A Moore Creek man has backflipped on his plea and admitted to a negligent driving charge, which left a cyclist seriously injured and airlifted to hospital.
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Joel Alan Pascoe, 42, appeared in person in Tamworth Local Court on Monday, May 13, where he admitted to one count of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm following a crash on Peel Street at about 11:35am on September 24, 2023.
Police facts reveal a cyclist was travelling along Peel Street, towards the CBD, when he approached the Tribe Street intersection.
Pascoe, who was driving his car north along Peel Street, had moved into the designated right-hand turning lane as he approached the Tribe Street intersection.
The 42-year-old slowed down to negotiate the turn into Tribe Street but did not see the cyclist riding along Peel Street in the opposite direction.
As Pascoe turned into Tribe Street, the cyclist collided with the passenger side of this car and fell to the road.
The police report notes Pascoe stopped his car in Tribe Street, got out of the vehicle and saw the cyclist for the first time.
He was later flown to John Hunter Hospital for further treatment.
The cyclist sustained serious injuries to the right side of his face, impacting his eye, nose and jaw, and causing subdural bleeding.
Police interviewed Pascoe at the incident scene, and he made immediate admissions to driving the vehicle at the time of the collision.
Pascoe initially pleaded not guilty to negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, but the court heard there was now a statement of agreed facts and he would be admitting to the charge.
Pascoe, who was uninjured during the incident, was charged by police following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The 42-year-old's defence solicitor Alex Floyd said Pascoe was in the process of completing a traffic program and asked to adjourn the matter for a sentence to be handed down.
Magistrate Julie Soars ordered a report to be prepared ahead of sentencing detailing Pascoe's background and the nature of the offence.
The matter is listed for sentencing in Tamworth Local Court in July.
