A CHARITY volunteer has been sentenced after knocking a schoolboy off his bike and causing him to fracture his wrist in an attempt to “teach him a lesson”.
A CHARITY volunteer has been sentenced after knocking a schoolboy off his bike and causing him to fracture his wrist in an attempt to “teach him a lesson”.
Alec Suttenwood, 52, “tapped” the 15-year-old's bike after an earlier incident in which the youngster had been riding too close to his vehicle, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
Suttenwood, of Montgomery Road, Ipswich, denied assaulting the boy, who cannot be named because of his age, causing him actual bodily harm on August 7 last year but was found guilty by a jury after a trial. The case was adjourned until yesterday for a pre-sentence report.
Sentencing Suttenwood, the founder of an Ipswich animal rescue charity, Judge John Devaux said his actions had been reckless rather than intentional.
He said that earlier the boy had been driving too close to Suttenwood's vehicle. Although the boy denied shouting at Suttenwood he had admitted swearing under his breath at him and being angry.
Judhe Devaux said: “You found aspects of his behaviour provoking and this caused you to embark on an unusual series of manoeuvres. You intended to teach him some sort of lesson but not injure him by breaking his wrist.”
He ordered Suttenwood, who set up the Ipswich Wildlife Rescue charity, to carry out 150 hours' unpaid work in the community and to pay �600 compensation to the victim of the assault. He said he would not ban him from driving because of the effect it would have on his voluntary work.
Neil Macaulay, for Suttenwood, said his client ran the animal rescue charity himself and at times had up to 120 animals in his care.
He said the defendant was registered as his wife's carer and said he would be unable to continue his animal rescue work if he was banned from driving.
Mr Macaulay said that on the day of the offence Suttenwood had acted impulsively and recklessly and was unlikely to come before the court again.
Should motoring laws be tougher? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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