Quad bike farmer is found with no insurance during cycle race crash

A farmer who got caught up in an accident during a cycling race was found to have been driving a quad bike without insurance.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.Chesterfield magistrates' court.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Tuesday, February 13, how Henry Cedric Gilbert, 76, of Nether Booth Farm, off Hope Road, at Edale, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance on Edale Road.

Defence solicitor Tim Gaubert said Gilbert’s lack of insurance came to light after a racing cyclist had an accident as Gilbert had tried to cross the road to get to a field.

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Mr Gaubert explained a charge of driving without due care and attention against Gilbert was discontinued but the defendant admitted driving without insurance after the incident on June 4.

But Mr Gaubert applied for special reasons to be accepted so Gilbert might be spared from receiving any points on his licence.

Mr Gaubert said Gilbert’s farm is intercepted by a road and despite having other insured vehicles he had driven a Honda quad bike across the road which was not insured to get to a field as a cycle race was underway.

Gilbert had been struggling because his two sons and his wife have been very poorly and he had only driven a short distance, according to Mr Gaubert, who argued that these factors amounted to special reasons which would allow the court not to impose points.

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The court heard the cyclist put his brakes on and went over his handlebars but there was no contact with Gilbert’s quad bike and the cyclist was helped by one of Mr Gilbert’s sons.

Gilbert also told the court he has had a clean driving record since he first received a driving licence when he was 20-years-old and he has never had any points on his licence.

Magistrates ruled that they could not find any special reasons to avoid imposing penalty points but accepted there was still significant mitigation involved.

They sentenced Gilbert to a six-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay a £20 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Magistrates also imposed six penalty points on Gilbert’s driving licence.