A man who struck and killed a 91-year-old great-grandfather while riding his electric bike on the pavement has been given a suspended sentence for manslaughter.
Clifford Cage, 50, from Rochester, Kent, received a jail term of 15 months, suspended for two years, at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday after the collision in the town on 6 July 2023.
The Crown Prosecution Service believes the case is the first of its kind for a manslaughter conviction linked to cycling on the pavement.
The court heard Jim Blackwood was taking his bins out on City Way when he was struck. He was taken to hospital but his health deteriorated, and he died three months later on 13 October.
During sentencing, Judge Julian Smith said the army veteran “suffered significantly” in his final months.
Following the case, Cage and Mr Blackwood’s daughter, Christine White, hugged in the courtroom.
She said it was a historic judgment which has a wider impact that cyclists can no longer endanger pedestrians “with impunity”, adding that electronic bikes have made walking in public spaces “dangerous to the point of becoming a lottery”.
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The court heard that Cage told police he had two near misses with cars on City Way, and so began cycling on the pavement instead.
On the day of the crash, he said he was not “peddling mad” and told officers he did not see Mr Blackwood, describing how he stepped out from behind a bush and had no time to stop.
Following the incident, Cage stayed at the scene and called 999, and did “express genuine remorse”, the court heard.
Cage initially denied manslaughter but later pleaded guilty in October last year.
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The court also heard family statements from Mr Blackwood’s wife, Hanni, who said her husband had served in Malaya and Northern Ireland “but was killed outside his front door”.
Meanwhile, Christine White described the “huge emotional toll” of her father’s death, adding she generally “feels angry all the time”.
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Defending, Danny Moore KC said Cage was a “decent human being” who stayed at the scene and “did what he could to help”.
He continued: “The knowledge his actions have caused the death of another human being is something he will carry with him for the rest of his life.”
Ms White, who is now a full-time carer for her mother since her father’s death, is calling for the government to rethink the minimum age required to ride e-bikes, raising it from 14 to 16.
The judge also ordered Cage to carry out 15 days of rehabilitative activity requirement and 180 hours of unpaid work.
