Auriol Grey: Cycleways could be reviewed after manslaughter

A council might have to review its shared pavements after a pedestrian was jailed for killing a cyclist.

Auriol Grey, 49, was convicted of the manslaughter of Celia Ward, whom she caused to fall from a path into an oncoming car in Huntingdon in 2020.

Cambridgeshire County Council cannot categorically state if it was a shared-use path and will review the site.

It said depending on the findings "it might be other parts of the county are also considered".

Separately, the Attorney General's Office confirmed it had received a request for Grey's three-year imprisonment to be reconsidered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The trial heard the women approached each other in opposite directions on the pavement next to the town's ring road during the afternoon of 20 October.

The incident was captured on CCTV and Grey could be heard shouting "get off the [expletive] pavement" at retired midwife Mrs Ward.

Grey, who has cerebral palsy and is partially sighted, then gestured at Mrs Ward who fell into the path of a car and was pronounced dead at the scene.

During a police interview Grey said she had made light contact with Mrs Ward.

Judge Sean Enright, sentencing, said Grey was "territorial about the pavement" and "resented" the cyclist being there.

He added: "These actions are not explained by disability."

The trial at Peterborough Crown Court was told police could not "categorically" state whether the pavement was a shared cycleway but in his sentencing remarks Judge Sean Enright said it was.

The council, which has responsibility for highways, said it "cannot categorically say it is a shared use path as we could not find any legal records to evidence this".

It said it was reviewing the "location to see if there is any work required to make things clearer".

After being asked whether there will be a wider audit, a council spokesperson said: "Depending on that review, it might be other parts of the county are also considered."

Grey's barrister Miranda Moore KC, had said in mitigation "there was no intention to cause harm or an obvious risk of harm".

She stated an appeal against the sentence was planned.

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