Blyth man removed motorbikes from scene of crash in which his best friend died
Connor Graham and his pal Jack Armstrong had been on the bikes when they were involved in an accident in Seaton Delaval
by Sara Nichol · ChronicleLiveA motorcyclist has avoided jail after he hid the bikes he and his friend where riding when they were involved in a fatal collision.
Connor Graham, his best friend Jack Armstrong and another male had been on the bikes as they travelled behind a Skoda vehicle in Seaton Delaval, in Northumberland. A court heard that, when the Skoda slowed to turn, the three bikes didn't stop, and Mr Armstrong crashed into the back of the car.
As his friend lay seriously injured on the road and the emergency services were called, Graham removed both his bike and Mr Armstrong's and hid them in a nearby, pedestrianised alleyway. Sadly, Mr Armstrong never recovered from his injuries and he died in hospital a few days later.
Graham, who had no insurance or licence, has now been given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, with 100 hours of unpaid work, after he pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. The 27-year-old, of Seaburn View, in Blyth, also admitted possession of a small amount of cannabis.
Deborah Smithies, prosecuting at Newcastle Crown Court, said Graham and Mr Armstrong were riding their bikes behind the Skoda vehicle on the A192 at around 6.20pm on September 13 2022. When the Skoda slowed, indicated and then stopped to turn right in the road, a single carriageway with a 30mph speed limit, Graham, Mr Armstrong and the third motorcyclist did not.
"The first of them, not the defendant, came around the right side of the Skoda just as [the Skoda driver] was starting his right turn manoeuvre, such that he had to stop.
"The second, ridden by the deceased Jack Armstrong, collided straight into the back of the Skoda. The third, ridden by the defendant, squeezed through that gap on the left between the Skoda and the parked cars.
"His front wheel came up off the road, where Jack Armstrong had just landed; it would appear that his bike went straight over Mr Armstrong. The defendant then lost control of his motorbike and hit the ground himself."
The court heard that a white van was flagged down by a bystander and Graham put his jumper and a yellow bag on the front passenger seat. The bag was later found to contain a small amount of cannabis.
After this, and while the Skoda driver was on the phone to the ambulance, Graham removed his and Mr Armstrong's bikes from the scene. Miss Smithies continued: "The defendant then moved both the bike he had been riding and the bike that Mr Armstrong had been riding around the corner into a pedestrian alleyway nearby.
"It would appear that he left them there at that stage and departed the scene."
The court was told that when police and ambulance crews arrived, members of the public told officers that Graham had removed the bikes from the scene and gave them his description. Later that evening, an officer located the motorcycle in an alleyway between Whitton Place and Frontburn Road and noticed that neither had number plates fitted.
Miss Smithies said: "The movement of the two motorcycles away from the collision scene in the immediate aftermath potentially interfered with evidence of the collision. During any road traffic collision investigation, the positions of the vehicles involved and the damage to them are important elements in the reconstruction of what has happened."
The court heard that Graham voluntarily attended a police station the following day. Sadly, Mr Armstrong died three days later in hospital.
A subsequent police investigation could not find fault for the accident and no charges were brought. They did, however, charge Graham with perverting the course of justice for hiding the bikes.
Jamie Adams, defending, said Graham had been "grief-stricken" by the death of his best friend. He read a letter to the court from Mr Armstrong's parents, in which they praised Graham for being a "hard-working and respectful young man".
M Adams said: "He does blame himself, not because he caused the accident, but because he was part of it and it led to the death of his best friend of some years. Since then, he has taken on the tendency of his accommodation and looks after his two dogs."
Judge Penny Moreland said she appreciated the distress and upset caused by Mr Armstrong's death on Graham. She said: "As it happens, there was CCTV, which enabled the investigating officer to form a clear picture of what happened but there were matters that couldn't be investigated because the motorbikes had been moved."
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