Portsmouth: Man handed driving ban over e-scooter crash

Oct 28, 2024

Footage has been released of the moment an e-scooter rider ran a red light and crashed into a woman.

Veterinary surgeon Raquel Delgado-Calo said she felt like she had been "hit by a bus" and was left with a fractured skull in the incident in Portsmouth on 14 January.

She also suffered lacerations to her head and nose, which she said had left permanent scars.

On Wednesday, 34-year-old Joseph Pedelty from Waterlooville was handed a community order and an 18-month driving ban - which includes e-scooters - after pleading guilty to causing injury by careless inconsiderate driving.

Prosecutor Giles Fletcher said Ms Delgado-Calo and her partner had just returned from a festive break with family before the incident.

In a statement, Ms Delgado-Calo said they had approached the pedestrian crossing just as the light was turning red and a car was stopping.

"I turned right and took a step and I felt a big impact," she said.

She said she "could feel blood running down my face and what felt like meat between my teeth".

She was taken to hospital in an ambulance and remained there for three days.

In a victim impact statement, she said she had had to take three weeks off work, had suffered from eight weeks of concussion and dizziness, and had "ongoing" anxiety about crossing roads.

Mr Fletcher said Pedelty had run a red light that was "very clear to see".

The court heard Pedelty had 10 previous convictions and had been disqualified from the roads after drink driving in 2021.

In mitigation, Roni Pittman said he had gone on the e-scooter to "clear his head" and had put himself forward to police after a media appeal.

"He mistakenly did not see the seriousness of the incident at the time," she said.

"When the media call was put out there he was shocked and horrified at the injuries this lady had suffered.

"He accepts his actions and this incident."

Addressing him, chair magistrate Ryan Rutlidge criticised him for not stopping to check on his victim's welfare but noted his "remorse".

He made Pedelty the subject of an 18-month community order, which requires him to participate in 20 rehabilitation requirement activity days and alcohol treatment.

The sentence also reflected guilty pleas to charges of riding the e-scooter without insurance, failing to stop after an accident and failing to stop at a red light.

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