Trial into cyclist's death on A689 near Hartlepool nears end as jury retires

Paige Robinson and David Ferry are accused using a dual carriageway as their own personal racetrack in the minutes leading up to the death of Graham Pattison.

Both defendants blamed each other for the fatal collision following the death of the father-of-two in July, 2020.

The 24-year-old Robinson killed the father-of-two when she smashed into the rear of him while she was involved in an on-going dispute with Ferry, who was driving of an Audi, as they drove along the A689 towards Hartlepool.

Graham Pattison. Picture: CLEVELAND POLICE

During the trial at Teesside Crown Court, Ferry told jurors that he was calm under pressure after serving tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq during his 12-year military service and would have pulled over to help if he had known what had happened.

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And Robinson sobbed as she told jurors that she didn’t see the cyclist before he smashed into the windscreen of her white Ford Fiesta when she was travelling at around 70mph.

Earlier in the trial, the jury heard how Mr Pattison suffered catastrophic injuries including fractures to his spine when he was flung from his bike when Robinson drove into the rear of him.

Robinson, of Geranium Close in Billingham and Ferry, 47, of Granville Terrace in Redcar, both deny the charge of causing death by dangerous driving following the fatal collision on on July 24, 2020.

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