Billy Stokoe, who knocked down Gloria Stephenson on a zebra crossing, was jailed for six years and nine months
The family of an elderly woman who was knocked down and killed by a teenager on an illegal e-bike said they were “devastated” after he was jailed for six years and nine months.
Gloria Stephenson, 86, a fit and active great-grandmother, was on a zebra crossing when she was mown down by Billy Stokoe, then 18, who was under the influence of cannabis, riding a defective Sur-Ron in Sunderland on May 16 last year.
He held his mobile phone in his left hand despite the left-side brake being the only one that worked, Newcastle Crown Court heard, and rode for half a mile in that manner.
Dashcam footage showed he did not slow down or try to avoid Mrs Stephenson, who was walking her daughter’s dog and trying to complete her 10,000 steps a day when she was fatally injured on the crossing.
Stokoe was thrown off the bike but did not stop at the scene, instead riding off to change his clothes and hide the machine at a friend’s house.
He handed himself in at a police station just over an hour later.
The 19-year-old was jailed for six years and nine months after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.
Judge Robert Adams said Mrs Stephenson was a vulnerable road-user on a pedestrian crossing who had waited for traffic to stop for her and the dog.
Stokoe was also disqualified from driving for more than eight years.
After sentencing, her family spoke out about the sentence.
Eldest daughter Julie Francis told reporters: “We just feel so disappointed.
“And we were hoping that a long sentence would be given as a message, because we all know that these bikes are illegal.
“They shouldn’t be on the road.
“They’re a nuisance, they’re a public menace.
“And we’re just so upset, we’re devastated.”
Mrs Stephenson was a mother of four, with 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, who had managed domestic services for a local health authority.
She died at the scene, having suffered a severe leg injury and cardiac arrest, despite the efforts of air ambulance specialists.
One of her four daughters, Lisa Tench, addressed Stokoe in the dock and said in her victim statement: “You, on your illegal, defective bike. You, speeding. You, on your phone. You, under the influence of cannabis.
“Mam didn’t stand a chance. You hit her with such ferocity that you catapulted her feet away from the crossing, inflicting those horrific injuries on her and injuring my dog.
“You drove off and left her there to die.”
Her sister, Ms Francis, told the court: “Our mam was fit and healthy, with years left to live a full and active life.
“She had a zest for life that did not fade or diminish with age, she was vital and vivacious until the day you killed her.
“Our mam was a beautiful woman, looking good was effortless to her, in fact she was known as ‘Glamorous Gloria’.
“But, much more importantly, she was a good person, with strong moral principles which she tried to live her life by.”
The family was angered by Stokoe applying last year to vary his bail conditions, so he could go to Wembley to watch Sunderland and to go on holiday, although the court heard he did not attend the match.
They believed Stokoe had shown no remorse, although Judge Adams said he had seen evidence of the teenager’s regret and sorrow.
Michael Bunch, prosecuting, said dashcam footage showed Stokoe riding with his phone in his left hand before the fatal collision.
The uninsured e-bike, which was not street legal, had no brake on the right-hand side as it was defective, with no brake lever.
Mr Bunch said an expert who assessed the machine afterwards found “it would have been obvious to a careful and competent rider that the bike was not in a safe condition to use on the public roads”.
Stokoe, knowing he only had one brake, should have been riding more carefully, the court heard.
The only operational brake was the left and Stokoe was carrying his phone in that hand, the court heard, and he should have been riding more carefully.
Helen Towers, defending, said the teenager was remorseful and had said: “I will forever be sorry and I don’t expect to ever be forgiven.
“I wish more than anything that I could change it all.”
A psychological assessment found Stokoe had an IQ of just 66 and the court heard that he has ADHD.
He continued to smoke cannabis, even after the collision, to help him sleep, and the court heard he suffered from flashbacks.
Judge Adams, sentencing, said: “The defendant will have to live with what he has done for the rest of his life.”
Outside court, Northumbria Police urged people to report dangerous e-bike riders.
Superintendent Billy Mulligan said: “Billy Stokoe wasn’t known to us, but I guarantee people knew that he was riding a bike in that manner and the plea from us to the public is, ‘Let us know so we can do something about it’.”
The officer said police would take action against the menace of young men on e-bikes and the perception that officers would not pursue them was false.
