A cyclist who was just “minding his own business” suffered serious injuries after a driver suddenly swerved towards him in a “highly dangerous manoeuvre” before the passenger aggressively pushed him with both hands. The man fell off his bicycle and suffered fractures to his collarbone and ribs during the nasty and completely random incident, Hull Crown Court heard.
Lewis Martin, 27, of Danepark Road, and recently of 38th Avenue, north Hull, admitted dangerous driving on April 2 last year. Ellis Carter, 22, of 23rd Avenue, north Hull, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm.
The court heard that the man was cycling at about 20mph along Riplingham Road, Skidby, towards Raywell at 1.45pm when he noticed that two cars were parked in a layby. As he cycled past, the driver of one of the cars – Martin – pulled out of the layby.
The cyclist saw the BMW swerve and he felt two hands make contact with his right arm. He fell from the bicycle. The car did not stop and drove away.
Another car pulled over to help the cyclist and other members of the public stopped to assist. An ambulance was called and the man was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary.
He suffered a fractured collarbone and several rib fractures to his right side. Carter and Martin both had previous convictions, the court heard.
Judge John Thackray KC said: “I consider you both equally culpable. You were both part of a joint venture to push a man who was on his bicycle off his bicycle.
“Your victim was out on his bicycle minding his own business when you two thought it would be a good idea to push him off his bike. This wasn’t a prank.
“This was serious criminal conduct. The courts are familiar with this sort of behaviour.” Serious injuries, sometimes leading to death, could be caused.
The victim suffered a fractured collarbone and spent time in hospital. It took three to six months to relieve the pain from his chest injury.
“It was a highly dangerous manoeuvre,” said Judge Thackray. “This is a vulnerable road user and you failed to stop.”
Both men made no comment during police interview. Carter pleaded guilty at a first hearing and Martin did so at a plea and trial preparation hearing. There were good character references for them. One of them had one child and the other had two.
“Perhaps there is hope that you will put this offending behind you and lead law-abiding lives,” said Judge Thackray. Martin and Carter had originally been on bail but they appeared in court for sentence from custody after their bail was revoked the previous day and they were remanded in custody overnight.
Martin was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence and Carter received a 14-month suspended sentence. They were both ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid work.
Martin was banned from driving for 18 months and he must pass an extended retest before he can drive legally again. They were warned that if they committed any other offences in the next two years, they could be jailed.
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