Jail for GB cyclist crash driver

A drunk driver who ploughed into and critically injured a Paralympic champion cyclist who was out training for the 2012 Games has been jailed.

Edward Howell Adams, 60, was convicted of dangerous driving after he hit Simon Richardson 26m (85ft) into the air on the A48 near Bridgend last August. 

The Cowbridge farmer was jailed for 18 months at Cardiff Crown Court.
Mr Richardson, who won two gold medals and a silver in Beijing, is out of the London 2012 Games because of the crash.

The cyclist, 44, who has fought back to be fit enough to play a part as a Paralympic torch bearer, was in court for the sentencing on Thursday.

In a statement released after the hearing, he said: "I have some significant health issues to still overcome following the collision, including further back surgery and long-term recovery where my complete effort must be. 

"I fully intend to battle my way back to elite competitive sport when I am fully recuperated."
A father-of-two, he added that his life was "now all about moving on".
"My objective throughout the case was to ensure that other cyclists who may be severely injured in collisions in the future have a legal precedent upon which to base prosecutions against dangerous drivers," he said.

Adams was jailed for 15 months for dangerous driving with three more months added on for failing to stop. A further three-month term for driving with excess alcohol will run alongside the sentence.
He was also banned from driving for five years.
His trial heard that he had been drinking the night before the crash and drank his first whisky at 6am when he woke up.

A witness described seeing Mr Richardson being thrown into the air as he was struck by Adams' van on the A48, a road known locally as Crack Hill.
Adams stopped briefly, but drove off after he noticed another motorist had stopped to offer Mr Richardson assistance.

He was also banned from driving for five years.
His trial heard that he had been drinking the night before the crash and drank his first whisky at 6am when he woke up.

A witness described seeing Mr Richardson being thrown into the air as he was struck by Adams' van on the A48, a road known locally as Crack Hill.
Adams stopped briefly, but drove off after he noticed another motorist had stopped to offer Mr Richardson assistance.