‘Deliberate’ recklessness by motorist led to death of cyclist
ADRIVER swerved “violently” on to the wrong side of the road during an argument with his girlfriend and killed a cyclist.
Newport Crown Court heard that Eurico Costa, 36, lost his temper during the row and tore down a sun visor before deliberately veering across the road intending to scare his partner.
Judge Daniel Williams described his driving as “horrendously dangerous”.
He said: “A vibrant life brought so needlessly to an end in these circumstances causes sorrow and grief which is incalculable and unimaginable to those who have not suffered it.”
Costa was driving a black Ford Focus at the time of the collision on the B4258 Pencisely Road in Llandaff, Cardiff, just before 1.50pm on October 6 last year.
Cyclist Paul Garrett, 55, suffered serious injuries and was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, where he died later that day.
James Wilson, prosecuting, said: “He was cycling on Pencisely Road when the defendant collided with him and knocked him off his bike.”
Stephen Harrington was driving a BMW on his way to work when he came up behind the cyclist and saw the Ford Focus driving in the other direction.
He said: “As [the car] came up the hill it swerved on to my side of the road. It was quite a violent swerve.
“All I can remember is [the car] speeding up and then a big bang. I remember something flying in the air.”
Police Sergeant Ben Davies witnessed the collision and described the defendant’s driving as “extremely aggressive”. He described hearing the car’s wheels spinning.
He added: “He hit the cyclist up into the air. It looked like about 10ft high.”
The court heard Mr Garrett landed on the pavement just in front of the BMW.
Witnesses reported hearing Costa’s girlfriend and passenger Iola Waters say “I told you to stop” and “why did you do that?”
Mr Garrett was taken to A&E at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where doctors found he was in cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 3.20pm.
The defendant was arrested 10 minutes later on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
At the scene he told a police officer
he was talking to his girlfriend about their relationship and accepted: “I took my attention off the road.”
In a subsequent interview Costa told officers the sun was in his eyes and he could “barely see”.
The defendant said he grabbed the sun visor, which came away in his hand, and before he knew what had happened he was on the wrong side of the road.
Forensic investigator PC Christopher Street found the sun was coming from the left and prosecutors argued the sun visor would not have been necessary.
Giving evidence from the witness box, cafe worker Costa said: “Everything happened in seconds.”
Costa, from Northlands in Rumney,
Cardiff, admitted causing death by dangerous driving on a basis of plea, which was rejected.
The judge found he was having an argument with his girlfriend and pulled the sun visor off “in temper”, then deliberately drove across the road in anger to scare her.
Cora Sorensen, defending, said her client had no previous convictions and had held a full clean driving licence.
She added: “He would love to turn back the clock, but he has to live with the enormity of the devastation he has caused.”
Costa was jailed for four and a half years and disqualified from driving for five years from the time of his release. He will have to pass an extended re-test.