A WHITCHURCH man who left a much-loved cyclist for dead in the road in what a judge called 'despicable and cowardly' behaviour has been jailed for 22 months.

Aaron Rogers, 23, of Smallbrook Road, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Thursday for two counts of causing death by failing to have insurance and a licence, as well as failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

He admitted colliding with 58-year-old Ian Edwards, who was riding home after drinking in a nearby pub, on the B5476 in Coton on July 30, 2020.

Rogers, who initially denied all responsibility at his first police interview, drove over Mr Edwards's body after failing to brake when flagged down by nearby cyclists.

The court heard the victim was left in the road after colliding with Joanne Kemp, a cyclist with whom he had been having drink, along with her partner, at the Dog and Bull in Coton.

Ms Kemp was on the nearside of the road but Mr Edwards fell into the middle of the carriageway while his part-electric bike landed on the other side.

Rogers then approached the road, claiming he was driving at 55mph, but on seeing Ms Kemp wave at him to stop, he failed to use his brakes but de-accelerated and swerved her.

This meant he drove over Mr Edwards' midriff, causing 'significant and catastrophic' damage which resulted in him dying at the scene.

The court heard that Rogers failed to stop and later admitted in a call to a friend that he thought he' driven over a man', but then later claimed he thought it was a badger.

It was also told that Rogers used the quieter road to avoid detection by police, and later hid the van at a chapel car park in Shropshire before returning to claim it three days later.

He was eventually arrested and only began to admit the offence in his second interview. He had been using his phone at about the time of the incident, but the court heard that there was no evidence he had been doing so at the exact time of the collision.

Mr Recorder Moran, sentencing, said he had to take into consideration a 21-month suspended sentence for actual bodily harm from February 2020 but awarded Rogers 25 per cent credit for pleading guilty, though criticised the timing of the new plea on the day of his trial.

He said: "Looking at the overall picture, you offered those charges on the day of trial but could have been offered earlier.

"You accept there was a degree of fault by your guilty plea to two charges.

"Your driving while uninsured and unqualified led to the death of Mr Edwards – you shouldn’t have been driving at all.

"He was not intended to drive home and had a bike, with a number of people doing the same thing.

"However, they didn’t have lights or reflective and they were travelling on a fairly poorly-lit road.

"In a series of unfortunate and tragic events, he had a collision with another cyclist he’d been with and was left prone in the road.

"In a terrible coincidence you were driving on this road at the same time.

"You drove over Mr Edwards as he lay on the floor and he died there – every effort was made to save him by other people.

"Your actions were the opposite of the actions of those who tried to save.

“You drove on and it was despicably cowardly thing to do."

Rogers was jailed for six months, concurrently, for two offences, and four months for failing to stop – also concurrently – but will serve 16 months of his suspended sentence consecutively.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years and 11 months.