‘No brakes’ bike rider jailed for hitting boy, 4
A CYCLIST who rode a sports bike with no brakes was locked away yesterday for seriously injuring a four-year-old boy.
Richard Manners, 21, struck Matteo Carlucci on a pedestrians-only road leaving the child with a broken arm and a permanent dent in his head.
Manners was jailed for seven weeks.
The case comes weeks after the trial of 20-year-old Charlie Alliston, who killed mother-oftwo Kim Briggs, 44, when he was also riding an illegal bike with no front brakes.
The court yesterday heard Matteo had been on holiday with his parents and was bowled over in Windsor, Berkshire.
He was left with a broken arm, lost a tooth and had burns on his face and head after he was hurled into a traffic bollard.
Manners appeared at Reading Crown Court where he admitted a charge of causing bodily harm by wilful misconduct.
Recorder Christine Agnew told Manners...rode in pedestrian area him: “This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.”
The judge was told that the child had been rushed to hospital in excruciating pain while shouting “mummy, my arm, my arm” after the collision.
In a victim impact statement which was read out in court, the boy’s mother Stella Watson said she heard “a whooshing sound and quickly realised it was a man on a bike travelling fast”.
She said that she saw Manners headed towards her son, who was walking in front of her, and yelled: “Matteo, bike!” just as his little body was mowed down and catapulted into a bollard.
“His arm and head were locked into the bike.
“We could see that his arm was trapped into the bike at his shoulder. He kept shouting: ‘My arm, mummy! My arm!’ Matteo then noticed that one of his teeth had been knocked out and he said: ‘My tooth’s gone too, mum.’
“He also had burn marks right up the side of his face and around the back of his head.
“He was in so much pain, he kept screaming.”
Ms Watson added that other children would often stare at her son’s swollen head, broken arm and missing tooth when they walked out in public after his release from hospital.
Manners, from Grendon Green, Stoke-on-Trent, swore “**** you” at the prosecution barrister and attending police officers as evidence was given.
Defence barrister Amer Asghar said Manners had walked into a police station 15 minutes later to tell them what happened.
He said: “He is here to say sorry to the mother, the father and of course, young Matteo.”
Alliston was jailed for months last month over death of Mrs Briggs. 18 the