Pedestrian jailed for manslaughter of pensioner cyclist who fell in the road

A pedestrian who caused a cyclist to fall into the path of an oncoming car who later died from the injuries has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Auriol Grey, 49, shouted at retired midwife Celia Ward, 77, to “get off the f****** pavement” in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, causing her to fall into the road.

Celia died from a resulting collision with a car, which happened on October 20, 2020.

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Grey, who has cerebral palsy, denied manslaughter but was found guilty after a retrial at Peterborough Crown Court, receiving a three year sentence.

Judge Sean Enright said “These actions are not explained by disability”.

Celia's widower, retired RAF pilot David Ward, who had seen CCTV footage of Ward's final moments, said the clip would "haunt me forever”.

“Rarely a day goes by without thinking of her and our happy life together but I can so easily burst into tears, as I have on so many occasions,” he said.

The driver who collided with Celia, Carla Money, had her two-year-old daughter in the car with her at the time.

Money said that her life was “turned upside down” by the horror incident.

Miranda Moore KC, mitigating for Grey, said: “There was no intention to cause harm or an obvious risk of harm.”

Moore submitted an appeal against the sentence on Thursday (March 2).

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Detective Sergeant Mark Dollard, who investigated the crime, said: “Everyone will have their own views of cyclists on pavements and cycleways, but what is clear is Grey’s response to the presence of Celia on a pedal cycle was totally disproportionate and ultimately found to be unlawful, resulting in Celia’s untimely and needless death."

“I am pleased with the verdict and hope it is a stark reminder to all road users to take care and be considerate to each other."

Ward's daughter Gillian released a statement which said: “Celia Ward was my mum, mother-in-law to my husband and much-loved grandmother to my son, but most importantly, the love of my father’s life.

“Her untimely death has turned our world on its head and there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t wish I could pick up the phone to ask her advice, celebrate the special events in our lives or just tell her how much I love her."

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