59-year-old Timothy Cale has been found guilty of causing the death of a cyclist following a fatal collision in Shorwell more than 3 years ago.
Cale, previously of Main Road in Shorwell, denied a single charge of causing death by careless driving following the collision on 5th June 2022, which claimed the life of 64-year-old University of York professor Simon McQueen-Mason.
But today (Monday) the jury returned a guilty verdict at the Isle of Wight Crown Court after a trial, that began last week, ran longer than the 4 days originally expected.
The incident happened at around 10:15 in the morning when Cale reversed his Land Rover Freelander out of New Barn Lane and onto Main Road, into the path of the experienced cyclist, who was travelling at speed.
Mr McQueen-Mason was pronounced dead at the scene, having suffered a catastrophic chest injury.
During the trial, Crown Prosecutor Russell Pyne outlined how shards of glass and scuff marks were found in the middle of the road, indicating where the crash occurred.
Witnesses saw Cale leave the scene in his damaged vehicle before returning on foot with his partner. Drug and alcohol tests taken at the scene returned negative results.
In Police interview weeks later, Cale told officers that he had checked his mirrors multiple times before reversing and had only moved a few feet when the impact occurred. He admitted he would usually turn around using a patch of grass known locally as The Green, but said parked cars made that difficult on the day, so he decided to reverse onto the road instead.
Mr Pyne told jurors that the decision to reverse led to a ‘catastrophic collision and the loss of a life’.
Timothy Cale will now appear before Judge Melville at Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing on 16th January 2026.
He has been handed an interim disqualification from driving.
I, obviously don’t know the full facts. I do, however know the bends and risks of this particular road. It is a shame that people have lost so much over this incident. One person’s life (along with his family) and another looking at a long prison sentence. I hope any sentence is balanced on the facts. RIP.
I don’t think that the full story.
See it happening 3 or 4 times a month people illegally reversing out of drives causing other road users to swerve or break. Sentence should be on the act though not the outcome, which is just down to luck good or bad. Feel for the family of the cyclist. Driver made a stupid mistake as we are all guilty of what I personaily think is worse is phone/text/ drink and drug user who are blantantly and selfishly careless. Hammer them on the act regardless of outcome..
“people illegally reversing out of drives”.
Technically, reversing out of a driveway is not illegal..
Highway code, States:
Rule 201Do not reverse from a side road into a main road.
When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can.
Thanks WL. Everydays a school day. EDIT..See it happening 3 or 4 times a month people legally reversing out of drives causing other road users to swerve or break.
Thanks WL. Everydays a school day. EDIT..3 or 4 times a month people legally reversing out of drives causing other road users to swerve or break.
There are so many rules that many motorists
don’t adhere too!
Eg many vehicles park on roads at night facing
oncoming traffic, it is ok to do so if parked in a
marked bay, but if not marked they should not
park this way!
This is to prevent accidents caused by poor visibility
on unlit roads, as vehicles facing the wrong way
have no rear reflectors to be seen by oncoming traffic
at night.
There is no one who polices such rules and many
numpty motorists think it’s ok to do so.
What is the point of having rules if motorists
breaks them.
it would be interesting, to see how many of the rules in the highway code (especially the ones you seem to think that many motorists
don’t adhere to (note, only one ‘o’ for ‘adhere to’)) are ‘legal requirements’ or just advisory…
(agreed that parking facing the wrong way (unless in a recognised parking space) is a legal requirement)…
Into the path of the experienced cyclist, who was traveling at speed.And an experience car driver too id expect…
Your English is bloody awful. “Car driver too id expect”?
Ye pretty shit at school but i done ok ..
Did you become an english teacher?
Was not a driveway was a side road and a junction to boot im not a cyclist lover but this driver should be banged up now not free to enjoy christmas
Wont go to jail no room..our friends have taken over.
d’you really think he’ll ‘enjoy’ christmas in the circumstance…
On the subject of reversing out of,…
I have pointed out, in a previous comment that, according to the highway code, reversing out of a driveway is not illegal.
for any pedants of language out there, it could also be questioned as to whether reversing out of a side-turning is, or is not, illegal.
The highway code explicitly states: “Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT”
However, rule 201, which references reversing from a side road, into a main road, states:
“Do not reverse from a side road into a main road”,..
it says “Do not”… it does not actually state “you MUST NOT”, so it is questionable as to whether doing so is actually illegal.
However, whether of not it is illegal to reverse out of a side road, is irrelevant.
The fact is: He was charged with “causing death by careless driving”, and the jury has found him guilty. Presumably he will be sentenced, as the judge feels appropriate, in keeping with the law.
From the evidence presented in this, and other press articles, there seems little doubt that his actions, on that day, directly contributed to the unfortunate death of the cyclist. Whether there are any mitigating or contributing circumstances, that will be taken into account by the judge in his sentencing, only time will tell.
From what I see on a daily basis, hardly
any motorist knows the Highway code
on the island.
Cars, motorbikes, and bicycles are all guilty of coming down this shute way too fast. It is a 30 and is hardly ever observed, also the junction is almost blind to someone on a bike, the bottom of the shute is very hard to see when pulling out of that junction, reversing out is unthinkable, it is a dreadful accident where some poor guy has lost his life, and another is looking at custody. I lived there for many years and am surprised there hasn’t been more collisions at that spot.
It’s 2025 and there are NO speed cameras on the island.
The island is dysfunctional in all aspects, roll on
devolution .
The driver made an error, like most drivers do at some point in their driving lives. The cyclist may have been riding too fast for those bends. I feel sorry for the driver based on what I have just read. He will be living in literal hell and will have to live with this for the rest of his life.