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Broken bike (CC licensed image by garryknight, www.flickr.com)'Look at that nutter': witness to 'fast and mad' driver who killed cyclist - jailed for three years
A speeding, tailgating motorist who sent a text just moments before hitting a cyclist has been jailed for three years and nine months.
Timothy John McLoughlin, 45, was on his way home from a round of golf when he hit 55 year old cyclist Graham Devlin, who was riding on a cycle path set away from the road, wearing high viz clothing.
Mr Devlin, a married father, was killed instantly.
McLoughlin was trying to overtake between two traffic islands when he panicked, cut in sharply, hit a van, flipped and careered across the road.
McLoughlin had sent a short text message 45 seconds before another driver rang 999 to report the collision, leading the court to conclude it was a likely contributor to the crash.
Teesside Crown Court also heard the driver had drunk two pints at the Seaton Carew golf club, but was not over the legal limit, according to the Gazette Live.
He suffered a punctured lung and spent three weeks in hospital before disappearing on a holiday to Egypt despite knowing the police had requested to interview him
Witnesses to McLoughlin’s driving that day described it as “fast and mad” with one commenting on him at the time: “Look at this nutter.”
Mr Devlin’s wife of 23 years said: “If there is a Hell, we are living it,” she said.
McLoughlin, of Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to causing Mr Devlin’s death by dangerous driving.
McLoughlin said in a statement read out in court: “Since the accident I have been constantly upset and saddened for the family of Mr Devlin.
“I know my sincerest apologies to his family cannot in anyway undo the devastating loss I have caused the family.
"However, I do wish to convey how deeply sorry I am for what I did.
"Also, my actions have devastated my family.”
McLoughlin's wife said a long prison sentence would be “unimaginable” for the family.
Judge Howard Crowson said: “No sentence I can pass can assuage the grief or match the loss.
“The sentence I impose is not intended to place a value on the life of Mr Devlin because that life is priceless.”
He jailed McLoughlin for three years and nine months and banned him from driving for four years.
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13 comments
A fucking disgracefully lenient sentence. The judge is an arse.
Sad news all-round.
The law on using mobiles is so widely ignored as to be ineffective. As an aside, I cycled past a line of slow moving traffic queuing in the opposite direction on Friday. I counted at least 6 people texting or calling. How interested do you think the police were when I mentioned it?
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For one million dollars i will run them over with my car and claim it was an accident since the most that will happen is that i do 6 months jail for inattentive driving or 3 years if they manage to get me for undue care. If i get lucky i will end up with a prosecutor who is so inept that he will bungle the whole thing up and i will walk scott free.
In three years when i get out i will have one million dollars and society will be rid of one more person who probably does not deserve to be on this planet anyway.
Edit: I joined this site just to write this as the amount of people getting away with murder on our roads is just ridiculous.
I assume the ban will start after he leaves prison? Does anyone know. Either way it is not long enough.
Should start after release, unless the judge messed up the sentencing. It may still get dropped if this piece of pondscum manages to convince a review board that having a license will help him gain employment.
In my own experience there is a correlation between those who golf and a dislike of cyclists.
I just hope that this dreadfully short prison sentence totally ruins his life.
Please, please, no 'Judges guidelines' crap!
So "constantly upset" that he had to go on holiday...
I'd say the alcohol had as much to do with the accident (if not more) as the texting...
I'm presuming the driving ban runs concurrently with the custodial sentence...?? so in fact he gets a 3 month driving ban...a mockery indeed...sympathy to the victims family.
Sick. Just Sick. He drives like c*nt. Sends a text which probably distracted him and led him to kill another man then he fucks off on holiday?
Then we have that wonderful mitigation from the offender who does not deserve to be called a human being and the judge spouting crap: “No sentence I can pass can assuage the grief or match the loss." Thats bullshit and I am sick to death of Judges coming out with this kind of verbal diarrhea.
A 15 year sentence and banned for life. How does that sound? My guess would be that the victims family would certainly see it as more just.
Good old British Justice.
Our justice system is a joke for people who kill with cars but no not so mad you serve a driving ban in custody. On release having served half his sentence because of the guilty plea then the four year ban starts.
Banned him for four years?