The decision by Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris to keep the case in the lower court means that the maximum sentence that can be imposed on 28-year-old Christopher Francis Blackwell is 12 months’ imprisonment.
On Thursday last week, Advocate George Pearce entered a guilty plea on behalf of Blackwell, of Hue Street. However, Mr Harris adjourned the case until the next day so that he could fully consider the question of whether or not the case should be sent to the Royal Court.
John Reidy, who was 71 years old at the time, died in hospital four days after he was knocked down by a white Peugeot 205 driven by the accused on 4 August outside Mount Edgecombe flats.
The defendant also admitted using a motor vehicle with ‘defective tyres and bodywork and structure such that danger was caused, or was likely to be caused, to any person in or on the vehicle or on the road’.
However, Mr Harris said: ‘There is a charge of driving a defective vehicle but I don’t think there is any suggestion that had anything to do with the accident.’
In addition, Blackwell admitted being in possession of cannabis at police headquarters on the same date.
The court heard that there was a ‘relevant conviction’ in 2010 when the defendant was a youth. Mr Harris said: ‘I am not sure why he was sent to youth custody, as he was 21 at the time.’ He pointed out that there were four drink-drive related matters going back to when the defendant was a youth.
The Assistant Magistrate said that he classified the careless driving involved as being in the ‘middle category’. He added: ‘The record is an aggravating factor here but most of that offending took place some time ago.’
Blackwell was made the subject of an immediate driving ban and he will be sentenced on 23 March when the results of a background report will be available to the court.
