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Statue of Justice, Old Bailey (licensed CC BY 2.0 on Flickr by Ronnie Macdonald).jpgTwo years in jail for driver who was "running late" when he killed cyclist
A motorist who was said to be “running late” for work when he crossed onto the wrong side of the road and struck and killed a cyclist in Peterborough has been jailed for two years.
James Trickey, 22, a professional chorister at Peterborough Cathedral, a geography graduate from the University of Oxford which he attended on a choral scholarship, died at the scene of the crash which happened at 7am on 23 December 2014.
The driver involved, Robert Maddiss, aged 30 and from Coates, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty at Peterborough Crown Court to causing death by dangerous driving, reports Express.co.uk.
Maddiss, a lorry driver, had been heading to work in his Renault Clio when the fatal collision happened, the court was told. The road was not lit and it was dark, but Charles Snelling, acting for the prosecution, said Mr Trickey was wearing a hi-viz vest.
“The defendant was travelling from the east, and Mr Trickey was travelling in the opposite direction,” he said. “The car cut across a sharp corner, and collided head on.
“It is accepted the car was on the wrong side of the road, and the cyclist was on the correct position.
“There is no evidence of speeding at the time, but it was noted by his work that he was running late at the time, and the crown say he was distracted by that.”
Speaking in mitigation for Maddiss, Mauro Maselli told the court his client had no prior convictions and an unblemished driving record.
He said: “Mr Maddiss is a family man, he is the sole bread-winner for his partner and two young children.”
Sentencing Maddiss to two years’ imprisonment, Judge Gareth Hawkesworth commented: “With this piece of dangerous driving you deprived the world of an extremely talented and much loved young man.”
In a statement read out to the court, Susan Trickey, the victim’s mother, said: “The grief and loss has been beyond words, and for us, losing our precious son is a life sentence, there will never be a day without thinking of him and grieving for him.”
She continued: “My only hope is that other precious lives are not lost in this careless way.
"I hope that this case might be a warning for drivers to be more careful on our roads, and not to take risks.
“To slow down, never cut corners, and to always be aware that there may be a cyclist or pedestrian around any corner.
“James was such a treasure and no one will ever replace him,” Mrs Trickey added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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17 comments
Sadly experience has shown that drivers who kill on the roads, can and do go on to get driving jobs after leaving prison. Some then go on to kill again.
Driving is not a right, it is a privilege granted under licence. Should that privilege be abused, the licence should be withdrawn. This is the way the law is supposed to work. In the case that someone kills another person while driving, their licence should be withdrawn permanently. This should be a strict policy, no ifs, no buts, just an automatic life ban.
Not having a driving licence is not a great hardship, and should not be portrayed as such. Anyone who take the attitude that there but for luck go I, should seriously think about the way they drive. Driving is the most dangerous thing that most people do in their daily lives, and should be treated seriously. Bad driving should not be socially acceptable.
The usual "BURN HIM" type comments.
Seems like a tragic accident. At the risk of being added to the bonfire, I'll bet the bloke is absolutely shattered himself. I would be and I'll admit (unlike others in this thread I guess?) that in the past 20+ years of driving there will have been times when someone in the wrong place and at the wrong time would have been put at serious risk of injury by me.
RIP to the young lad.
Not burn him, but imprison him for a time commensurate with sentences given to people who break the law and kill as a result. And find a way to stop him driving.
So, the majority of involuntary manslaughter sentances I've found in the 10 minutes I can be ars.... bothered to give to this, result in between 1 and 4 years. Most of those are deliberate rage acts as well - punches, stabbing a peed, etc.
Therefore, I'd say that the two years seems in keeping, as much as everyone on here so far would like more.
He was accidentally on the wrong side of the road? In your "20+ years of driving", how many times have you accidentally driven on the opposite side of the road? Is this something that can happen by accident at all?
And he is shattered? How shattered is the deceased? The deceased's spouse? The rest of the deceased's family?
Feeling shattered at being a killer is a minimum required reaction to not qualify as a psychopath, not a mitigating circumstance during sentencing.
Mate, I wouldn't wish the feeling of having killed someone on anyone. It's a fucking horrible situation all round. To state it's the minimum he should feel is a pretty grim place to come from if you ask me.
Let's wind in the mock outrage for just a minute, besides the blatently obvious that you so clearly state, there is another family that has been torn apart by what is, let me repeat, a tragic accident.
We don't know enough about this to understand why it happened - why didn't the guy see him? Clearly he's cut the corner, and as such has deliberately moved onto the other side of the road for 5 / 10 meters. What's to say that every other day of his life he drove with regard for all, giving fellow users of the road respect and room? He's completely clean with no previous and not one problem with his car.
My original points still stand, of course there's a backlash on a cycling forum, but, everyone who's driven a car will have made a mistake in speed / positioning etc that could have resulted in another person getting whacked had there been a wrong place / wrong time .
Cut through the emotional bullsh!t reporting and the simple facts are a tragic accident, not a deliberate close pass, not an act of road rage, not an on-the-phoner, not a RLJ etc.
(Looking at the photos, I can't help but think the guy had shit lights? No reflectives? Why wasn't he seen? It's flat as - the guy in the car must have been able to see him? Pretty strange,,,it's why I have my helmet reflective, my ankle reflectives etc Lights can work head on, but you need those refectives in the dark. I actually prefer commuting in the dark for that reason. In the summer, people see more and pass closer)
'I was distracted because I was late' - I've no idea how this ends up with someone driving on the wrong side of the road, and even less as to why it's even touted as an excuse. Pathetic.
Personally, I don't rate that "he's a family man, think of his children" schtick rates any better than the old defnition of Chutzpah:
the young man, on trial for the muder of his parents -".come on, don't be too hard on a poor orphan boy".
If he'd committed a crime against property, or any other homicide offence, the court would laugh at such a plea, and rightly so. Should be the same here. It was not the victim who ruined the perpetrator's children's lives.
Nowhere in this article or the Express/local paper does it mention anything about whether the "driver" is going to lose his licence
to killand sit an extended test to get it back, so maybe he didn't.Also if you look at the pictures of the scene in the Express you will see it was a raised fenland road with nothing obscuring the view round the bend, so therefore absolutely no excuse for this collision.
As others have said two years pathetic.
R.I.P.
People I have spoken to in this area have not even heard a mention in Cambridgeshire news.
I've driven across there many times, it's pretty straight but there are some 60mph sections.
Definately need to slow down.
And as we have seen here, Mauro, it would appear that it was an umblemished driving record due to not being caught rather than being an exemplary diver.
RIP brother.
You're forgetting that his life after release will not be a bed of roses either.
[/quote]
You're forgetting that his life after release will not be a bed of roses either.
[/quote]
Indeed. It will be no consolation to the bereaved family but Maddiss will find it hard to get a driving job; no insurance company will touch him unless the premium is sky-high. And rightly so.
You're forgetting that his life after release will not be a bed of roses either.
[/quote]
Indeed. It will be no consolation to the bereaved family but Maddiss will find it hard to get a driving job; no insurance company will touch him unless the premium is sky-high. And rightly so.
[/quote]
He'll have to get a bike.
You're forgetting that his life after release will not be a bed of roses either.
[/quote]
Indeed. It will be no consolation to the bereaved family but Maddiss will find it hard to get a driving job; no insurance company will touch him unless the premium is sky-high. And rightly so.
[/quote]
He will, however, have a life, unlike his victim. The message that killing someone gets a maximum of 12 months in prison is somewhat worse than 'pathetic'.
Indeed. It will be no consolation to the bereaved family but Maddiss will find it hard to get a driving job; no insurance company will touch him unless the premium is sky-high. And rightly so.
[/quote]
It won't matter though. All he needs to do is get back in his car and drive. He doesn't need to insure it, or tax it, or even stop driving if he's banned. Thousands of drivers do the same each day. Don't think it will change him. There will even be transport companies that will take him on if he doesn't need to retake his test.
Sorry, that's wrong. I know of somebody who has lost his licence twice for drink related offences and is still a London bus driver...
Damn. So we can't blame the victim.
Oh shit. Not looking good for the driver. Hope he's got a good excuse.
Phew. There we go, let's go easy boys. He was running late for work.
Oh shit. Can't have them go without their daddy. Besides, it was just a cyclist.
2 years. Out in 12 months.
Pathetic.