Wirral driver, 88, who killed cyclist sentenced to curfew

An 88-year-old driver who killed a cyclist by driving over him on a roundabout has been sentenced to a curfew.

Frederick Clague knocked Simon Jones, 46, off his bike in Hoylake, Wirral, on 27 November 2019.

He pleaded guilty at Liverpool Magistrates' Court to causing death by careless driving.

Clague, of Meols, Wirral, was banned from driving for three years and given a 16-week curfew order.

The curfew means he cannot leave his home in Bertram Drive between 20:00 and 08:00 GMT.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Clague had not slowed down as he reached the roundabout and hit the back of Mr Jones's bike.

Mr Jones landed on the bonnet before he was dragged under the car.

Witnesses said the car continuing to move slowly forward despite the fact Mr Jones was underneath.

Clague told police he panicked and may have hit the accelerator pedal rather than the brake.

He said to witnesses he had not seen the cyclist and felt he could not make the car stop.

Passers-by managed to get the car on to its side and two off-duty nurses tried to resuscitate Mr Jones who was taken to hospital but died six days later from head and chest injuries.

Clague told police he was devastated and had been driving for 60 years with no issues at all.

Mr Jones was a carer for his mother Ann, who said in her victim personal statement: "His unwavering support he gave me, abruptly stopped on that day.

"My way of life has changed forever. He had so much more life to live. His last Mother's Day card to me read: 'You are not just my mother, you are my friend too. How lucky am I.'

"I was the lucky one to have a son like him."

Alan Currums, from CPS Mersey Cheshire, said the "tragic case" had "devastated" all involved, adding: "There are no winners here at all."