Charity fundraiser, 63, banned from driving after hitting cyclist on Yorkshire country road when blinded by the sun

Shaun Haddlesey, 63, of Tockwith, said he was dazzled by the sun and did not see Kevin Burgess cycling past the side road he was exiting in the village of Hillam, near Selby, last March.

Mr Haddlesey, who was driving a small van, left the junction without giving way and struck Mr Burgess from behind at 10mph, knocking him from the bike. The cyclist lost three teeth and suffered a broken hand.

Mr Haddlesey pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and appeared at York Magistrates Court for sentence on February 14.

The court was told that Mr Burgess had right of way on the road. After the collision, Mr Haddlesey gave the cyclist a lift home and co-operated fully with the subsequent police investigation, admitting he had been unable to see Mr Burgess because of the bright sun.

He had held a clean driving licence for 42 years, and his defence solicitor described the incident as a ‘lapse of concentration’ caused by temporary blindness.

She added that Mr Haddlesey is an ‘upstanding member of his community’ and held significant standing with his employer. He has caring responsibilities for his mother, and must now travel to her home by bus as he was given an interim disqualification after the crash.

Sentencing him to a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and ordering him to pay the £85 court costs, District Judge Adrian Lower said: “You made a misjudgement and failed to adjust your driving. You are a man who does a lot for other people, and has raised funds for charity. You offered assistance at the roadside and you have learned your lesson.”

Mr Haddlesey was banned from driving for 12 months.

In 2016, he was part of a group of motorcyclists from The Boot and Shoe in Tockwith who rode from John O’Groats to Land’s End in memory of their friend Martin Young, who was killed in a crash in the Dales. They raised £6,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. In 2015 he was part of a Boot and Shoe team that entered the Benidorm or Bust banger rally for charity.