Another road rage horror story!

megilleland

from Daily Mail:
Road rage motorist 'killed cyclist in revenge for clipping his wing mirror'
By FAY SCHLESINGER
Last updated at 12:49 AM on 29th April 2010

A cyclist was knocked down and killed by an enraged motorist after he accidentally clipped the driver’s wing mirror, a court heard yesterday.

Amazing that he is pleading not guilty to one charge of murder and another of causing death by dangerous driving.

spen666

megilleland wrote:

from Daily Mail:
Road rage motorist 'killed cyclist in revenge for clipping his wing mirror'
By FAY SCHLESINGER
Last updated at 12:49 AM on 29th April 2010

A cyclist was knocked down and killed by an enraged motorist after he accidentally clipped the driver’s wing mirror, a court heard yesterday.

Amazing that he is pleading not guilty to one charge of murder and another of causing death by dangerous driving.

Why is it amazing?

You have not heardany ecvidence or seen any evidence, yet it is amazing someone should seek to show they may not be guilty of the offences against them


I suppose it was amazing that teacher in Nottingham dared to have the audacity to defend himself as well. You know the case- jury took 15 mins to acquit. What a disgrace that innocent man wasted so much court police and CPS time by pleading not guilty eh?

megilleland

His injuries weren't amazing either:

From the Birmingham Post:

A cyclist died from a catalogue of fractures and internal injuries after being knocked down in Coventry by a motorist who is alleged to have used his car as a weapon, a murder trial heard.

Warwick Crown Court was told that Paul Webb, 42, suffered a torn aorta, punctures to his left lung and multiple rib fractures when he was struck by a car on April 16 last year.

The Crown alleges that the car was deliberately driven at the warehouse worker by Sean Richard Fitzgerald, who denies murder and causing death by dangerous driving.

In a statement read to the court on the second day of Fitzgerald's trial, forensic pathologist James Lucas said all of Mr Webb's left ribs were found to be fractured after his death.

Dr Lucas, who conducted a post-mortem examination on April 17, recorded the cause of Mr Webb's death as multiple injuries sustained in a collision.

The most serious of the injuries, the court heard, involved Mr Webb's chest area and included seven lung punctures and a tear in his main artery.

In his statement, Dr Lucas also confirmed that he had identified damage to the liver and various fractures of the skull, shoulder blade, pelvis and spine.

Fitzgerald, 36, of Keresley End, Coventry, is alleged to have driven at Mr Webb after the cyclist damaged his wing mirror and pedalled away from the scene of the initial incident.

James Burbidge QC, prosecuting, told the court that the car which struck Mr Webb, who was "catapulted" into the windscreen and then a wall, had not stopped at the scene.

Mr Webb was pronounced dead shortly after the collision, which happened opposite a pub on Bennetts Road South."

Yes I am sure he is innocent, just a bad day.

downfader

Read a few news reports on that yesterday. What struck me about the story was how only the binman has said he "heard" the wingmirror get hit:

DailyMaul wrote:

Bin man Brian Butler, who heard Mr Webb bump into the wing mirror, told the court: ‘The silver car [driven by Fitzgerald] zipped past us.

Does a wing mirror make a specific sound? Or was it just another angry man accusing someone of touching their car? The article leaves a lot to be desired on that front and a few questions.

rick_chasey

downfader wrote:

Read a few news reports on that yesterday. What struck me about the story was how only the binman has said he "heard" the wingmirror get hit:

DailyMaul wrote:

Bin man Brian Butler, who heard Mr Webb bump into the wing mirror, told the court: ‘The silver car [driven by Fitzgerald] zipped past us.

Does a wing mirror make a specific sound? Or was it just another angry man accusing someone of touching their car? The article leaves a lot to be desired on that front and a few questions.

I doubt whether the cyclist hit the wing mirror or not has any real effect on the crime.

It's hardly a mitigating circumstance for murder.

Whether he did hit the wing mirror or not is largely irrelevent.

downfader

Rick Chasey wrote:

downfader wrote:

Read a few news reports on that yesterday. What struck me about the story was how only the binman has said he "heard" the wingmirror get hit:

DailyMaul wrote:

Bin man Brian Butler, who heard Mr Webb bump into the wing mirror, told the court: ‘The silver car [driven by Fitzgerald] zipped past us.

Does a wing mirror make a specific sound? Or was it just another angry man accusing someone of touching their car? The article leaves a lot to be desired on that front and a few questions.

I doubt whether the cyclist hit the wing mirror or not has any real effect on the crime.

It's hardly a mitigating circumstance for murder.

Whether he did hit the wing mirror or not is largely irrelevent.

TBH I agree, its largely been picked upon by the press who seem to have used it as a "reason" for the driver's behaviour. As I said on the commuting thread the press have made the drive look quite psychopathic

megilleland

Jailed for life: The driver who murdered a cyclist with his car for clipping his wing mirror

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 6:36 PM on 7th May 2010

A driver who used his car as a weapon to murder a cyclist after he accidentally clipped his wing mirror has been jailed for life.

Sean Fitzgerald chased his victim for 300 yards before mounting the pavement and ramming him off his mountain bike.

He fled the scene leaving warehouse worker Paul Webb for dead. While on remand before his trial Fitzgerald rang his wife to say he was only 'sorry about his car'.

The 36-year-old was found guilty of murder and causing death by dangerous driving.

Yesterday at Warwick Crown Court Judge Richard Griffiths-Jones ordered Fitzgerald - who had no insurance or driving licence - to serve a minimum of 13 years in prison.

He said: 'It seems to me that the phone conversations you had while remanded in custody have revealed no regret over the death of Mr Webb.

'There are no words to describe the effect that your actions and the consequent death have had on the family of Mr Webb.

'This action was precipitated by the fact that he had accidentally damaged the wing mirror of your car.

'You then decided to drive at him using your car as a weapon. I reject your claim that provocation from the victim diminishes the sentence. It was out of all proportion to then take this man's life.'

Mr Webb, 42, was cycling home from a morning shift at a Co-op warehouse in Coventry last April.

A brief chase ensued after he knocked the wing mirror of factory worker Fitzgerald's car, which was stopped behind a bin lorry.

Fitzgerald left his car to confront Mr Webb, who cycled off. He then caught up with him and rammed the back of his bike with his car.

Mr Webb was catapulted into a set of wheelie bins and a garden wall.

Fitzgerald was later seen hosing down the front of his silver Ford Focus before driving to a mechanic for repairs just hours after the crash.

Mr Webb died of massive internal injuries at the scene.

His killer handed himself into police several weeks later and admitted colliding with Mr Webb, but claimed it was an accident

Mr Webb's partner of 11 years, Nadia Wazea, said: 'Paul was kind, considerate, easy going and the kind of person who people admired and looked to for support.

'I sincerely believe that this was not Paul's time to leave the earth. Together we've been denied the lives together and plans we had.'

Detective Inspector Wendy Bailey, of West Midlands Police, said: 'Sean Fitzgerald was an arrogant man who persisted in trying to make it look like this was an accident.

'At no time during the proceedings did he show the slightest remorse for Mr Webb. He is now in his rightful place which in prison.'

SteveR_100Milers

Apart from the tragedy, and lets be honest the desire to give the t*****r a good shoeing whether you are a cyclist or not, but what is the point of this post? It's just a cut and paste of news items, where are the ideas and the actions to stop it again? no one appeared to comment on the article at least when I followed the link...

megilleland

but what is the point of this post?

I pasted it for information as to the out come of the case. It has got to send the right message to those idiots who think they can get off lightly as it so often been the case in the past. I am sorry if you felt the pasting of the article was a waste of time and there are 33 comments on the site.

dilemna

I s'pose the reason for posting here is to show us cyclists that the court in this case was tough on a driver who chased and killed a fellow cyclist using his car to ram him. The sentence is some relief to me and hopefully other cyclists that the court system might at last be taking the intimidation from motons that we endure day after day seriously. Will it prevent another driver doing the same? Maybe ........ maybe not. But it sends a message to motons that they cannot get a away with such psychopathic driving.

What would be a real breakthrough would be for a programme such as Top Gear to pick this story up and utterly condemn the driver's behaviour or any other such intimidatory driving, pouring scorn on such nutters and highlighting that the defendant is now serving a life sentence, a min of 13 years in jail before parole. Also issues of no license, insurance, tax, attempts to pervert the course of justice.

spen666

megilleland wrote:

but what is the point of this post?

I pasted it for information as to the out come of the case. It has got to send the right message to those idiots who think they can get off lightly as it so often been the case in the past. .....

I don't think the story will have any effect whatsoever on motorists.

They will distinguish themselves from the actions of this man.

Most if not all motorists would not consider themselves potential motorists. They will regard the driver of this car at worst as some form of nut case - wholly different to them

spen666

dilemna wrote:

I s'pose the reason for posting here is to show us cyclists that the court in this case was tough on a driver who chased and killed a fellow cyclist using his car to ram him. The sentence is some relief to me and hopefully other cyclists that the court system might at last be taking the intimidation from motons that we endure day after day seriously. Will it prevent another driver doing the same? Maybe ........ maybe not. But it sends a message to motons that they cannot get a away with such psychopathic driving.

......

Sadly, this is not a case about driving at all. It will not send a message to motorists (IMHO). As I stated in my previous post. This is distinguishable in the minds of motorists from their own behaviour

shouldbeinbed

not only that but will any of them read it on here. to be picky as well, you're preaching to the converted and not campaigning for anything. it might have done better in the commuting or cake stop which are a bit better visited to spread the word. threads on there often make it into google's lists.