A cyclist who was left paralysed from the waist down when a driver crashed into him as he took part in the Ulster 100-mile time trial championships has said that the sentence handed down to her is a “joke.”
Elaine Adu, a Christian pastor of Greenvale Manor, County Antrim, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm through driving without due care and attention in connection with the incident last June which left Mark Millar with a catalogue of injuries including a severed spine.
Adu, aged 47, was given an eighty hour community sentence and was banned for driving for a year following the trial at Antrim Magistrates’ Court, reports the Belfast Telegraph.
After sentencing, Mr Millar told the Belfast Telegraph that “one of us [the riders taking part in the time trial] could easily have been killed that day”.
He continued: “I really hope this will help raise awareness for the safety of cyclists, there’s a lot of motorists out there that need to wise up and keep their eyes on the road. It was a truly shocking bit of driving.
“And a one-year driving ban is a joke, one of us could easily have been killed that day. I most definitely wouldn’t go as far as to say I was lucky … but I’m happy to have survived.”
Both he and Adu were both headed in the same direction on the Lisnevenagh Road in County Antrim when she crashed into him from behind, with their respective speeds estimated at 25mph and 50mph.
Recalling the incident and its aftermath, Mr Millar said: “I was hit from behind by a Honda CRV, on a straighter piece of road you would be hard pushed to find. Although I was conscious, I can’t remember much.
“Luckily the paramedics were there within minutes and a spinal surgeon was at the scene via the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance.
“I was put into a coma and stabilised at the scene, then transported to the Royal Victoria Hospital via ambulance where they operated on my spine.
“It was broken in four places and my spinal cord severed, which means I’m paralysed from the waist down.”
He sustained other injuries including “a torn spleen, epidural haematoma to the neck, rib fractures and bruised lungs, fractured sternum and broken shoulder blade,” while both his hips were broken and needed surgery.
He was discharged in September but will need to continue to undergo rehabilitation for the foreseeable future.
Deputy District Judge Liam McStay said that “cyclists need the protection of the court” and that the case “could not make it more plain to members of the public that we have to share the road and have to be aware of each other.”
During her trial, the court heard that Adu “struggles on a daily basis to accept the fact that as a result of her driving, a person has been left with life-changing injuries” and that she “hopes a day will come when she can actually meet Mr Millar and apologise face-to-face.”
Mr Millar told the Belfast Telegraph he had no interest in meeting her.
23 thoughts on “Cyclist slams “joke” sentence for pastor who left him paralysed after driving in to him”
Deputy District Judge Liam
Deputy District Judge Liam McStay said that “cyclists need the protection of the court”
Then keep this utterly incompetent driver off the road for as long as possible, but you didn’t did you.
From my quick google search I managed to find this on the Brake page about NI
Causing death or grievous bodily injury by careless or inconsiderate driving
Article 11A of the Road Traffic (NI) Order 1995 (as introduced by article 52 of the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008)
The law states that: ‘A person who causes the death of, or grievous bodily injury to, another person by driving a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, is guilty of an offence. ’
The law distinguishes between ‘dangerous’ driving and ‘careless or inconsiderate’ driving. The definition of careless and inconsiderate driving is that the standard of a person’s driving fell below (rather than far below) what would be expected of a careful and competent driver.
This offence can be tried in either a Crown Court or a Magistrates’ Court. The maximum penalty is a prison sentence of five years and an unlimited fine in the Crown Court, or a prison sentence of six months and a maximum fine of £5,000 in a Magistrates’ Court. The driver must be disqualified from driving for a minimum period of one year. In rare cases where the driver is not disqualified, their driver’s licence must be endorsed with between three and 11 penalty points.
So a MINIMUM period of disqualification then, how’s that going to keep anyone else safe.
I tell you what, I’m starting
I tell you what, I’m starting to get really worried for all the people who plough into cyclists, maiming or seriously injuring them. Invariably when it comes to court they are ‘struggling to live with what they’ve done’. Not as much as the poor sods they’ve just crushed, of course, but still…
Cunts
is it the case that it only
is it the case that it only takes one person to trigger a sentence review if it is deemed to be too lenient. I have no idea how you would go about doing that, but will try and reserch it later
How does this send any
How does this send any message of deterrent to serious crime. Careless driving and causing death or serious injury using a killing machine is simoly a load of bollocks and the outmoded determination of what constitutes careless/dangerous needs to be changed and rapidly … but as burththebike says often, gov don’t give a fuck and would rather focus on making up ways on how to attack people on bikes and apply laws differently and set a much higher bar for same to adhere to than any other.
I hope the judge gets run over and the driver gets her comeuppance in a big way!
I wonder if this was a male in gis teens with tattoos and a modded (but legal) car if the outcome would be a lot different?
The problem I see in this
The problem I see in this particular case is that the motorist was a Christian pastor. So, will get every protection they can find on the statute books because, “God, innit?”.
I may be generalising a bit, never having been to Northern Ireland, but it looks like their local/devolved government is pretty much willing to bow down before the church.
brooksby wrote:
When I lived in Belfast, I spent some time trying to get the government to make the roads slightly less dangerous for cyclists, but got the response that they didn’t want to do that as it would encourage cycling and increase the ksi rate.
burtthebike wrote:
How? I’d like to try.
aries2580 wrote:
start writing to your council. And keep pestering them. Find out what inroads pro cycling groups are making. Bike fast is a good start. Though until Stormount gets its act together there is no funding available and it’s highly unlikely that Karen Bradley will authorise release of finances for infrastructure.
In my experience it really depends where you live and what the attitude of motorists is. South and East Antrim is fine. North Down and the Ards Pinnisula is a nightmare as is Belfast itself.
aries2580 wrote:
Letters to DfT or whoever was in charge in Belfast fifteen years ago. Possibly DoE. Whatever, the response was “we’d love to, but we can’t have more cyclists because it would look bad for the kis figures.”
You’re going to need to find out who’s in charge now and work on them.
With this kind of debacle, I
With this kind of debacle, I’m surprised that the government doesn’t step in and announce a wide-sweeping reform of traffic offence sentencing.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Another one?
Announcement of course, not an actual review.
Quote:
Except that she was behind Mr Millar on a straight road – it seems a bit unreasonable to expect him to be aware of and anticipate her driving into (over) him!
During her trial, the court
Good for him
All she wants to do is salve her own god-fearing conscience, so why should Mr Millar help her in that?
brooksby wrote:
Especially considering the last time that they ‘met’, it didn’t end so well.
I can’t even imagine if I were in his place and actually got to meet the person that paralysed you through sheer lack of giving a shit about anyone else.
If she’s identifying as a Christian, let’s see her sell all her worldy belongings and give the proceeds to the poor – that would at least demonstrate that she cares about anyone other than herself.
Sorry – this particular case
Sorry – this particular case seems to have triggered me
Lots of different thoughts and comments bubbling up, hence a long set of posts.
Hope the injured party makes
Hope the injured party makes a private claim against her, in light of the soft touch approach to justice.
Would put you off wouldn’t it
Would put you off wouldn’t it… I really wonder if the risk is worth the reward these days. I just get stressed on the road lol.
Indoor cycling is fun and I don’t need to worry about this stuff.
Your life isn’t worth much on a bike round here.
aries2580 wrote:
That’s about where I’m at with it now. I cycled with a road club for several years but I’ve had enough of close passes and inattentive drivers. I just don’t want to be on the road regularly any more – it feels like a matter of time until you get hit by a car, especially with the stupid speeds people drive round blind corners around here.
I’ve switched to mountain biking on the local bridleways in the week and then sticking the bike in the car and heading to Wales on the weekend to ride off-road stuff there. Strange that I feel safer on a downhill track than a shared use public highway.
An emotional Adu said: “I’m
An emotional Adu said: “I’m just truly sorry for the Millar family. I pray for him, I pray for his wife and his family everyday.”
Ah prayers, maybe they will fix his spine?
I don’t understand the
I don’t understand the leniency with which the “justice” system deals with drivers.
Driving is a privilege, not a (excuse the pun) god-given right. Cases where a driver has caused such injury or worse it should be a straightforward revocation of driving license for life.
Too many times we read about drivers killing or seriously injuring pedestrians, cyclists, etc. and all they get is points and a fine, or maybe a suspended sentence and a short ban.
If the courts are serious about “sending a message” that this is not acceptable, then they need to be a lot harsher with the perpetrators.
Good job she wasn’t an
Good job she wasn’t an atheist.
srchar wrote:
i remember hearing a joke, back during the troubles: so this bloke moves to Belfast, gets asked if he’s Protestant or Catholic; “I’m an atheist “, he replies; “Oh right… But are you a Protestant atheist or a Catholic atheist?”
brooksby wrote:
No joke, mate.
Actual quote … “Yeah, but are you a Catholic Muslim or a Protestant one?”
Weird place in the 1980’s; not much less weird now, I suspect.