Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Wednesday 19th March 2025, at 21:00hrs
A 50-year-old Southport man has been sentenced to eight months in prison after a serious hit-and-run collision that left a cyclist with life-threatening injuries.
Paul Horner, of Hampton Road, Southport, admitted to causing serious injury by careless/inconsiderate driving and failing to stop at the scene of the incident.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, on Northway, Maghull, near the Shell petrol station. Horner was driving a grey Skoda Octavia when he collided with a 55-year-old cyclist.
The cyclist sustained severe injuries and was hospitalized in a critical condition for several weeks, narrowly escaping death.
He continues to suffer from the impact of the collision.
Following the collision, Horner fled the scene, driving over 11 miles to his home in Southport with significant damage to his vehicle.
Merseyside Police subsequently located and seized the vehicle later that day, and Horner was arrested.
At Liverpool Magistrates Court on Wednesday, March 19, Horner was sentenced to eight months imprisonment and disqualified from driving for two years.
Detective Sergeant Kurt Timpson, the lead investigating officer from Merseyside Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU), condemned Horner’s actions.
“Horner intentionally and callously left his victim lying in the road in a critical condition. He drove home to Southport, a journey of over 11 miles with significant damage to his vehicle and even attempted to deceive his own family by covering up what he had done,” said Detective Sergeant Timpson.
He added, “We launched an investigation and my team worked tirelessly to gather early evidence to assist with our investigation and get answers for the victim and his family.
Our thoughts remain with them as he recovers and we continue to support them.”
Merseyside Police emphasized their commitment to road safety and their “Vision Zero” strategy, which aims to reduce road traffic collisions and fatalities.
They urged the public to report any instances of dangerous driving.
“Merseyside Police will not tolerate poor driving or drivers who deliberately ignore the rules of the road,” stated Detective Sergeant Timpson.
“We are committed to the prevention of serious injury and road death, to work towards Vision Zero – our strategy focused on driving down the amount of road traffic collisions in our regions and to lower the number of people killed and seriously injured on our streets.”
He appealed to the community, saying, “If you know of drivers who are breaking the law and thus putting others in danger, please tell us, so that we can take swift and robust action to prevent harm.”
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