Driver pleads guilty to causing John Radford's death

Gledhill accepts his guilt

CTC has reported many times on the road rage incident in July 2013 which led to the death of former CTC Councillor John Radford. Michael Gledhill's actions that day left John in a coma. Gledhill denied that he had driven dangerously but was convicted at trial last year of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

John sadly died on 5 November 2014 as a consequence of the head injuries he sustained, and before Gledhill had been sentenced. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently laid an amended charge of causing death by dangerous driving, to which Gledhill eventually pleaded guilty on 12 November 2015, a year after John's death and 30 months after the horrific incident.

Judge warns of custody

Judge Christopher Batty adjourned sentencing until 12 January 2016 for the preparation of pre-sentence and psychological reports on Gledhill, warning him that he faced a significant jail sentence. 

You are going to custody and custody for a significant period of time.

Judge Christopher Batty 

Gledhill's guilty plea came after the judge gave an indication in court that if he was convicted after a further trial, the starting point for a custodial sentence would be six years.

Judge Batty confirmed Gledhill would receive some credit for his guilty plea but also referred to the previous trial, implying the credit would be reduced in this case.

Praise for the police investigation  

John's family have asked that as much publicity as possible is sought to highlight Road Justice issues. They have also expressed their immense gratitude for the hard work and diligence of the investigating officer, Detective Constable Morrison, who was instrumental in seeking the evidence required to prosecute the case.

John's family have also expressed their thanks to all within CTC and the wider cycling community for their support throughout this lengthy ordeal. They now have to wait until January next year, when hopefully the legal process will be concluded. Accepting the complexities in this case, one question, perhaps for a later date, is why these tragic cases take so long to conclude?

Gledhill's guilty plea came three days before the 2015 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Services are taking place across the country on Sunday 15 November, co-ordinated by RoadPeace, as part of a global movement to remember lives lost and broken on our roads.

CTC will report further following the Gledhill hearing in January. Our thoughts in the meantime are with John's family. Hopefully they will have some closure soon.