Woman jailed over cyclist pavement row death showed ‘no remorse’ for killing ‘wonderful’ midwife, victim’s sister says
THE HEARTBROKEN sister of an elderly cyclist killed when a pedestrian forced her into the path of a car says the killer has shown “no remorse”.
Auriol Grey, 49, gestured in a “hostile and aggressive” way to Celia Ward and told her to “get off the f***ing pavement”.
Moments later the 77-year-old veered off the sidewalk she was cycling down and into the road before being hit by a car.
Tragically Celia couldn’t be saved and was declared dead at the scene following the October 2020 horror.
Grey was jailed for three years on Thursday after being convicted of manslaughter at Peterborough Crown Court.
Paying tribute to her “wonderful” sister, Geraldine Jinks, 79, told The Sun she still “can’t believe” what Grey did to Celia.
Geraldine, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, added: “Although Celia was younger than me she was very much the matriarch of the family.
“She would do anything for anybody and I think that came from her time as a midwife because she was always calm and collected.
“It’s a great loss to the family and not a day goes by when I don’t think about her.”
Geraldine revealed the pair had not met up for several years as they lived far apart but they spoke regularly on the phone.
She explained: “So when Celia’s daughter rang to say what had happened I couldn’t believe what she was telling me.
“I can’t believe that someone would cause Celia’s death and show no remorse for what she has done – Celia was a wonderful woman and still can’t believe she’s gone.”
Grey and Celia were passing each other on the street in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, when the horror unfolded.
Grey could be seen raising her hand as Celia cycled towards her on the pavement.
The retired midwife then loses her balance and staggers into the road in the path of an oncoming VW Passat.
Shockingly, Grey then fled on foot to Sainsbury’s to buy her shopping as paramedics were scrambled to the scene.
In court Grey claimed she felt “anxious” as the bike was travelling “fast” in the middle of the pavement.
She also suggested she could have lifted her hand “unintentionally” as Celia cycled towards her.
But sentencing Grey on Thursday, Judge Sean Enright said she was “territorial about the pavement” and “resented” the cyclist being there.
The court was told about Grey’s cognitive and mobility issues and that she is partially sighted, but the judge told her: “These actions are not explained by disability.”
Judge Enright also slammed her “dishonest account in [police] interview” and said there was “not a word about remorse until today”.
David, Celia’s husband of 53 years, said “rarely a day goes by without thinking of her” in a victim impact statement.
While Gillian Hayter, Celia’s daughter, added: “The lack of any remorse from the accused cannot be underestimated in having a profound effect on us all.
“I can still remember the details of the conversation on hearing my mother was killed in a cycling accident.
“The panic and disbelief and shock of losing her in such an awful accident was hard to comprehend.
“But the news that it was not a tragic accident but a deliberate act of violence was incomprehensible.
“Mum is the least violent person.”
While the innocent driver who struck Celia revealed the incident wrecked her marriage and she suffers PTSD from the fateful day.
In a victim impact statement, Carla Money, 33, blasted killer Grey, whose actions ripped out her “happy-go-lucky” personality and left her unable to properly be there for her two kids.
A neighbour who lived in the same block as Grey for 15 years branded her a “loner” with a “temper” but not violent.
They added: “She will not cope with prison.
“She needs a familiar environment and there will be violent criminals around her.”
The Sun revealed yesterday that killer Grey will appeal her sentence after hoping to be given a suspended jail term at worst.
A source close to her defence team told The Sun: “She was warned she could face a custodial sentence but had been anticipating a suspended sentence.
“She is shocked and devastated by the outcome.
“Her lawyer had desperately tried to get her out on bail while during an appeal process but it was a failed application.”
Grey is single and lives alone in an adapted home in Huntingdon, Cambs.
She is partially estranged from her mother, who according to sources, “has no interest in her daughter,” saying: “They never see each other but occasionally speak on the phone.”
Her sister died two years ago, and she has no husband or partner.
The source added: “She has no one in her life to help and support her, just one friend who has his own family but has been giving her lifts to court.
“It is a very sad situation to be in.”
Although it is illegal to cycle on the pavement, the court was told police could not “categorically” state whether the street was a shared cycleway.