Coroner hits out over tragedy
A coroner condemned a decision not to prosecute a driver over the deaths of four cyclists, including a former champion from Wolverhampton.
An inquest jury ruled that Robert Harris' "inappropriate" driving contributed to the deaths of Maurice Broadbent and three others.
North-East Wales coroner Mr John Hughes accused police and officials of being "most unprofessional" and said he "completely failed to understand" why the Crown Prosecution Service had not brought a charge of driving without due care and attention.
"I sat here biting my tongue during the inquest of this most unprofessional state of affairs," he said yesterday.
"I will be writing to the chief constable recommending a fundamental examination of the way they receive and disseminate information and a general retraining of those involved."
Father-of-two Mr Broadbent, aged 61, and three other riders were killed when Mr Harris' car skidded into them on an icy road in North Wales during a ride with Rhyl Cycling Club in January last year.
Mr Harris was prosecuted over defective tyres on his Toyota Corolla and fined £180, but never faced charges over his driving.
He admitted that his speed of between 50mph and 55mph on the 60mph road was too fast for the treacherous conditions on the A547, near Abergele, in Conwy.
Mr Broadbent, who grew up in Palmers Cross, near Tettenhall, was a former member of the Bradmore-based Elizabethan Cycling Club and moved to North Wales with his family in 1968.
Dave Horrocks, 55, Wayne Wilkes, 42 and Thomas Harland, 14, also died in the tragedy.
After the inquest verdict yesterday, the victims' families said "justice had not been served". Jurors recorded a narrative verdict, which fails to draw a conclusion and merely outlines events and makes observations.
Coroner Mr Hughes said: "The evidence shows classic signs that Robert Harris was driving without due care and attention and to his credit, he admitted his responsibility in going too fast." There was also criticism of the failure to grit roads after calls had been made alerting officials of ice. Mr Hughes said some steps have been taken to "change things", but added: "It's a pity it's taken four lives to get this movement."
Mr Broadbent's widow, Sue, said her husband as extremely safety-conscious and said he would never have gone cycling if he felt it was dangerous.
In a statements police said: "North Wales Police will now consider the findings and the recommendations carefully and at length." Conwy Council said its procedures had already been reviewed and measures were under way to improve communication.
