Woman has cyclist death conviction overturned
A DISABLED woman who shouted abuse at an elderly cyclist, seconds before she fell into the path of a car, had her manslaughter conviction overturned yesterday.
Auriol Grey, who spent a year in jail, was seen on CCTV telling retired midwife Celia Ward to “get off the f ****** pavement” in October 2020.
Grandmother Ms Ward, 77, then veered into the road, tumbled over her bicycle and was fatally struck by the car.
At her trial, prosecutors said Ms Grey’s abuse caused Ms Ward to tumble into the road in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Unsafe
Ms Grey, below, who has cerebral palsy and partial blindness, denied manslaughter, but was convicted after a retrial last year and jailed for three years.
The case sparked fury from disability campaign groups, which called her punishment “excessive”.
Yesterday, three Court of Appeal judges in London overturned the conviction, freeing Ms Grey, 50, from prison.
Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Mrs Justice Yip and Mrs Justice Farbey, said: “In all the circumstances, we have no hesitation in concluding that the appellant’s conviction for manslaughter is unsafe.”
Ms Grey’s family said later: “Whilst we welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal, our thoughts today are also with the Ward family and I am sure a day doesn’t go by when they don’t remember their tragic loss.” The family also thanked staff and inmates at Peterborough Prison for their “kindness and consideration” over the last year. They added: “There has been unnecessary and prolonged suffering and vulnerable people like Auriol need better support from the justice system.
“We hope lessons will be learnt.” Ms Grey’s legal team said neither she, her family, or Ms Ward’s relatives should have endured such an “ordeal”.
It said: “Had a clear and wellsigned cycle path been in place, separating vulnerable pedestrians such as Ms Grey, this accident would never have occurred. “Equally, misconceived prosecutions and wrongful convictions such as this cause untold pain to all those affected, including the family of the deceased, as well as the person wrongly accused.”