for 12 months. He was given a two-year driving ban, fined £500 and ordered to pay £85 costs, along with a £154 statutory surcharge.
Langley’s lawyer told the court his client, “just did not see the cyclist” but had observed the speed limit at all times. He added Langley had stopped his van after the collision to assist McStravick, had called the emergency services and was “full of remorse”.
“Too often, road traffic offences are treated as second-tier crimes, even when the consequences can be life-changing”
One common theme from almost all court cases we cover, whether mentioned by the prosecution, during sentencing remarks or victim impact statements is how life-changingly devastating for so many people one moment of inattention, distraction or dangerous driving can be. Campaigners and cyclists alike have regularly questioned sentencing severity for road offences, Cycling UK telling us that “too often, road traffic offences are treated as second-tier crimes”.
Sarah Whitebread, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Cycling UK, said: “That mindset has contributed to dangerous and careless drivers reducing or even avoiding disqualification through claims of ‘exceptional hardship’. Speeding, driving while exhausted or passing dangerously close to someone aren’t harmless slip-ups, they are decisions that can leave families grieving.
“If someone drives dangerously and puts lives at risk, taking them off the road for a period is not excessive. It’s common sense. The courts’ first duty must be to protect the public and if the government is serious about meeting casualty reduction targets set out in the Road Safety Strategy, sentencing has to match the seriousness of the harm.”
Sentencing is a much-discussed topic on road.cc, particularly with regards to the punishments handed down to drivers who seriously injure or kill cyclists.
This series is a regular round-up of sentencing stories that helps us to collate information for our more in-depth coverage around sentencing, but we’re hoping it could also be of use to readers, academics, and those in the legal profession as a starting point for analysing the state of play when it comes to sentencing for driving and cycling offences.
Much like our Near Miss of the Day series, we’re not doing this for ‘clicks’ – but we make no secret of the fact that the article format is designed to get attention, and generate discussion. Though road.cc acknowledges there is a problem with inconsistent and lenient sentences for killer drivers, we’re intentionally steering clear of editorialising in our reporting here, which means we’re not just going to be selecting cases where we’ve decided in-house that the punishment didn’t fit the crime.
The aim is to provide a true picture of how people are sentenced for driving and cycling offences for further analysis. Are sentences wildly inconsistent depending on the judge? Are sentences becoming more lenient, or harsher over time? We can’t change the law, or a judge’s decision – but change starts with a discussion, and an acknowledgement the current system isn’t fit for purpose. This is why the maximum sentence for death by dangerous driving was increased to life imprisonment in 2022, and why the Highway Code was updated to include minimum passing distances for drivers around cyclists and the Hierarchy of Road users.
