Humza Yousaf's brother-in-law drove into cyclist in uninsured car
The brother-in-law of former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf has been fined £450 for colliding with a cyclist while driving an uninsured car.
Ramsay El-Nakla, a father-of three from Dundee, was doing the school run on June 12 last year when he failed to stop at a red light and crashed into bike rider James Clunie, 59, who suffered minor injuries.
At Dundee's Justice of the Peace Court on Tuesday, lawyers argued that losing his licence would 'cause hardship' to El-Nakla, who receives £1,400 per month on universal credit and disability payments and needs a car 'to help with the family'.
El-Nakla, 37, claimed he had lost his mobile phone on holiday and was unaware his insurance policy had been cancelled.
He admitted to driving carelessly and failing to slow when approaching a red light, failing to keep a proper lookout, and colliding with a stationary bicycle causing Mr Clunie to fall off. He also admitted having no insurance, but the Crown dropped a further charge of having no MOT certificate.
Ewan Chalmers, fiscal depute, told the court: 'He has gone into the rear of the complainer's pushbike, which caused the complainer to be thrown off the bike, landing on the bonnet of the car, before falling to the ground.
'The complainer sustained a small cut to a finger on his right hand and minor pain in his back. The accused remained at the scene for 20 minutes to assist and passed on his details. Police checks were carried out on the accused's vehicle and showed it had no insurance.'
Annika Jethwa, mitigating, said: 'In relation to having no insurance, he had gone to Ireland to visit family and had broken his phone, and did not receive messages about the direct debit failing.
'He had had difficulties during the year and it was the policy of the company to cancel if there was a third payment failure. He has been driving since he was 19 and has never had insurance issues.'
She added: 'He has a record, but it is not the worst. This was the combination of a few factors at the time. There would be hardship caused to the family if he was disqualified.'
William Morrison, a Justice of the Peace, ordered El-Nakla to clear the fine at £40 per month and imposed six penalty points on his driving licence.
He said: 'It is an unfortunate incident but it is indicative of a period of inattention, a momentary lapse, and I accept that. Nevertheless, there was injury – albeit minor – and the cyclist ought to have been protected.'
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Wanted sex offender arrested after staged 'mock wedding' with child at Disneyland Paris
Authorities in France arrested a convicted sex offender who reportedly attempted to stage a "mock wedding" with a 9-year-old Ukrainian girl at Disneyland Paris in which he played the groom. Meaux prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladie said a 39-year-old British man allegedly organized a stunt marriage ceremony on Saturday, June 21, paying Disneyland Paris to hold the event, according to BBC. Around 100 people were hired to be extras in the staged ceremony that cost around €130,000 (over $151,000) so it could be filmed in a private capacity. The young girl arrived in France two days earlier was not harmed in any way and was not forced to play the bride, BBC reported. Staff said she was dressed as a bride, wearing white and having her hair done. A park guest who was hired to play the bride's father alerted staff, who called the police. The suspect reportedly used a stolen Latvian ID and fabricated documents to book the event through Disney, the New York Times reported. He is reportedly being charged with fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Bladier accused the man of wearing professional makeup so he would not appear as himself, BBC reported. 3 others arrested, including child's mother Authorities also arrested three others, including the 41-year-old mother of the child, as well as a 55-year-old Latvian man and a 24-year-old Latvian woman who would have played the bride's sister, BBC reported. Bladier told BBC in a statement that the British man was convicted for previous offenses of a sexual nature against minors and was wanted nationally. It's unclear at what point in the staged ceremony staff interfered, but an investigation is underway, BBC reported. USA TODAY has reached out to Disneyland Paris and Chessy National Police for comment.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Watch: Bears escape park enclosure, eat a week's supply of honey
June 25 (UPI) -- A pair of European brown bears escaped from their enclosure at a British wildlife park and made their way to a food storage area, where they feasted on snacks including a week's worth of honey. Wildwood Devon confirmed on social media that 5-year-old bears Mish and Lucy escaped from their enclosure due to "an operational error" that allowed the bruins to access a behind-the-scenes area used for food storage. The park was closed as part of standard protocols and police were contacted, but zookeepers were able to "encourage both bears back into their enclosure without the need for any intervention," the post said. The park said the bears "posed no threat to the public at any point, enjoyed a selection of snacks -- including a week's worth of honey -- before being safely returned to their enclosure by the expert keeper team within the hour." Officials said both bears took long, food-induced naps upon returning to their habitat.
UPI
9 hours ago
- UPI
British man found guilty of 2024 samurai sword killing of 14-year-old boy
A man accused of killing a 14-year-old boy last year with a samurai sword in Britain was convicted Wednesday at trial at Britain's central court, the so-called "Old Bailey" (pictured in 2023). File Photo by Mark Thomas/EPA-EFE June 25 (UPI) -- A London man accused of killing a 14-year-old boy last year with a samurai sword in Britain was convicted Wednesday of multiple crimes. Marcus Arduini Monzo, a 37-year-old man of dual Spanish-Brazilian nationality from Newham in east London, admitted to two charges of possession of an offense weapon. He claimed it was just to display. He also claimed no memory of last year's brutal April 30 attacks and denied the murder count in addition to other charges. In court, the ex-Amazon delivery driver remained stoic as the verdict was read about the seven charges. The "horrific events" last year in Hainault sent "shockwaves through our community and had a devastating and lasting impact on so many," Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who leads policing where the incident transpired, said Wednesday outside the court in Old Bailey, the British central court. Monzo originally was charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article in the attack that killed 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin and seriously injured four other people, including two police officers. Last year in May, he was charged and made his initial court appearance in front of Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring. British prosecutors say Monzo had skinned and deboned his pet cat prior to trying to "kill as many people as he could." Prosecutors also tried to convince jurors that Monzo acted while allegedly under the influence of cannabis, which led to a psychotic episode. "This has been an incredibly complex investigation and our detectives have been meticulous, compassionate and professional throughout," Bell, the chief superintendent, added. He likely suffered a psychotic disorder with "schizophrenic-like symptoms" that included "delusional beliefs" that he and his family were in "mortal danger." However, Monzo said he previously used psychedelic drugs and smoked cannabis "three or four times a week" but denied doing so the day of the deadly attack. According to reports, Monzo was a 'flat-Earther' and conspiracy theorist, as well as an enthusiast of Elon Musk and his work. He was cleared of one attempted murder count but found guilty of all other charges at his trial in Old Bailey. Five victims required medical attention after the attack, including Anjorin, who died shortly after arriving at a medical facility after Marzo's 20-minute rampage. According to prosecutors, Monzo crashed a van into a fence in Laing Close and hit a person before getting out of the vehicle, saying he would kill the man and slash his neck with a samurai sword. Monzo later told police that he had "many personalities," which he said included a "professional assassin." He then broke into the bedroom of a nearby home and attacked a man in bed, along with his family that included a 4-year-old child, according to authorities. Monzo demanded to know if the victims believed in God, according to officials. He then proceeded to attack Anjorin, who was walking to school after 7 a.m. local time. Marzo hid behind a bush, then emerged when officers tried to help the boy, but attacked them. That left a female officer with "horrifically serious" wounds to her arm. Monzo is expected to face a life term in prison when he returns Friday to court for sentencing.
