Driving instructor who forced cyclist off the road, causing him to break his arm, loses job

It's not just the UK where driving instructors seem to forget what their job is as soon as they drop of their learners. The number of times I have had to react to avoid a driving school car (and in Norway they are generally Audis or BMWs that they use) that cuts in front of me (in a car or on my bike) ignore give way markings at roundabout etc etc. All in their signwritten cars.

Would strike me as funny if lots of local cyclists were to contact him through his web site (still active and presenting his scheme of charging) to book lessons and then presented the evidence to the courts.

As has been suggested earlier, he won't be able to charge for his instructing services for three years.  As far as presenting pupils for test, the examiners will know him and his car.  They'll have a casual conversation with the pupil during the test about paying for their lessons and if they say they've given him any money, he'll be in even more trouble!!

Shame!

existing road law  legislation seems to fail vunerable road users time and time again ... this case Dangerous Driving would have probably been the charge to get an appropriate sentence but prosecutors err to the guarantee of a lesser charge and a guilty plea...bit that gets me is that road law seems to be special and different and whenever vulnerable road users demand new laws the answer always seems to be that existing law can deal with the problem - but it doesn't...watered down road law is applied and criminal law isn't considered...my take is create a new offence of "using a vehicle as a weapon"...the test in the above case is simple...witnesses saw the driver choose to hit the cyclist with his car 

He literally used his car as a weapon ramming the cyclist. How does this not carry an assault charge as well?

There's some consolation that he's actually being punished... but this is a prime example of someone who clearly is not fit to hold a driving license.

Magistrate was lenient - Holden may lose job but didn't get disqualified despite clear evidence of the aggravating factor of "bad driving" ...reading through the sentencing guidelines disqualification from driving is only ever optional for failure to stop...so back to what do you have to do to actually lose your licence? The only positive I can see is that the police/prosecuting authorities took the case to court 

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/fai...

Just realised that the report does not mention any statement of remorse, which is always reported if it happens, so either he has no remorse or the otherwise full report doesn't mention it, which seems extremely unlikely.  So he isn't sorry.

Also this report varies slightly from the original

road.cc "Stephen Holden, aged 54 and who previously served in the Royal Navy...." compared to The News, Portsmouth "Distinguished former Royal Navy servant Stephen Holden..."  While being a servant in the RN is nothing to be ashamed of, it isn't quite being distinguished in a front line capacity, is it.  Apart from his driving instructor business, there appears to be no information online about this guy or his distinguished career.

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/portsmouth-driving-instructor-wh...

“For the life of me I don’t see how he will lose his job with nine points.”

He should lose his job because he's a shit driver, who doesn't know the Highway Code and is imparting that "knowledge" to those under his tutelage. Surely, knowing how to drive and the rules that apply is a fundamentally required qualification for a driing instructor?!?!

Always close passed by Drivers under instruction around these parts....plus the "get on the cycle path "(usless shared use ones with the usual horses and long lead dog walkers) shout outs.... 

This is Cambridgeshire what the local blue political party refer too as the county of cycling..... which it isn't.. it's a long long way of being so.....

Hate it when they bring up previous careers, as if that excuses you to do anything you feel like.

Been in the military - do what you want once you've finished. You've earnt it.

Another so called 'professional' driver displaying appalling driving standards, made 100x times worse by him having been a driving instructor. An assault charge would have been more appropriate, but at least he won't be responsible for teaching others to drive now.

I had a close pass by a Learner driver just the other day. I hoped they had a word...

Not surprised by the actions of the driving instructor and I have experienced similar poor behaviour from his kind. Hampshire is full of shit drivers and it is apparent they are taught to drive by shit instructors. On my commute to work I pass the Drivers Test Centre at Fort Southwick which has a mini roundabout at the junction where I see drivers who can't be bothered to negitiate the mini roundabout and so pass the wrong side of the central marking when turning right into the centre (Examiners???? maybe)

I often wondered why so many Portmouthians were crap and aggressive drivers. Now I know! I have had my own run ins with more than one driving instructor in Portsmouth when they have let the student pass way too close. They are truly diabolical. 

He should be thankful that our shitty justice system cost him his job by giving him a few points on his licence rather than locking him up.

Just another example of assault with a lethal weapon being treated as a routine driving offence.

A joke.

How can a deliberate act like that be "careless"? 

I had a major shouting match with a driving instructor in front of his pupil when he allowed his pupil to overtake me at a junction without giving me room and opportunity to complete my maneouver... I was looking over my shoulder and signalling...

tosspot claimed I'd left it too late... plus the overtake was not only at a junction, I was the closest vehicle approaching a Zebra crossing and within the zig-zags...

Lukily, I had sufficient data to pull down the Highway code and quote chapter and verse as to exactly which actual laws he had his student break...

I'd like to see double white lines at every side junction to make it obvious that overtaking is not permitted.

From Mr Holden's website advertising his driving instructor business:

"As an independent school, run by myself Stephen Holden, I provide a high quality of training with lessons tailored to suit the individual pupil so you can be taught at the best pace to suit you. I teach with a calm and patient manner which puts even the most nervous pupils at ease very quickly.

In addition to the standard lessons, I also offer hazard perception & theory test help and advice, Post test tuition, Refresher and Motorway lessons."

If this is the standard of people we have teaching driving, it is no wonder we have so many useless drivers.

This wasn't an "accident" as it is refered to so many times by seemingly everyone, it was a premeditated attack with a lethal weapon.  Neither was it careless driving, it was an entirely deliberate attack by someone who knew exactly what he was doing.  In what other circumstances would attacking someone with a lethal weapon not result in a jail sentence? 

A ridiculously lenient sentence, especially when he had impressionable young people in the car.  He wasn't even banned from driving ffs.

I hope he was a member of CUK, their lawyers are going to screw the driver for everything he's got.