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Driver Avoids Jail After Killing Professor in Hit-and-Run
18 Jan
Summary
- Driver reversed over cyclist, leaving him to die on the road.
- Motorist found guilty of careless driving but avoided jail.
- Victim was a biology professor at the University of York.
A motorist has been handed a suspended sentence after reversing over and killing a university professor on the Isle of Wight. Timothy Cale, 59, was found guilty of careless driving following the tragic incident on June 5, 2022, when he reversed his Land Rover around a corner, colliding with cyclist Professor Simon McQueen-Mason, 64. The professor, a leading biology academic at the University of York, was unable to avoid the vehicle and was fatally struck.
Cale, who was driving to a garage as his Land Rover had failed its MOT, claimed he didn't realize the extent of the collision, believing he had hit a branch. He left the scene but returned on foot to discover the gravity of his actions. Despite pleading not guilty, a jury found him guilty of careless driving. The court heard that Professor McQueen-Mason was a vulnerable road user, and the failed MOT was an aggravating factor.
Portsmouth Crown Court sentenced Cale to a two-year suspended sentence, considering him a "family man" with dependents. He was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. The judge acknowledged the mitigating factors, including Cale's role as a caregiver and his daughter's ongoing education, while emphasizing the devastating loss to the professor's family and the academic community.
