Fine for driver who shouted abuse at cyclists (From Craven Herald)

Fine for driver who shouted abuse at cyclists

11:21am Thursday 11th October 2012 in News

A driver stared “with hatred on his face” as he overtook a bunch of cyclists which included Christopher Brown, who has competed for GB as a triathlete, magistrates were told.

Stephen Davey leaned across his wife as he drove between Burnsall and Grassington and shouted an obscenity. As he did so, a woman driving her Range Rover in the opposite direction had to swerve into a gateway to avoid a head- on collision with the 49- year-old’s Nissan Qashqui.

Davey of East Wing, Grantley, near Ripon, pleaded guilty to careless driving and using threatening words on February 25, this year, and was fined a total of £475, ordered to pay £84 court costs and a £15 victims surcharge. His licence was endorsed with six penalty points.

An earlier charge of dangerous driving was dismissed after he pleaded not guilty but agreed to admit careless driving instead.

Prosecutor Caroline Midgley said police had been alerted by Christopher Brown, who said Davey blasted his horn as he approached and caused a driver coming in the opposite direction to pull over.

He said Davey “leaned across and shouted abuse “with a look of hatred on his face” and there was a verbal exchange. He then pulled up sharp in front of Mr Brown forcing him to brake to avoid a collision.

The female driver of the Range Rover told officers the group of about ten cyclists were covering the whole of the opposite carriageway and she had to pull into a gateway as Davey overtook. “I was shocked. I had to wait about ten seconds to compose myself before I could drive on,” she reported.

Magistrates were told that Davey came across the cyclists who were cycling two and three abreast across the road. He sounded his horn to warn them he was coming but the cyclists did not hear him or decided they were going to carry on as they were.

He started to overtake and came across the vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. He accepted he should not have overtaken at that point.