Short verdict delay in cycle death case
The verdict in the trial of a truckie charged with careless driving causing the death of a cyclist has been released but publication of it has been suppressed until 1.30pm.
Defence counsel Kerry Cook asked for the 1hr 45min suppression order so that he could have a chance to tell truck driver David Peter Connell of the verdict in the trial that took place in June.
Christchurch District Court Judge Gary MacAskill issued his lengthy written decision to the lawyers and media but granted the delay which temporarily blocks publication of the decision and verdict.
The issuing of the reserved decision in the judge-alone trial had been announced with little notice, and the Crown prosecutor Claire Boshier had been unable to attend because of commitments in a different court.
Likewise, 51-year-old Connell was not able to come to the Court House and Judge MacAskill excused his attendance.
Connell had denied the charge of careless driving causing the death of Taiwanese cycle tourist Ming-Chih Hsieh on September 29, 2014, in a crash in Hornby.
Mr Hsieh was in a cycle lane on the left of the long, articulated truck and was crushed under the truck’s wheels when Connell drove into the light-controlled intersection and then made a left-hand turn at the Carmen Road-Waterloo Road intersection.
The trial was told that the large vehicle had “significant blind spots” and Connell had said he did not see the cyclist to his left, even using his mirrors.
Category: Focus
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