A taxi driver who deliberately drove into a cyclist and knocked him down has been given a suspended 18 month sentence.
Taxi driver Dermott Reynolds went to gardaí in the wake of the incident in Dublin in September 2018 and told them a cyclist had verbally abused him and undertook his car, leading to a collision.
However, the victim in the case separately went to gardaí and showed them bike camera footage of the taxi driver deliberately veering into him twice, knocking him off his bike on the second attempt.
Reynolds (51) of Moatfield Avenue, Coolock, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of endangerment at North Strand Road on September 20, 2018. He has two minor convictions for road traffic offences.
Garda Stephen Emmett told the court on Tuesday, that the cyclist was on his way to work just after 6am on the day in question when Reynolds drove up behind him on the bus lane and there was a verbal exchange between the pair.
In video footage shown in court, Reynolds accelerated and then drove his taxi directly into the cyclist’s path. The cyclist managed to brake in time and continued cycling before Reynolds again veered into the cyclist, causing him to fall heavily to the ground.
The cyclist picked himself up and managed to catch up with Reynold’s taxi, which was stopped at a red light. When he told Reynolds he had him on camera, Reynolds said it was an accident before driving off.
Sentencing him Tuesday, Judge Martin Nolan said it was “reprehensible to endanger someone in this way”. However, taking into account a number of mitigating factors, he ruled Reynolds did not deserve a custodial term.
He handed down an 18 month sentence and suspended it on a number of conditions, including that Reynolds pay his victim the sum of €2,000 within six months. The judge said if the victim did not wish to receive the money then it should go to a charity of his choice.
Defence counsel said Reynolds was going through some difficulties at the time. His father died a few months after the incident and he cares for his mother, who is ill. He is currently working for a courier company.
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That’s ridiculous dangerous driving and attempted manslaughter and no penalty shows you the problem with judges
Preposterous sentencing decision. It shows that some judges fail to understand vulnerability in traffic and how a vehicle can be used as a dangerous weapon. The windscreen-view of traffic informs their decisions.
This is beyond mad. Reynolds nearly kills the cyclist, assaulting him using his vehicle as a weapon and gets a token sentence. Someone who cannot control their temper like that should not be driving, regardless of the sob story put to the judge, and in the article I see not a hint of his licence being revoked or suspended.
No mention on points, talking license or barring from driving. Is this guys still on the road?
In my opinion this was Attempted murder. Yet another one. And it WONT stop when people are killed. It will only stop if life sentences are given to such drivers.
Absolutely disgraceful court decision. Should be appealed and cyclists should protest at the court in support of the cyclist. When a car is aimed at a cyclist like that? It s a miracle that the cyclist survived. It has happened me twice but I managed to avoid the cars. I reported it but the Guards were not interested. They have a million and one excuses for not doing anything and say, “look, if it happens again let us know.” That’s why this madness persists. Gardai are not interested.