Southport man nearly killed cyclist in bypass hit and run

A Southport driver has been jailed for eight months after he was involved in a serious collision with a cyclist but failed to stop at the scene.

Paul Horner, 50, of Hampton Road, was sentenced today, Wednesday 19 March, at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting Causing serious injury by careless/inconsiderate driving and Failing to stop. He was also disqualified from driving for two years.

The collision occurred on Wednesday 27 December 2023 when Horner was driving a grey Skoda Octavia on Northway, in Maghull, near the Shell petrol station.

He collided with a 55-year-old cyclist, who nearly died from his injuries and remained in hospital for weeks in a life-threatening condition. Thankfully he survived but remains impacted to this day.

Following the collision, Horner failed to stop at the scene and he drove all the way to Southport with a badly damaged car. Officers carried out inquiries and were able to find the vehicle later that same day and he was subsequently arrested.

Detective Sergeant Kurt Timpson, the Lead Investigating Officer from Merseyside Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU), said: “Horner intentionally and callously left his victim lying in the road in a critical condition. He drove home to Southport, a journey of over 11 miles with significant damage to his vehicle and even attempted to deceive his own family by covering up what he had done.

“We launched an investigation and my team worked tirelessly to gather early evidence to assist with our investigation and get answers for the victim and his family. Our thoughts remain with them as he recovers and we continue to support them.

“Merseyside Police will not tolerate poor driving or drivers who deliberately ignore the rules of the road, and we are committed to the prevention of serious injury and road death, to work towards Vision Zero – our strategy focused on driving down the amount of road traffic collisions in our regions and to lower the number of people killed and seriously injured on our streets.

“However, this is something that we must all do in partnership. Communities can also take a stand and help us to make the roads safer. The vast majority of road users across Merseyside are responsible and law abiding and we know how much you want to help us, so that we can ensure roads and shared spaces are used responsibly and that people abide by the laws we enforce.

“To that end, if you know of drivers who are breaking the law and thus putting others in danger, please tell us, so that we can take swift and robust action to prevent harm.”