Pedestrian Auriol Grey jailed over Huntingdon cyclist death

Auriol Grey was convicted of manslaughter after a retrial

A "territorial" pedestrian whose actions killed a 77-year-old cyclist when she was angered by her being on the pavement has been jailed.

Auriol Grey, 49, shouted an expletive and gestured in an "aggressive way" towards Celia Ward, who fell into the path of a car in Huntingdon in 2020.

Peterborough Crown Court heard Grey "resented" the presence of the cyclist.

Grey, of Bradbury Place, Huntingdon, was jailed for three years after being convicted of manslaughter.

A trial heard the women passed each other in opposite directions on the pavement of the Cambridgeshire town's ring road, during the afternoon of 20 October.

The incident was captured on CCTV which included sound, and Grey could be heard shouting at Mrs Ward, a retired midwife, to "get off the [expletive] pavement".

Prosecutor Simon Spence KC said the defendant was "angered by the presence of a cyclist on a footpath" and gestured towards Mrs Ward, from Wyton, who fell into the path of a car.

Jurors heard the vehicle had "no chance to stop or take avoiding action" and Mrs Ward was pronounced dead at the scene.

Grey left prior to emergency services arriving and went to Sainsbury's where she bought groceries.

'Needless and senseless'

The trial was told that police could not "categorically" state whether the pavement was a shared cycleway.

Cambridgeshire County Council subsequently reiterated that and said it would review the location, but in his sentencing remarks Judge Sean Enright said it was a shared cycleway.

Celia Ward and her husband David, pictured left, married in 1967

Sentencing Grey, Judge Enright said she was "territorial about the pavement" and "resented" the cyclist being there.

The trial heard Grey had cerebral palsy and was partially sighted, but the judge said: "These actions are not explained by disability."

He said that she had given a "dishonest account in interview" and there was "not a word about remorse until today".

Judge Enright added that "consideration of other road users is the lesson of this tragic case".

Auriol Grey was jailed for three years for behaviour that led to the death of an elderly cyclist

He said the victim impact statements had made for "painful reading", with Mrs Ward's husband of 53 years, David, stating "rarely a day goes by without thinking of her".

Their daughter, Gillian Hayter, described her mother's death as "senseless and needless", and paid tribute to the police officers who were "a credit to the uniform they wear".

The driver of the car that hit Mrs Ward said there was "always a piece of me that feels guilty" and that her whole life had "turned upside down" following the incident.

Miranda Moore KC, who said in mitigation for Grey that "there was no intention to cause harm or an obvious risk of harm", stated she would be making an appeal against the sentence.

Det Sgt Mark Dollard described it as a "difficult and tragic case"

Det Sgt Mark Dollard, of Cambridgeshire Police, described it as a "difficult and tragic case".

"Everyone will have their own views of cyclists on pavements and cycleways, but what is clear is 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 hope it is a stark reminder to all road users to take care and be considerate of each other."

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