Grinning cyclist, 25, who left 13-year-old boy with life-changing injuries after mowing him down while doing a ‘wheelie’ at red traffic lights walks free from court after judge accepted he had shown ‘genuine remorse’
- Robert Andrews, 25, hit a teenage boy while doing a ‘wheelie’ on March 15, 2021
- The boy had to have his spleen removed and could be on antibiotics for life
A grinning cyclist who mowed down a 13-year-old boy while doing a ‘wheelie’ at red traffic lights walked free from court after the judge accepted he had shown ‘genuine remorse’.
Robert Andrews, 25, caused life-threatening injuries to the boy after he failed to spot the stop signal at a major road junction in Wigan while balancing his bike on one wheel – ploughing into the teenager who was walking home from school.
The boy, a talented golfer, suffered injuries so severe that doctors had to remove his spleen, and he has since been unable to play full rounds of his favourite sport.
He also faces being on antibiotics for the rest of his life to reduce the chances of infection.
Andrews, an apprentice joiner from Hindley Green, near Wigan, Greater Manchester, initially stopped at the scene to check on the boy but then rode off. When he was tracked down he tried to blame the boy for the crash, saying he had stepped out in front of him.
Robert Andrews, 25, was pictured smiling on his lunchbreak at court after mowing down a thirteen-year-old boy while doing a ‘wheelie’ on his bike at a set of red traffic lights
Witnesses had seen him pulling wheelies further up the road both before and after the accident. Andrews was also spotted hanging onto the back of a bus to ‘propel himself forward’.
The incident happened on March 15, 2021 at 3.35pm after the victim got off a bus near to the junction of Lily Lane and Warrington Road, Wigan.
At Bolton Crown Court, Andrews admitted a charge of causing bodily harm through wanton or furious driving under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, and was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months.
He was further ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and abide by the terms of a 7pm to 5am curfew for four months.
The boy, now 15, sat in court with his parents for the hearing.
In a statement to police the boy said: ‘I was crossing the road when I was hit by someone on a pedal cycle who was pulling a wheelie. After being hit by the bike I was in shock at what happened.
‘I remember feeling pain in my side. I remember being upset and hyperventilating which caused me to panic. I had never felt this way before.
‘When I got home I was still in pain. My mum phoned 101 and I was advised to go to hospital. I went to hospital and was admitted and sent for several scans. During the X-ray I passed out due to my blood pressure being too low.
The incident happened on March 15, 2021 after the victim got off a bus near to the junction of Lily Lane and Warrington Road, Wigan
‘I was told by the doctor the injury was life-threatening if not repaired. I was losing too much blood. I was told I needed urgent surgery. Initially it was planned that I go to Manchester Children’s Hospital but I was not in a stable condition to go.
‘I was in denial at first. I could see my mum was getting upset, so I tried to be calm for her sake. I asked questions of the doctor to try and rationalise what was happening.’
He added: ‘I was kept in the room on my own, due to Covid. I stayed for a day before being transferred.
‘Due to the severity of the injury I was told that my spleen was removed as it could not be repaired. At Manchester Children’s Hospital, I was told that if I had been transferred sooner, I may have kept my spleen. However, Wigan hospital did the best they could.
‘I was advised about the effect going forward and was told that the spleen cleans the blood and prevents infection.
‘I have to take antibiotics twice daily which will be for the rest of my life. That may change when I am reassessed, but if it’s not changed I will need to take antibiotics daily.’
The teenager went on to say that he was not able to play his favourite leisure activity for two months, and when he was able to play he could not enjoy a full game.
He added that he had to have a gradual return to school, only returning full time in June 2021. He also explained he was not allowed to take part in PE and had to avoid being knocked by other pupils.
After hitting the boy with his bike, Andrews initially stopped at the scene to check on the boy but then rode off
‘I am reluctant to cross the road for fear of being hit by another cyclist or a vehicle,’ he said.
‘I always triple check when I cross a pedestrian crossing. I seem to be more aware of vehicles than I used to be. I often think a vehicle will approach me from behind and hit me.’
Earlier Juliet Berry prosecuting said: ‘Witnesses and CCTV showed the defendant performing wheelies shortly before the collision and at one point he was described by witnesses as hanging onto the back of a bus.
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‘Following the collision witnesses also saw the defendant continuing to perform wheelies. The defendant was interviewed on April 12. During the course of the interview, he accepted that he had collided with the victim. He struggled to comprehend that his actions had caused such a serious injury and he mentioned that he was a competent responsible cyclist in spite of the wheelies.’
In mitigation, Andrews’ counsel Clare Ashcroft said: ‘There was perhaps an attitude of complacency as he did not consider the impact upon other road users when he was cycling in the manner as accepted.
‘An apology was issued by Mr Andrews to the victim, an apology that is genuine. He is remorseful and still, even though a number of years have passed, Mr Andrews still cannot quite comprehend the enormity of what happened. That is of course on his conscience. He has learnt a very hard and salutary lesson.’
Sentencing Andrews, Judge Tom Gilbart told him: ‘You clearly intended to go through the red light while performing a wheelie and you were performing a wheelie right up to the point of contact with the victim.
‘Travelling in that way was arrogant and foolish. It was obvious, or it should have been obvious to you, the road was busy, not just with traffic but with school children clearly seen on either side of the road.
‘You struck the victim with your bike. You spoke to the victim, asked if he was okay and then rode off. It is quite shocking that you then continued to perform another wheelie. You said he should not have been crossing but that was an attempt to place the blame on the victim.
‘You deliberately flouted the rules of the road, it was a deliberate decision which resulted in an entirely unnecessary injury on a child, who was doing nothing more than cross the road. No one who has heard the victim impact statement could fail to be moved. The victim did not deserve any of these things that happened to him.’
The judge added: ‘I accept these matters have had a salutary effect on you and you have stayed out of trouble for two years.
‘You accept your cycling was irresponsible, you describe shock at the level of injury and you have expressed your apologies. You’re still relatively young and I accept that there is genuine remorse in this case.’
The Government is currently looking to introduce a causing death by dangerous cycling law that would see bike riders found guilty of the offence face the same punishment as drivers convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
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