Horrifying CCTV footage captured the moment a reckless motorcyclist careered onto the pavement, smashing a trainee teacher just as she got off a bus in a terrible and preventable accident.
Grace Marriott suffered a punctured lung, three broken ribs, and a fractured leg after being hit by the “immature and stupid” biker in Halifax, West Yorkshire on September 4, 2023. Macenna Shaw was wearing a balaclava-style ski mask when he collided with Ms Marriott at high velocity just as she stepped off the bus and began walking down the pavement.
Shaw tried to escape the scene but was detained by the shocked bus driver and bystanders. The 21-year-old has since been imprisoned and disqualified from driving.
Bradford Crown Court was told that Shaw had no helmet on as he navigated a Benelli motorcycle onto the footpath, which also lacked a visible number plate.
Prosecutor Anthony Dunne relayed to the court that among the witnesses was an off-duty police officer, who observed Shaw’s motorbike overtaking a queue of traffic behind the bus before mounting the pavement on its nearside.
A bus passenger recounted hearing “a roaring engine” as the bus doors opened.
CCTV footage presented in court captured the harrowing moment Ms Marriott was struck by Shaw, before being dragged along the ground for several metres. The distressing video then shows Shaw attempting to flee after retrieving his motorbike, only to be apprehended and restrained by a bus driver and bystanders.
Police also discovered a knuckleduster in Shaw’s pocket, the Mirror reports.
Ms Marriott, a trainee teacher in her 30s, was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary with severe injuries, including three fractured ribs, a punctured lung, a fracture to the bottom of her left leg, and multiple abrasions and burns across her body.
Following two surgeries and a skin graft for her leg injury, she had to endure wearing a metal cage on her leg for over a year. The court was informed that she was immobile for six weeks and subsequently confined to a wheelchair.
Her aspirations of completing her teacher training have been dashed due to the incident.
“I feel every part of me has been taken away. I feel like it has ruined my life,” Ms Marriott expressed in her statement. She also mentioned that the agony from the burns was so severe that it overshadowed the pain from her broken leg.
Defending Shaw, Matthew Moore-Taylor acknowledged his client’s “appalling piece of behaviour” as a result of an “immature and stupid” decision, adding that Shaw was remorseful. He emphasised that Shaw’s regret was sincere.
“He regrets it deeply,” stated Mr Moore-Taylor. He characterised Shaw’s actions on the day as “reckless and impulsive” and admitted there was “no sensible explanation” for his decision to wear a balaclava.
Shaw has since been sentenced to 22 months in prison and banned from driving for two years, with an additional 11-month extension, resulting in a total ban of 35 months. He is also required to pass an extended re-test to regain his licence.
The court ordered the forfeiture of the motorbike.
Sentencing Shaw at Bradford Crown Court, Recorder David Gordon said: “You were speeding before you arrived at the bus. You should have appreciated that there was a serious risk of someone getting off the bus and that your driving could result in a collision, and it did.
“You tried on one occasion to flee the scene, and you had to be restrained by more than one passerby.”