Ride Out biker's "misjudgment" left man with broken ribs

Thursday 21 December 2023

A motorcyclist who knocked another rider off his bike at this year’s Big Ride Out, leaving him with three broken ribs, has been handed a £2,000 fine for the "lapse of attention".

In addition, Paul De Sousa (58), who also drives a car and a van, was banned from the roads for six weeks and ordered to retake his test by Magistrate Bridget Shaw.

The court heard on Wednesday that he failed to slow down in time and collided with a biker in front of him where the west-bound carriageway of Victoria Avenue narrowed to one lane.

He was thrown from his vehicle and sustained bruises and road burns, but did not need hospital treatment. However, his bike caught the rear wheel of a bike in front, knocking the rider off, the court was told.

Pictured: The case was heard in the Magistrate's Court.

That bike's rider was taken to hospital, where he was treated for three fractured ribs. De Sousa was breathalysed but no alcohol was detected, and he admitted a charge of causing serious injury by careless driving.

Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, pointed out that he had pleaded guilty early and said: "There is no suggestion that he was speeding. There was a misjudgment. Both bikes were written off. He does not intend to replace his own."

Magistrate Bridget Shaw noted that De Sousa wasn't "riding aggressively", and told him: "I am treating this as a lapse of attention."