Essex man admits to purposefully hitting a cyclist in Colcheste in May 2016 after a "momentary loss of temper"
Man admits dangerous driving after Colchester RTC
A man has admitted knocking a cyclist off his bike during a collision in #Colchester.It happened at around midday on Friday, May 13, 2016.The victim, a man in his 30s, was cycling on North Station Road with a friend when a Ford Mondeo braked heavily close by at which point the victim gestured at the driver.The vehicle was then in collision with the victim, knocking him off his bike, before making off from the scene.The victim was taken to hospital for treatment but was not seriously injured.The driver of the car, Ashley Wallace Merrett, 30, of West Bergholt, was arrested later that day.He was then charged in June.Appearing at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, December 18 2017, Wallace Merrett pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, actual bodily harm and common assault.He is due to be sentenced in February.
Posted by Essex Police on Tuesday, December 19, 2017
An Essex driver who pleaded guilty of dangerous driving, actual bodily harm, and common assault has been jailed for 16 months.
Ashley Wallace Merrett drove his Ford Mondeo car into cyclist Lee O’Neill on Friday, May 13 2016 on the North Station Road near Colchester station roundabout.
Wallace Merrett, of West Bergholt, reportedly “lost his temper” after he saw O’Neill gesturing towards him, says the East Anglian Daily Times.
O’Neill’s cycling partner Stewart Nichols feared that Wallace Merrett would also try and hit him, and jumped out of the way of Merrett’s vehicle.
O’Neill sustained a range of injuries after the incident. Essex Police said that O’Neill “was taken to hospital for treatment but was not seriously injured”.
Wallace Merrett left the scene but a local police officer had managed to obtain his numberplate, and he was later arrested.
Wallace Merrett had originally said that O’Neill had swerved in front of him, and he could not avoid hitting him. However, a video of the incident captured by a dashcam on a lorry provided evidence of how the incident occurred.
The video was subsequently made available to the public by Essex Police and was widely shared on social media.
Ipswich Crown Court heard from Wallace Merrett’s defence that the driver had suffered a “momentary loss of temper” and that he was “glad the man wasn’t badly hurt”.
In addition to Wallace Merrett’s 16-month jail sentence, he has been banned from driving for two years and eight months.