Cycling: Bridgend family 'got no justice' for son's crash death

The begetter of a cyclist killed by a operator who failed to brake oregon swerve earlier the fatal clang said the determination to spare him jailhouse was a farce.

Tony Jones said his family's lives were torn isolated erstwhile his lad David, 41, was killed successful Bridgend successful May 2020.

Raymond Treharne, 74, was fixed a nine-month suspended sentence and a seven-year driving prohibition for causing his decease by careless driving past month.

The Ministry of Justice said autarkic judges decided sentences.

"We cognize the devastation wreaked by those who origin decease connected our roads, which is wherefore we person accrued the maximum punishment for the worst offences to beingness down bars," a spokesperson added.

Charity Cycling UK said Treharne should person been convicted of causing decease by unsafe driving alternatively than careless driving and called it symptomatic of the UK's "broken roadworthy postulation laws".

The tribunal was told if Treharne had been paying attention, helium would person seen the father-of-two connected his motorcycle for astatine slightest 7 seconds earlier hitting him.

"I couldn't judge what I was hearing," said David's begetter Tony.

"Seven seconds is simply a agelong clip erstwhile you deliberation astir it. It's agelong capable to respond and evidently helium didn't."

Speaking successful his surviving country successful Pencoed, Bridgend county, Tony said the archetypal helium knew thing was incorrect was erstwhile helium called his lad and a constabulary serviceman answered.

"He said Davey had been successful an accident.

"I said 'is helium alright?' And helium said 'I'm 99% definite he's dead'.

"I came successful present and told the woman and it was chaos present - she couldn't judge it, she conscionable broke down and she's inactive the aforesaid now."

He said the full household were successful implicit disbelief.

"The nighttime earlier helium was present having steak and chips with america for his beverage and that's the past clip we saw him," helium said.

On 29 May 2020, David, who has children aged 10 and seven, acceptable disconnected for an aboriginal greeting motorcycle thrust arsenic helium did earlier enactment astir days.

He was an experienced cyclist and was precise acquainted with the roadworthy helium was cycling along.

Tony, a retired manager driver, said the tribunal lawsuit was peculiarly hard due to the fact that helium knows Treharne and utilized to enactment with him.

"If helium had travel implicit and said 'I'm sorry' it wouldn't person made immoderate quality astir bringing Davey backmost but helium would person shown a spot of remorse, but determination was thing astatine all."

Mr Jones added: "I couldn't judge helium conscionable walked."

He said the condemnation was "a existent farce" and felt the justice was "too lenient".

Treharne, of Kenfig Hill, has been approached for comment.

"Driving a car is similar having a weapon successful your hand, it's a unsafe limb and if you termination idiosyncratic you should get made to wage for it. He conscionable hasn't, he's walked distant free."

He said his barrister advised the household that an entreaty would beryllium improbable to beryllium palmy due to the fact that Treharne was sentenced wrong the sentencing guidelines for causing decease by careless driving.

Andrew Taylor, a transgression barrister based astatine Apex Chambers successful Cardiff, agrees.

He said: "I fishy due to the fact that Raymond Treharne had an impeccable driving record, he'd driven professionally for galore years, determination was nary grounds of immoderate portion oregon drugs involved, determination was nary grounds that the conveyance was different than decently connected the roadworthy with tax, MOT, insured and each the things we expect of a operator - and truthful she [Judge Catherine Richards] decided to gully backmost from sending him to contiguous custody and she imposed a suspended sentence."

The maximum condemnation for causing decease by careless driving is 5 years, whereas causing decease by unsafe driving carries a maximum of beingness imprisonment.

Mr Taylor added: "This is simply a lawsuit wherever a idiosyncratic down a wheel, with devastating consequences, sadly doesn't support a due look retired arsenic we each person to bash erstwhile we get down the instrumentality of the vehicle.

"That of people outgo the deceased his life, which is tragic, but determination is thing the learned justice did not instrumentality into relationship which should person been decently taken into account."

Cycling UK's campaigns manager Keir Gallagher believes the lawsuit demonstrates wherefore the instrumentality needs to beryllium reviewed.

"Failing to spot different roadworthy idiosyncratic for astir 10 seconds earlier crashing into and sidesplitting them is intelligibly a unsafe act, yet our breached roadworthy postulation laws mean Raymond Treharne was simply charged with causing decease by careless driving," helium said.

"The Westminster authorities promised to reappraisal these failing laws successful 2014 but we're inactive waiting, and the terms of hold is sadly paid again and again by families similar that of David Jones."

He urged the authorities to perpetrate to "its agelong overdue broad reappraisal to bring consistency to our roadworthy postulation laws and support liable cyclists, pedestrians and drivers safe".

Tony said helium wanted to talk retired for others going done the aforesaid happening and - though helium disagrees with the suspended condemnation - helium does not intent to entreaty against it.

"It's not going to fetch him back," helium said.

"He'll ever beryllium a representation and he'll ever beryllium successful the heart, but is thing you volition ne'er ever get over.

"You should never, ever hide your kids."