Man found guilty of cyclist’s death

Press, 2 March 1984, Page 9

Man found guilty of cyclist’s death

A District Court jury yesterday found a Christchurch youth guilty of causing the death of Antonia May Dillon by carelessly using a car w'hile speeding at the intersection of Papanui Road and Bealey Avenue late on October 18', 1983.

Mitchell Stuart Hooper, aged 17, a machinist, was remanded for sentence. He had denied this charge, but on Wednesday pleaded guilty to charges of failing to stop when a person was injured in an accident, and failing to ascertain the injury. He was represented by Mr'C. M. Ruane, Mr D. J. L. Saunders prosecuted for the Crown and Judge Pain presided.

Mrs Dillon, the mother of six children, had been riding a bicycle when the accident happened and died at the scene from multiple injuries.

Hooper chose not to give evidence yesterday, but a statement he made to Senior Constable M. W. Smith was read to the court.

In the statement Hooper said he had been driving at about 40 m.p.h. (64km/h) on Victoria Street and did not slow down much as he approached the intersection with Bealey Avenue because the traffic lights were green. He did not see the drums around the road-works until he was in the middle of the intersection. As he moved left to avoid them the car began to slide. When he tried to straighten, his windscreen shattered and he assumed he must have hit the cyclist he had just seen in front of him.

His car stopped in the middle of Papanui Road and he thought the motor had stopped. He and his friends pushed it into a side street,

then drove away. In the statement Hooper admitted he panicked, he was scared, and did not know what to do. He had had a few drinks, but was not drunk. After he left his car in Hamilton Avenue his friends picked up their car and they drove past the accident scene again, but did not stop. Hooper said he had driven through a set of red lights just before the accident. He was driving very fast, showing off to his friends, and "generally yahooing about.” The next day he read in the newspaper that the cyclist had died and he decided to go to the police. He regretted the accident and was sorry he did not go back to the cyclist, but had been too scared. He thought the drums and sticks in the middle of the road had been the trouble.

Constable B. J. Spratt, who attended the accident, confirmed that there had been flashing lights on top of the drums. From the skid-marks and debris on the road he deduced that Hooper’s car hit the cyclist, then hit a pole, and skidded across the road towards where Mrs Dillon’s body came to rest.

Only one witness gave evidence for the defence. Mr W. R. Haase, a taxi driver, said he had driven through that intersection about an hour before the accident and he and his passengers had discussed how dangerous it was. He said he had not seen any warning signs. Directing the jury, Judge Pain said the issues to be decided were whether Hooper had been driving at an excessive speed, and that while speeding he had driven carelessly.