Man struck by van left dying in the road
A SPEEDING van driver left a pedestrian dying in the road after running him over at night, a court heard.
Matthew Allen was driving his Peugeot work van at 46mph along Holt Drive in Loughborough, which has a speed limit of 30mph, when he ran into Melvin Shephard, 64, who had fallen into the road after a night out with friends.
Mr Shephard, who was lying in the road, appeared to raise an arm as the defendant’s van approached at speed.
But the van did not stop and became “momentarily airbourne” after it hit the stricken pedestrian.
Allen then failed to stop at the scene and made no attempt to call for help after the accident on November 11, 2018.
A university student, who chanced upon the injured victim, raised the alarm with neighbours who called for an ambulance.
But Mr Shephard, who suffered head and chest injuries, died at the scene.
Police then found pieces of plastic wheel trim bearing a Peugeot stamp and CCTV from the area captured the number plate of Allen’s work van. He was arrested 12 hours later at an address in Park Road, Loughborough.
He gave two “no comment” interviews to police but was charged with causing death by careless driving.
Allen, of Tyler Avenue, Loughborough, originally denied the charge, but changed his plea to guilty two weeks before he was due to stand trial at Leicester Crown Court.
He was jailed for 10 months and banned from driving for 17 months.
Neil Bannister, prosecuting, said Allen, then aged 26, left an address in Cropston Avenue, Loughborough, at 3.34 am and dashcam footage from his van showed he broke the speed limit on other roads shortly before the fatal collision.
He said Mr Shephard was “visible” on the road and a collision expert reported that if Allen had been driving within the 30mph limit he probably could have stopped in time.
Mr Shephard was an electrical engineer at Loughborough’s Brush company for many years before he was made redundant and began working at East Midlands Airport shortly before his death. He was a keen golfer and a much loved husband, brother, step-father and step-grandfather.
His heartbroken wife, Margaret, and other close relatives, said in statements they were “devastated” by his death and could not understand why Allen left him lying in the road, or why Allen did not plead guilty earlier – which had caused the family considerable distress.
Matthew Rowcliffe, mitigating, said: “It’s an absolutely tragic case and he doesn’t seek to absolve himself of responsibility.
“He wishes me to say he’s profoundly sorry for his actions. He’s struggled to come to terms with what he’s done.
“He will have to live with that, and his conscience, for the rest of his life.”
Sentencing, Judge Robert Brown
told Allen: “I accept you didn’t intend running over Mr Shephard or causing him injury.
“You didn’t see Mr Shephard until it was too late to avoid the collision.
“I’m satisfied you must have been aware as you drove over his body that you’d been involved in a significant collision – there’s no way you could have driven over him and not realised that.
“You didn’t stop and chose to drive on to make your way home, you didn’t inquire of his welfare or make any phone calls to summon assistance, although you made four phone calls to friends and relations.
“It was your speed that principally founded this charge, but the seriously aggravating feature was driving off without stopping.”
The court heard the defendant, now 28, who otherwise had a clean driving licence, is now on medication for anxiety and depression.
Afterwards, Detective Sergeant Paul Hawkins said Mr Shephard’s family, who attended the court hearing, “remain devastated by his death”.
He said: “I can only hope that this conviction serves as a timely reminder to all motorists to drive responsibly at all times.
“Failure to do so can have catastrophic results which can not only devastate your life but that of your family and also the lives of innocent people.”