A 65-YEAR-OLD motorist who nearly knocked a cyclist off his bike while driving carelessly and did not stop to report it has been fined £1,500.
Thomas Michael Toner was driving along St Clement’s Road on the afternoon of 21 June when the incident happened.
The cyclist was not injured and there was no damage to his bike but Toner was still required to stop at the scene and report it, the Magistrate’s Court heard.
Advocate Nicholas Mière, defending, said Toner would have stopped had he known he had to.
He added that Toner had a clean driving record apart from one speeding offence four years ago, dealt with at parish hall level, and said: “This was not a case of someone driving like a maniac.”
Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu told Toner: “I accept that this was a minor lapse of attention and you misunderstood your legal position.”
He fined him £1,000 for careless driving and £500 for failing to report an accident but decided not to ban him from driving or endorse his licence.
