A woman who shouted and waved her arm aggressively at a cyclist, causing her to fall into the path of an oncoming car, has been jailed. Auriol Grey, 49, was locked up for three years for manslaughter after CCTV footage showed her shouting at retired midwife Celia Ward to “get off the f***ing pavement” in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Celia, 77, fell into ongoing car after being struck on October 20, 2020, reports the Mirror. Cerebral palsy sufferer Grey denied manslaughter but was found guilty following an earlier retrial.
Prosecutor Simon Spence KC said the two women were about to pass each other when Grey "gestured in a hostile and aggressive way" towards Mrs Ward. When emergency services rushed to the scene, Grey made off to a nearby Sainsbury's to buy shopping.
When being questioned by officers, she said she was partially sighted and claimed she felt "anxious" as the bicycle was travelling "fast" in the middle of the pavement. She added that she could have lifted her hand "unintentionally".
He said that Grey, of Huntingdon, had no mental disorder or learning difficulties and he said the pavement was 2.4 metres wide at the relevant point, describing it as a “shared path on the ring road”.
Mrs Ward’s widower, retired RAF pilot David Ward, said in a statement read to the court by prosecutor Simon Spence KC that the “clip of Celia’s last moments will haunt me forever”. He added: “Rarely a day goes by without thinking of her and our happy life together but I can so easily burst into tears, as I have on so many occasions."
He said they met in 1965 and in their retirement enjoyed playing golf and seeing the world on cruise holidays. “I miss her terribly and after a year-and-a-half on my own felt the need to sell our house of 34 years and relocated to a retirement village near Romsey [in Hampshire],” he said. He said that he did this to be closer to family, including their daughter Gillian Hayter.
Ms Hayter told, in a victim impact statement read to the court, of her mother’s “senseless and needless death lying in the road without those who loved her”. The driver of the car which collided with Mrs Ward, Carla Money, who was with her two-year-old daughter at the time, said that her life was “turned upside down” by what happened.
She told the court: "It has taken two years to gain the confidence to drive and take my children out on my own because of your selfish actions on this day. Not only did you knock my confidence but a piece of me was lost. A small piece of the Carla everyone knew went that day. I no longer have a happy-go-lucky personality.
"I couldn't face speaking to people. Because of your selfish actions my children suffered, they lost their mum. Mummy didn't want to be around them or play with them. I struggled to get out of bed and was snappy.
"I now suffer from long-term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. My relationship has collapsed with my husband so much we are getting divorced. My children aged seven and four now have to deal with separated parents. My heart aches for Mrs Ward's family, they are forever in my heart."
Miranda Moore KC, mitigating for Grey, said: “What happened took but a moment that has impacted on many.” She said that Grey’s “present opinion is where the pavements are narrow the cyclists… should cycle on the road”. She added: “There was no intention to cause harm or an obvious risk of harm."
She said witnesses had said that Grey “seemed childlike”, and that she lived in adapted special accommodation. After the judge passed his sentence on Thursday, Ms Moore indicated that an appeal would be submitted against this and a request for bail would be made.
Judge Sean Enright, sentencing Grey to three years in prison, said “these actions are not explained by disability”. Detective Sergeant Mark Dollard said: "This was a difficult and tragic case. Everyone will have their own views on cyclists, pavements and cycleways, but what is clear is Auriol Grey's response to the presence of Celia on a pedal cycle was totally disproportionate and ultimately found to be unlawful, resulting in Celia's untimely and needless death.
"I am pleased with the verdict and hope it is a stark reminder to all road users to take care and be considerate to each other. I want to take the time to acknowledge Celia's family and thank them for their patience and dignity throughout the entirety of the investigation and trial."
Grey's lawyers are planning to appeal the three-year sentence for manslaughter following a failed bail application made today.
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