Speeding Derbyshire motorcyclist killed 92-year-old pedestrian while overtaking a queue of traffic, court hears
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Alfie Wheatley, 21, was clocked at 64mph in a 30mph zone before the crash, Derby Crown Court heard. He struck and killed Gordon Elliott with his Aprillia RS 125 as he hit a car turning right while overtaking a queue of traffic behind it.
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Hide AdVictim Mr Elliott, an ex-serviceman with five great-grandchildren, was on his “last journey” walking along the pavement to the newsagents at the time, Derby Crown Court heard.
Judge Martin Hurst told Wheatley it was “perfectly clear” he head driven at “excessive” speed. He added: “You found yourself confronted with a vehicle turning right at almost no speed while you were doing speeds of between 50mph and 60mph.”
Jon Fountain, prosecuting, described how on August 19 2023 at around 8.25am Wheatley was riding his uninsured Aprillia RS 125 “at speed” when he crashed into Mr Elliott on Greenhill Lane, Riddings.
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Hide AdHe said: “As he slid along the pavement he struck Mr Elliott, who died from his injuries. It was not a momentary lapse of concentration by Mr Wheatley. He was riding at an unsafe and inappropriate speed.”
Mr Fountain told the court Wheatley had been caught on CCTV the same morning at speeds of between 50mph and 62mph on 30mph roads and was travelling at 64mph just 162 metres from the collision site.
CCTV footage played to the court showed Wheatley zooming past a queue of cars waiting for a Jaguar ahead of them to turn right at at least 54mph. As the Jaguar made the turn, overtaking Wheatley smashed into it’s front offside as he and his bike slid down the pavement into Mr Elliott.
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Hide AdMr Fountain said: “Mr Elliott was on the pavement and heard the collision but had no opportunity to react before he was knocked into the air by the motorcycle and Mr Wheatley.
"Mr Elliott struck the back of his head as he came down. It was immediately apparent to members of the public that he was gravely injured.”
As passers by stopped to give the 92-year-old CPR an ambulance was called and he was rushed to Nottingham’s Queens Medical Centre – where he died at 2.20pm the same day.
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Hide AdWheatley, who had no previous convictions at the time, stayed at the scene until police arrived, the court heard, and passed a roadside alcohol test. He also had no previous penalty points on his licence.
However during his arrest the defendant claimed he had driven “cautiously” as he knew his brakes were not working properly, which was “not true”, said Mr Fountain, as they were later tested by police and “were in working order”.
In a statement read out to the court Mr Elliott’s daughter-in-law said the “active” pensioner was walking to the newsagents at the time – his “last journey”. She described Mr Elliott, an ex-serviceman who had had three sons, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren as a “well-liked, caring family man”.
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Hide AdShe said: “The saddest aspect is seeing Brenda, his wife of nearly 70 years, lose her soulmate. Gordon was a determined man who often spoke of reaching 100 and looked forward to getting a letter from the Queen. For Gordon to die suddenly we could accept but for it to happen so tragically we cannot.”
Wheatley, of Spring Road, Riddings, admitted causing death by dangerous driving.
Jailing him for six years, Judge Martin Hurst told Wheatley: “The fact of the matter is you were confronted by these vehicles having not anticipated what they were doing and you sought to avoid them with the tragic consequences we have seen.
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Hide Ad"I accept that if you could turn the clock back you would and that you were young and foolish, going too fast. You have had some difficulties with your mental health and it’s clear from the psychiatrist report that the impact from this is a significant deterioration in your mental health. You are wracked by guilt.”
Wheatley was handed an eight-year driving ban.