Teenager who killed canine walker whereas dashing avoids jail

A teenager who killed a dog walker on a pedestrian crossing while speeding on an uninsured motorbike he was driving for the first time was spared jail today after the judge said there wasn’t enough space in prisons.

CJ Fitt was 17 when he raced towards the crossing at up to 50mph on his Yamaha 125CC in wet and overcast conditions.

Witnesses who saw him moments before he ploughed into Lucy Machin, 55, described him riding like an ‘idiot’ and a ‘wally’.

Mrs Machin, who was described by her husband as ‘risk averse’ and ‘attentive’ of her surroundings because she had rheumatoid arthritis, sustained a ‘catastrophic’ head injury and died in hospital.

Scaffolder Fitt, who is now 18, initially denied causing death by careless driving but changed his plea to guilty. He also admitted causing death by driving while uninsured.

CJ Fitt was 17 when he killed a dog walker on a pedestrian crossing while speeding on an uninsured motorbike he was driving for the first time. He has today avoided jail time 

Lucy Machin (pictured with her husband Robert), who was described by her husband as ‘risk averse’ and ‘attentive’ of her surroundings because she had rheumatoid arthritis, sustained a ‘catastrophic’ head injury and died in hospital

Witnesses who saw him moments before he ploughed into Mrs Machin (pictured), 55, described him riding like an ‘idiot’ and a ‘wally’

Handing him a nine-month sentence, suspended for two years, Judge Andrew Shaw said: ‘Although it might be said that causing someone’s death by careless driving is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is justified, in the case of someone as young as you, it is too superficial an analysis.

‘I have to weigh in your age, the state of overcrowding in the prison estate, and how long you would serve if sent to a young offenders institution.’

Counsellor Mrs Machin, who had been married for 23 years and had an adopted son who was 15 at the time of the crash in November 2022, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1989.

She helped cope with the ‘debilitating illness’ by keeping up an exercise regime that included twice-daily walks with her dog, Rosie, that took her over the crossing near her home in Norwich, Norfolk.

Fitt, who also lived in the city, had owned his motorbike for three months before the accident and had passed his basic test but had not ridden it on the road because he was saving up for the insurance.

Prosecutor Lynne Shirley said the defendant decided to use the bike on the morning of the crash because his father, who usually took him, had an accident in his car the day before.

Motorist David Creed was approaching the pedestrian crossing when he saw the bike, which had an L-plate, come ‘roaring past’.

Scaffolder Fitt, who is now 18, initially denied causing death by careless driving but changed his plea to guilty. He also admitted causing death by driving while uninsured

Counsellor Mrs Machin, who had been married for 23 years and had an adopted son (pictured) who was 15 at the time of the crash in November 2022, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1989 

He said in a statement: ‘I remember thinking “You idiot” because of the road and weather conditions and him coming up to the lights on a left-hand bend.

‘The visibility was not that great because of the drizzle.’

Another driver, Eleanor Sprake, was overtaken by Fitt and thought to herself ‘What a wally’ because of his speed in the moments before he hit Mrs Machin.

CCTV analysis showed Fitt was riding at between 41-50mph on the 30mph road.

Ms Shirley said the traffic lights on the crossing would have been amber if he had been riding at more than 47mph and red if he had been going any slower on the 30mph limit road.

She added he would have had time to stop if travelling 30mph or less and avoiding his victim would even have been ‘achievable’ at 45mph.

Mrs Machin’s husband, Robert, said in a victim impact statement that her death had a ‘brutal’ effect on him and his son Joe and he believed it had contributed to her ‘heartbroken’ father’s death a few months later.

He added: ‘The criminal and civil case surrounding the sudden death of Lucy continues to weigh heavily on us.

‘I am not angry or consumed by revenge. I am just sad.’

Norwich Crown Court where motorcyclist CJ Fitt was sentenced for causing the death of dog walker Lucy Machin by careless driving

One of Mrs Machin’s sisters, Alison, said she had always organised family events and was the ‘social glue who helped bind us together’.

Her death had left her feeling like she was ‘walking around wearing chainmail or a heavy blanket’ and suffering panic attacks.

Jude Durr, defending, said his client had expressed significant remorse and empathy towards Mrs Machin and her family.

Judge Shaw told Fitt he had been ‘impatient to have independence’, adding: ‘You were not taking care. You were over-confident and riding at a speed which was entirely unsuitable for the prevailing conditions.’

He described Mrs Machin as a much-loved woman who was ‘wise, funny, intelligent, and stoic in the face of a debilitating illness’.