Widower, 73, who lost his wife after she was knocked down by boy, 14, on e-scooter is ‘furious’ teenager has escaped prison
- Widower Garry Davis, 73, is ‘furious’ that the teen, 14, has been spared custody
- The 14-year-old boy hit Linda Davis, 71, on e-scooter, causing a fatal head injury
- He was given a 12-month referral order and handed down a five-year driving ban
A widower who lost his wife after she was knocked down by an e-scooter has been left ‘furious’ after the teenager driver was spared jail.
Garry Davis, 73, was angered that the 14-year-old walked free from court after he knocked down Linda Davis at around 20mph on the privately-owned scooter, causing a fatal head injury
Mrs Davis, 71, known as Lou, died six days after the collision in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, last June.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to causing death by driving a vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence, and to causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured.
He was handed down a 12-month referral order and banned from driving for five years at Nottingham youth court.
But for Mr Davis, the sentence was not enough.
A District Judge heard how the youth was travelling at around 20mph on the privately-owned scooter when he hit Linda Davis (pictured), causing a fatal head injury
‘If you or I were driving on the pavement in an uninsured car or an uninsured motorbike you’d have been locked up,’ he told The Times.
Currently, the law states e-scooters can only be used on public roads if rented as part of a government-backed trial scheme, while the privately-owned types can only be used on private land. Users most be older than 16 and hold a provisional car licence.
But, there are ongoing issues with would-be drivers using fake ID to rent scooters.
Scooters used in the government scheme are not able to exceed 15.5mph but privately owned e-scooters can exceed 30mph. It’s also common for the vehicles to be misused and driven on pavements.
According to Mr Davis, e-scooter users are not required to register their vehicle.
‘Ministers are grappling with how to tackle the scourge of illegal e-scooter riders,’ he said. At present, only scooters rented through government-backed schemes are legal to ride on the road.’
He placed the blame at the door of the government, stating that the scooter rental schemes make ‘everyone [think] they can ride them.’
Since 2019, there have been 31 deaths involving e-scooters in the UK, according to the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).
The court heard the 71-year-old had stepped on to the pavement from behind a parked van, with the boy unable to see her until it was too late. Pictured: An e-scooter like the one used by the boy
Ms Davis was rushed to hospital but died six days after the collision in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire. Pictured: Southwell Road East, where the collision happened
They include 14-year-old Fatima Abukar, who was riding a privately-owned scooter in East Ham, East London, last March when she suffered a fatal head injury, and 18-year-old Mason Pitt.
He suffered a fatal neck injury after falling off a rental scooter in Slough, three days after Mrs Davis died.
E-scooter trials have been running across the country since July 2020, but have been criticised by safety campaigners, who state the vehicles are dangerous because they make very little noise and can be hard to hear.
In Mrs Davis’s case, she stepped onto the pavement from behind a parked van, and the boy was unable to see her until it was too late.
In a statement read to the court, Mrs Davis’ daughter, Rebecca Williams, said that her mother was ‘a very youthful, lively and amazing nan’ who was a ‘vibrant soul that loved life and family fiercely’.
She said: ‘To watch your children watch someone they love die is a pain I would not wish on anyone.
‘My heart was broken and I never expected to lose my mum in such a devastating way. Each time that my nine-year-old bumps his head, he is scared he is going to die. We will never forget the pain that he caused that day.’
She urged riders to familiarise themselves with the law around privately-owned scooters, and ‘the harm they can cause if they are ridden illegally or in a dangerous or anti-social manner.’
Detective Constable Emma Temple, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘This tragic case shows how vitally important it is for people to fully understand the laws and implications of riding e-scooters and where they can be used.
‘This was a completely avoidable collision. This boy now has to live with the knowledge that his actions that day resulted in the death of a much-loved woman.’
Source: Read Full Article
