Nine-year sentence for "drunken idiot" drug-driver who told passengers "cyclists should not be on the road" moments before overtaking group ride, hitting and killing cycling club chairman

The family of a cyclist killed by a dangerous driver who was over the drink-drive limit and also tested positive for cocaine or its metabolites have spoken of their "all-consuming sadness", the "drunken idiot" responsible for their loss now jailed for nine years.

Robert Noble was killed on the morning of Sunday 28 January this year, the chairman of the Trent Vikings Cycling Club enjoying a group ride with clubmates when he was hit and killed by Jack Bingley who was driving two passengers home after what the prosecutor described as "something of a bender" on Saturday night.

The group of nine cyclists were riding two abreast — as is suggested by the Highway Code, "particularly [when riding] in larger groups" — but moved to single file in preparation to make a right turn from Cottam Lane/Green Lane onto Rampton Road, in Nottinghamshire. Mr Noble, whose family described him as a "larger-than-life-figure, well-known in the local community" was at the front of the group and was one of two riders to be hit by Bingley as the driver impatiently attempted to overtake the group.

A reporter from the Nottingham Post was at Nottingham Crown Court to hear details of the incident, Judge Mark Watson telling the 26-year-old, who has a previous conviction from 2019 for drink-driving, that he killed Mr Noble "because you did not have the patience to wait until it was safe to overtake that group of experienced cyclists".

Nottinghamshire Police said it is believed Bingley was over twice the drink-drive limit at the time of the collision and he also tested positive for cocaine or its metabolites having returned to the scene two hours after the collision.

The prosecutor, Jeremy Janes, told the court Bingley ignored his passengers when they told him not to overtake "as the cyclists were likely to turn right", instead making "a comment about cyclists shouldn't be allowed on the road" and "was then heard to say words to the effect of 'Oh f*** it' just before [...] he dropped a gear and, in her words [the account of one of the passengers], 'floored it'."

It was obvious that they were going to hit the lead cyclist and both passengers shouted 'Jack'," the prosecutor continued. "Mr Noble went up the bonnet of the van coming off the driver's side. He was thrown into a ditch on the right-hand side of the road just past the junction. The van also struck another one of the other cyclists, a glancing blow as it moved through the group. Mr Bingley didn't stop, if anything he accelerated as he drove away from the scene. One of his female passengers described herself as 'unable to speak' and had her hand over her mouth in shock.

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"They were both shouting at the defendant that he needed to stop, turn around and go back. He said he couldn't. He made a comment about it being a works van and that a trace would come back to work not him. Eventually he did stop and let those two girls out. Having composed themselves, they went back and spoke with police officers at the scene and provided their details and an account of what had happened.

"Back at the scene Mr Noble was unresponsive. His fellow cyclists tried to assist as best they could. Emergency services were very soon on the scene, but Mr Noble did not respond to their best efforts and sadly was pronounced dead at 10.03am. A post-mortem examination revealed that the cause of death was multiple injuries."

The second cyclist who was hit suffered soft tissue injuries, the prosecutor describing the weather on the day of the incident as "fine" and road conditions as "good", stressing that "neither played any part in all this".

"He had two female passengers and they had spent the Saturday night with the defendant drinking in various establishments until they ended up at his home address," Mr Janes said.

"Shortly after 9am he offered to give them a lift home, foolish in the extreme, he had been on something of a bender the night before and had also taken cocaine. It is clear from the breath samples that he gave later that day that he was still significantly over the legal limit at this time. The prosecution say that seeking to overtake that number of cyclists was an inherently and obviously dangerous manoeuvre."

Having initially fled, Bingley returned to the scene at around 11.30am, roughly two hours after the fatal collision, and provided a roadside breath test of 57, a little over one-and-a-half times the legal limit. Nottinghamshire Police have stated that expert evidence confirmed he would have been more than two times over the drink drive limit at the time of the collision.

The prosecutor concluded: "In addition, within the blood samples taken the metabolites of cocaine. It is not possible to say that the levels of cocaine were above the legal limit at the time of the collision, but it is a further factor that affected the defendant's reactions when driving that morning."

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Bingley provided the police a prepared statement at interview, claiming "without warning the lead cyclist had turned in front of him as he was in the process of overtaking" and he called the collision an "accident". He later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for nine years. A five-year driving ban will begin on his release from prison.

Mr Noble's son told the court he is "sickened" that Bingley "could do such a callous thing and then drive off" and told him "I hope you rot".

"No prison sentence will compensate for the hurt you've caused me and my family. My dad loved life, there was nothing he could not do and I aspired to be like him. He was my role model, my mentor and my best friend, the head of the house and a massive part of Gainsborough," Joe Noble said in a victim impact statement.

Angela, Mr Noble's wife, added: "Sadly, on Sunday, January 28, my world, and that of my children, came crashing down. This pain will never leave us."

Detective Constable Andrew Fawcett, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Noble's family and friends and his fellow cycle club members who are understandably devastated by this incident. This was a wholly unnecessary death caused by Bingley's foolish and senseless decision to drive whilst still highly intoxicated and under the influence of drink and drugs.

"This resulted in the selfish decision to overtake a group of cyclists when it was clearly unsafe to do so. This tragic case is a reminder that cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users and it's therefore vitally important that drivers take extra care and show consideration for them when sharing the county's roads.

"There is room for everyone on our roads and we all have a right to be there. We encourage all road users to show consideration and respect for the safety of each other as we all have a duty to make our roads a safer place. We'd urge drivers to please show patience and consideration when they're behind a cyclist, and when passing a cyclist make sure that you allow sufficient time and distance to do so without compromising their safety. 

"Always make sure there are no junctions, and you can see far enough ahead to know it is safe to complete the overtake. Clearly this case is exacerbated by Bingley's intoxication. I would implore everyone to think very carefully before getting behind the wheel the morning after a night out, you must only ever drive when you are fully fit to do so."