AN UNLICENSED 17-year-old rode an unsafe motorbike at 75mph along a busy road before colliding with an elderly cyclist and inflicting life-changing injuries.
Iestyn Lazenby crashed into Phillip Thomas, 78, after performing wheelies and weaving through traffic on a motorcycle he had been cautioned not to ride by someone who had sold it to him for parts.
As a result of his injuries in the incident, the teen had his forearm amputated, and he also suffered a brain injury that has left him with the brain function of someone up to 60 years older than him.
Mr Thomas suffered serious injuries, including many fractures and a ruptured spleen, and was hospitalised for six months.
Lazenby, now 18, of Brookfield Avenue, Rhymney, was sentenced on January 27 at Newport Crown Court after appearing in November at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court and pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without third party insurance.
The court heard how on April 28, 2022, Lazenby was riding a Kawasaki ZX6R motorcycle down Nantgarw Hill on the A468, driving erratically and at great speed, cutting and weaving through thick traffic.
At the same time, 78-year-old Phillip Thomas, who was riding along the Taff Trail to his daughter’s house in Taff’s Well, was crossing the dual highway on Caerphilly Road using a puffin crossing.
Lazenby was seen pulling wheelies as he sped down the 40mph speed limit route. According to CCTV footage, he was travelling between 62 and 65 mph for approximately 500 metres before colliding with Mr Thomas. Another driver thought he was driving between 70 and 80 mph.
Prosecutor, Jac Brown, told the court that other road users were “frightened” of Lazenby’s driving style, with witnesses reporting that they could hear the motorbike before they saw it. He also nearly collided with another vehicle while attempting to overtake it.
Mr Thomas had come to a halt at the pedestrian crossing, dismounted his bike, and went across one road to the centre island. He then decided to cross the second lane after hearing the motorcycle but noting that there was no oncoming traffic despite the fact that there was a red signal at the time.
Witnesses then reported hearing a “explosion” when Lazenby slammed “square on” with Mr Thomas at great speed after losing control of the vehicle. Debris was observed flying “everywhere” as the motorcycle and its driver skidded down the road, with one of its wheels landing on the opposite side of the highway.
Passers-by hurried to assist both the defendant and the victim, with Lazenby laying face down on the road, unresponsive, and blood pouring from his mouth. A man claiming to be a doctor took his pulse and originally thought he was dead, while others at the scene applied chest compressions.
Mr Thomas was discovered to be alert and breathing despite being severely hurt. He was wearing a helmet but no extra protective clothes, only a hoodie and jogging shorts.
Parts of Lazenby’s motorcycle were discovered all over the road, with both wheels flying off and being discovered more than 150 metres away from the vehicle’s centre frame. The court heard that he purchased the motorcycle earlier this year, but it was offered for sale as ‘spares and repairs,’ with the seller warning him not to ride it.
The bike was discovered to have several defects, the most serious of which were the lack of rear brakes, a misaligned rear wheeler, and fouled rear suspension. An examiner determined that the vehicle was in “dangerous” condition and was capable of causing “serious harm” to other road users if ridden.
Further forensic investigation of dashcam footage from passing vehicles revealed that the motorcyclist was travelling at between 71 and 76mph shortly following the incident, which was less than the speed he would have been travelling before to the collision. There was also no evidence of the defendant braking in an emergency.
Mr Thomas was injured in the crash and sustained “extensive” injuries, including fractured ribs, a ruptured spleen, and fractures to his pelvis, left leg and right shoulder, the latter two of which required metal plates to be inserted.
He stayed in hospital for six months before being discharged, but confessed in a victim impact statement heard by the court that he was “lucky to be alive”.
“I’ve always been outgoing and take things with a pinch of salt but this has really knocked my confidence,” he said.
“I’ve been left with life-changing injuries and I don’t think I will be able to walk comfortably ever again.”
He also stated that he lives alone and has had to modify his home to accommodate his movement. However, he did not demand that Lazenby be imprisoned, instead saying: “I don’t think a jail term is required. I just hope he learns from this and realises we both came close to a tragic end”.
In a police interview in August, the defendant informed authorities that he remembered leaving his grandmother’s house on the morning of the incident before waking up three weeks later in the hospital. He confirmed to owning the motorcycle and stating that he had just rode it for the first time that day, but he also admitted to having no insurance and only a provisional licence.
Defending Lazenby, David Rees, stated that it was “difficult to know what best to do” with his client. While he acknowledged that it had been a “devastating incident” for Mr Thomas, he also emphasised the defendant’s substantial injuries in the incident.
As a result of his injuries, Lazenby had his left arm amputated from the hand to the elbow, and he has no feeling in the rest of his arm from the shoulder down. Mr Rees noted that while there was possibility for the defendant to be fitted for a prosthetic limb, this was “some way off” happening.
He also suffered a serious brain injury and now has “the brain of someone 50 to 60 years older than his years”. However, the court heard that he “may not have been here” if he hadn’t been given CPR on the side of the road.
Lazenby was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months, by Judge Wayne Beard. He was also barred from driving for three years and ordered to pay a £187 statutory surcharge.
