A 14-year-old boy has been sentenced for causing the death of a woman after colliding with her while riding a private e-scooter on the pavement.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit the 71-year-old pedestrian Linda Davis, known as Lou, in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire on 2 June last year. The boy stayed at the scene and called 999 for Davis, who sustained a severe head injury and died in hospital six days later.
At Nottingham youth court on Wednesday, the boy was handed a 12-month referral order by District Judge Leo Pyle, who said: “This tragic incident was avoidable. Pavements are for pedestrians, and people in wheelchairs, or babies in prams. They are supposed to be free of vehicles of any type. This mode of transport should not be there.”
The boy, from Nottinghamshire, previously admitted causing death by driving a vehicle without a licence, and causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured. He has no previous convictions.
Kelly Shooter, prosecuting, said it was thought Davis could not have been seen by the boy before being hit as she stepped out from behind a vehicle parked along the kerb.
“According to a witness, Mrs Davis stepped out from behind a Ford Transit van into [the boy’s] path,” she told the court. “It is likely that Mrs Davis, as she walked behind it, would not have been able to be seen.”
While the speed of the collision could not be confirmed, the boy said at the scene he was travelling at about 20mph (32km/h) and that he was “sorry”.
In a statement, Davis’s daughter, Rebecca Williams, said her mother was “a very youthful, lively and amazing nan” who was a “vibrant soul that loved life and family fiercely”.
She said: “My heart was broken and I never expected to lose my mum in such a devastating way.”
As well as a referral order, the boy was disqualified from driving for five years. His parents, who attended court, must pay £85 costs and a £26 victim surcharge and were both handed six-month parenting orders.
Deborah Bell, mitigating, said the boy had shown “great remorse for his actions and continues to do so”. “His remorse is twofold, firstly for the family of Mrs Davis, and for his own parents,” she said.
Private e-scooters are legally available to buy but it is against the law to ride them in any public place in the UK, including on roads and pavements. They are classed as motor vehicles by the police and are subject to the same conditions and incidents involving e-scooters are investigated in the same way.
A number of cities are taking part in a government-backed e-scooter trial scheme with registered companies. These e-scooters can be legally used on public roads and cycle lanes, provided riders are 18 or over, hold at least a provisional driving licence, and follow road traffic regulations.
Speaking after the conviction, DC Emma Temple from Nottinghamshire police said: “This tragic case shows how vitally important it is for people to fully understand the laws and implications of riding e-scooters and where they can be used.
“This was a completely avoidable collision. This boy now has to live with the knowledge that his actions that day resulted in the death of a much-loved woman.”
