Disabled Auriol Grey has manslaughter conviction overturned

Somewhat after the horse bolted, it looks as though the pathway has actually now been marked as a shared route.
road.cc/content/news/shared-use-path-signs-be-put-huntingdon-303071

Not sure how I feel about this. I worked with learning disabled people for many years. Can't help feeling the victim and her family have been overlooked in all this.

Sorry.
My phone is writing it's own version of my opinion.

The onus really is on the council to have clearly marked which lane was for which, and if they didn't know, then found some way of mistaking a new ruling.

Then they should have clearly marked it.

Then, it may be more possible to apportion blame, if there is any.

It makes no difference where I live if the pavement is marked, many cyclists, including deliveries, use the pavements anyway!

I think this could happen again sadly.

JaneJudge

We can't stop people with disabilities walking amongst us but we can campaign for proper care and support of people. The opposite has been happening and continues to do so because of austerity. 'Locking people away' costs a lot more money than people with disabilities living in their own communities in supported or assisted living arrangements

👏👏👏👏👏 Probably not enough services to give each person in supported living a person on a 1-1 basis.

MissAdventure

I would class it as an accidental death.

Me too.

Kate1949

No Oreo that's not what I mean. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think there are degrees of autism? We know a couple who have a severely autistic daughter who is in her 40s. She doesn't understand the world at all. There is no way she would be allowed out on her own. She couldn't cope and would get into all sorts of trouble.

Of course there are degrees, the austistic spectrum is huge, my daughter is autistic and holds down a teaching role.

Cerebral Palsy also varies dramatically from person to person.

I agree with eazybee that cyclists and pedestrians should not be expected to share a path. It’s a recipe for disaster as shown by this case.

I think she should never have been either charged or convicted in the first place. I’m pleased she has been released now.

Sago

I have to look left and right before leaving my front gate.
I am often startled by cyclists on the footpath.
I am a fit 60 year old, if I was older and disabled in any way I’m sure it can be terrifying.
We need an army of street wardens with the powers to stop all this low level crime that causes so much angst.

I agree, though this whole story is tragic and an old lady needlessly died.

The fault lies in the ridiculous idea that a shared path can contain cyclists and pedestrians at the same time.
The cyclist complied with this woman's wishes, even though she was wrong, and was killed as a result. I hope Auriol Gray is not allowed out unattended.

Thank you.

I always thought sending her to jail was the wrong decision.

No Oreo that's not what I mean. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think there are degrees of autism? We know a couple who have a severely autistic daughter who is in her 40s. She doesn't understand the world at all. There is no way she would be allowed out on her own. She couldn't cope and would get into all sorts of trouble.

Sorry Google auto-corrected her name.

Here’s the link to the previous thread, which was an extensive discussion about the width of the path, the actions of April Gray and the cyclist (and the poor car driver who had the misfortune to hit the cyclist).
www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=010995057459380558086:wn3vvylhmc4&q=https://www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/1321784-Jailed-for-manslaughter&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwizs9nhuP6FAxW2X0EAHXpTDTsQFnoECAkQAg&usg=AOvVaw3myONjNP-JV3kh_wzcC5aY&arm=e

We can't stop people with disabilities walking amongst us but we can campaign for proper care and support of people. The opposite has been happening and continues to do so because of austerity. 'Locking people away' costs a lot more money than people with disabilities living in their own communities in supported or assisted living arrangements

Sad and complex is exactly right.👏🏻👏🏻

The way she finds certain situations challenging may point to suggesting she doesn't receive the correct level of support. Hopefully she has been assessed properly whilst in prison. It is just a very sad and complex situation

I remember the trial. It concerns me that people who are potentially such a danger to others (as this case proves) are allowed to walk among us unaccompanied. I agree with Kate and rafichagran. The fact that this woman retrieved her shopping after the incident surely shows that she will not learn from what happened or take ownership of her actions.

Kate1949

Ms Grey was aggressive and used the F word. She apparently carried on to get her shopping after the incident. Whilst I agree that her problems made her the way she is, I agree that maybe she shouldn't be out alone.

An autistic person shouldn’t be out alone?😲
Or a half blind person?
The real culprit was the council for allowing dual use with no markings, that’s if they really did allow it.
Cyclists, unless kids, shouldn’t be on the pavement.

Primrose53

Casdon

We knew it was a shared path, that was covered in the trial. I can see both sides of this story, and I sincerely hope that Auriol Gray understands the tragic consequence of her actions, and stops abusing people from now on.

You know more than the local Constabulary then because they were unable to give a definitive answer.

road.cc/content/news/shared-use-path-signs-be-put-huntingdon-303071

Yes, it came from the Council at the trial, not from the police.

I can see it from both sides, Ms Grey had many conditions, and I do have sympathy, but another elderly lady died, in part due to her actions. Everyone has the right to be safe.

Sad as it is, the cyclist has to make sure it’s safe to get off of the cycle path before going into the road, being flustered is really no excuse, even though it ended badly.