Dealclincher Evans Cycles Takeover

In respect of the murder charge: based on him hitting Mr Mullins and making no attempt to help him (this killing him), how would the case compare to a hit and run driver who seriously injures or kills a cyclist, knowingly, and flees the scene without helping? Would this make the cut for a murder charge? Or is there something very different going on here that I’m missing? Genuinely curious because I don’t recall there being a murder charge before for this kind of thing unless it was premeditated. In fact, in my experience most cases like this seem to go the opposite way - where the driver can merely say the sun was in their eyes and get away with a slap on the hands.

@Rendel Harris...and there was me dishing out the praise!

@polainm He must also be an already hardened criminal. It wasn't mentioned during the court proceedings to avoid influencing the jurors and ensuring he had a fair trial, but he had been released from prison shortly before this incident and was couch surfing at his cousin's house days before. Just look at his face, he's only 35, but looks older than his victim who was 56. Must have spent half his adult life in prison.

@jaymack They did offer him manslaughter though but he declined to plead guilty. Without wanting to seem curmudgeonly, yes great that they preferred the most serious charges but hard to see how they could have done differently considering that Richardson got out of the car, saw Mr Mullins was stuck underneath and then got back in and carried on. That clearly moved it above anything that falls under death by dangerous driving.

@thrawed Agree - the UK winters are utterly grim; grey, wet & windy. Not the type of weather you really want to go out and ride. Everything get covered in filth, and takes time to clean it after a ride. Oh for colder, drier & crisper days which can be enjoyable to be out in.

@ymm In my view, lax sentencing of dangerous drivers, especially where cyclists are involved, makes the judge, jury and CPS complicit in UK driver culture. This driver is a sociopath.

@Mr Blackbird i reckon the libido is a bit overrated. I'd let that go rather than a limb or a nice bike.

There are a number of armchair prosecutors on this site who happily heap criticism on the CPS for the decisions they make, sometimes deservedly so. I note that none of them have so far applauded the over worked, under paid specialist prosecutor at the regional Complex Casework Unit who successfully took this to trial. It would have been easy to accept guilty plea to a lesser charge, but she didn't - thank you.

The force also noted that almost all of these serious collisions occurred in 30mph zones where, police claim, “drivers feel most comfortable and familiar in their local area”. Yes, my neighbourhood is a 30mph zone, and the residents have become so comfortable and familiar with it that they feel comfortable with exceeding the limit with regular aplomb, parking in the most ridiculous of places and overtaking parked cars into the path of oncoming vehicles (despite those vehicle having bright lights) 🙄

@Rendel Harris I'd like to see a lifetime driving ban. I may be disappointed...