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DAILY ECHO
26-03-04
SAINTS star Fabrice Fernandes has been fined £1,000 after being found guilty of driving without due care and attention.
The French midfielder was on his way to the football stadium when his left-hand drive black Audi S3 collided with a cyclist, Southampton magistrates heard.
Joseph Ptolomey was thrown off his bike, into the air and across the roof of the car before landing on the road following the collision. He suffered leg and back pain but was not seriously injured.
The court heard how Fernandes, 24, who appeared in court for sentencing yesterday accompanied by an interpreter, had called former club manager Gordon Strachan to the scene of the crash.
The charge against him had been proved in his absence when he failed to appear before the court on March 1.
Cliff Morris, defending, explained to the court that Fernandes had written the wrong date in his diary, and had thought he was due in court on March 10.
There were several witnesses to the incident, which took place in Albert Road North, at the crossroads with Anglesea Terrace and Endle Street, on the morning of Sunday October 26 last year.
Ian Culley, prosecuting, told magistrates that in their statements, each witness said that Fernandes had been at fault.
One of them, Christine Shore, told how she had seen the cyclist thrown up in the air before he landed heavily on the road. The qualified nurse treated Mr Ptolomey at the scene for pain in his leg and neck.
Mr Morris said Fernandes had failed to see the cyclist due to the reflection of the sun in his car windscreen.
"He accepts that the accident was his fault.
"This type of accident is far too common on British roads and one that we can well do with stopping.
"He has made steps to ensure he is even more cautious than before."
He added that the cyclist's injuries were "fairly minor injuries in the grand scheme of things".
Sentencing Fernandes, chairman of the bench Alistair Reeve, said: "You were driving a powerful car and, as we have heard, collided with the cyclist with such force that he was thrown into the air.
"I am satisfied that this was an act of carelessness and proved a reminder to you to be vigilant when driving a car."
Fernandes was fined £1,000 with £42 costs and received six penalty points on his licence.
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