Ex-Royal Marine Christopher Paul Addison, 55, clipped the bicycle with his Volkswagen Transporter van as he drove across the narrowest part of Sutton Bridge over the River Derwent east of York, said Kathryn Walters, prosecuting at York Magistrates Court.
The cyclist fell to the ground and the vehicle went over his foot before coming to a stop. The crash dislocated the cyclist’s wrist and left him with a bruised foot.
Addison, a police officer for 30 years, first served with North Yorkshire Police and rose to be detective sergeant after he transferred to the counter terrorism police force, where he worked on high profile cases including the July 7 bombing in London in 2007, the Finsbury bombing, and bombings on the London Underground and at mosques, the court heard. He retired in 2023.
Addison, of a village near Darlington, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving on Sutton Bridge, which traffic can only cross in one direction at any time and is controlled by traffic lights.
The traffic lights on the Sutton-on-Derwent side of Sutton Bridge (Image: Google Street View)
After hearing from defence barrister Joseph Millican that Addison now suffers from a condition that prevents him doing unpaid work for the community, magistrates decided to fine him instead of making him subject to a community order.
They fined him £666, ordered him to pay a £266 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs and banned him from driving for 12 months.
Ms Walters said Addison was driving with his wife from Elvington to Sutton-on-Derwent at 5.45pm on May 19, 2023 on the B1228, when he hit the cyclist.
Sutton Bridge approaching from the Sutton-on-Derwent bank (Image: Google Street View)
Mr Millican said Addison’s wife provided an ice pack for the cyclist and the couple helped him with their first aid kit.
The defence barrister said Addison had a “long and unblemished history of employment in responsible positions.”
He had served six years with the Royal Marines before becoming a police officer. The defence barrister handed in commendations and certificates Addison had earned during his career.
In 2021, he suffered a spinal injury which led to him suffering from sepsis and doctors gave him two days to live. He survived but was left with a condition that means physical activity can send him into a dangerous form of medical shock, said Mr Millican. He retired from the police in 2023.
A probation report before the court said Addison was seeking work as a delivery driver as it meant he spent his day sitting down. He would have difficulty getting to unpaid work appointments without a driving licence because of where he lives.