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Suspended sentence and 150 hours of community service for man who admitted killing cycling by careless drivingJustice (Lonpicman, Wikimedia Commons)

Suspended sentence and 150 hours of community service for man who admitted killing cycling by careless driving

Cycling UK vows to keep pressure on new government to review sentencing guidelines
by Alex Bowden
Fri, Jun 09, 2017 15:49
4

A man who admitted causing the death of a cyclist by careless driving in Streatham last year has been sentenced to 150 hours community service. Nicky Fonkwa Ntopi was also handed a six-month suspended sentence, disqualified from driving for a year, and ordered to pay £510 in costs.

Ntopi, driving a blue Peugeot 307, hit 67-year-old John Still on Madeira Road during afternoon rush hour on April 19 last year.

The London Evening Standard reports that Still was taken to hospital but died 11 days later.

Ntopi stopped at the scene and pleaded guilty to causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday.

Cycling UK’s Campaigns Coordinator, Sam Jones said: “Cycling UK is looking into the definition of careless driving, as opposed to dangerous driving, and believes a review of both offences and their sentencing is essential.

“It’s clearly not even early days yet with a new Government, but one of our immediate priorities will be to keep up the pressure on the Ministry of Justice ongoing review into driving offences and sentencing.”

Nicky Ntopi
John Still
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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4 comments

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kie7077 | 7 years ago
0 likes

I'm not holding my breath for anything positive to come out of this governemt, this government just put an environment hater in charge of the environment, May chooses the worst people for the jobs, the sooner we have another election the better, this backwards bunch need to be kicked out.

Avatar
john1967 | 7 years ago
1 like

Im not even surpised anymore. As far as i can see  your life is devalued if you put it at risk by getting on a bicycle.The sentance is slap for being careless and the loss of life just doesnt seem to come into the judgement.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 7 years ago
4 likes

more disgusting and piss weak sentencing.

You cannot kill someone and the action not be dangerous in the first instance, death by careless is a cop out by the state instead of addressing the clear problems with having a bias/fallible jury system that is also headed by someone with bias/anti cycling tendancies, that being the judge. Add in a micky weak CPS (natch) and this is exactly why people on bikes are getting the roguh end of the stick when it comes to justice!

The sooner we get rid of 'death by' motoring charges and go straight to manslaughter the better, you can also add assault ABH/GBH onto that instead of 'careless' driving.

Avatar
emishi55 replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 7 years ago
1 like

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

more disgusting and piss weak sentencing.

You cannot kill someone and the action not be dangerous in the first instance, death by careless is a cop out by the state instead of addressing the clear problems with having a bias/fallible jury system that is also headed by someone with bias/anti cycling tendancies, that being the judge. Add in a micky weak CPS (natch) and this is exactly why people on bikes are getting the roguh end of the stick when it comes to justice!

The sooner we get rid of 'death by' motoring charges and go straight to manslaughter the better, you can also add assault ABH/GBH onto that instead of 'careless' driving.

 

Agree entirely.

A compilation of these obscenely frequent and predictable cases should be presented to ministers respomsible for justice and human rights issues.

One such minister might be Kier Starmer, who with his new boosted ratings (I'm taking the liberty of assuming reasonably that he has been re-elected) - who with some evidence could be sympathetic and quite likely to be moved to act upon this perversion of justice.

 

 

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