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| Man jailed over RoboCop police officer hit and run | Man jailed over RoboCop police officer hit and run |
| (7 months later) | |
| A man has been jailed for 15 months for running over a celebrated police officer and leaving him to die in the middle of a road. | A man has been jailed for 15 months for running over a celebrated police officer and leaving him to die in the middle of a road. |
| Mitchel Graham, 26, was sentenced at Nottingham crown court after admitting dangerous driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report an accident after hitting PC Diederik Coetzee as he cycled along Blidworth Lane in Nottingham last November. | Mitchel Graham, 26, was sentenced at Nottingham crown court after admitting dangerous driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report an accident after hitting PC Diederik Coetzee as he cycled along Blidworth Lane in Nottingham last November. |
| Sentencing Graham, Judge Jonathan Teare said: "It may seem ridiculously short for all those that grieve the loss of a husband and father but it's all I can do. You ploughed into him, throwing him into your windscreen and propelling him no less than 24 metres. You stopped for a moment then drove off knowing you had hit a cyclist, caring not when you left him there whether he would live or die." | Sentencing Graham, Judge Jonathan Teare said: "It may seem ridiculously short for all those that grieve the loss of a husband and father but it's all I can do. You ploughed into him, throwing him into your windscreen and propelling him no less than 24 metres. You stopped for a moment then drove off knowing you had hit a cyclist, caring not when you left him there whether he would live or die." |
| Coetzee, known as RoboCop for his work on a city estate, was found in the middle of the road with serious head injuries. He spent six months in hospital and is still receiving rehabilitation treatment. He uses a wheelchair and has no recollection of the collision, the court was told. | Coetzee, known as RoboCop for his work on a city estate, was found in the middle of the road with serious head injuries. He spent six months in hospital and is still receiving rehabilitation treatment. He uses a wheelchair and has no recollection of the collision, the court was told. |
| On the night of the accident, Graham knew the car he was driving was in a dangerous condition. When asked by Nottinghamshire police after the accident whether he thought the car was safe, Graham told officers: "Not at all. I've been saying that for ages." | On the night of the accident, Graham knew the car he was driving was in a dangerous condition. When asked by Nottinghamshire police after the accident whether he thought the car was safe, Graham told officers: "Not at all. I've been saying that for ages." |
| The nearside headlight and windscreen wipers were not working and the de-mister was not operating properly, the court heard. | The nearside headlight and windscreen wipers were not working and the de-mister was not operating properly, the court heard. |
| Paul Stimson, prosecuting, said Graham had a significantly limited view of the road ahead and told police he could see only to the end of the bonnet on the night of the accident. | Paul Stimson, prosecuting, said Graham had a significantly limited view of the road ahead and told police he could see only to the end of the bonnet on the night of the accident. |
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