A cyclist’s widow has opened up on ‘three years of hell’ after a professional footballer killed her husband in a crash just seven months after their wedding.
Mansfield Town striker Lucas Akins, 36, struck Adrian Daniel, 33, after he failed to see the cyclist as the footballer pulled out of a T-junction after failing to stop at a give-way sign.
Mr Daniel’s wife Savanna rushed to find her husband of seven months lying unconscious in the road after tracing his location on his Garmin GPS device.
He suffered catastrophic head injuries and died 10 days later in hospital.
Prosecutor Carmel Pearson told Leeds Crown Court that Mr Daniel suffered a ‘catastrophic’ head injury when Akins pulled out onto Huddersfield Road, in the village of Netherton, West Yorkshire, on Thursday, March 17, 2022.
‘Keen cyclist’ Mr Daniel, a quality controller at a local tech firm, died 10 days later on 27 March, due to the ‘unsafe manouevre’, said Ms Pearson.
Akins, of Thongsbridge, near Holmfirth, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving and was jailed for 14 months and handed a two year driving ban.
Just hours after pleading guilty the footballer played for Mansfield Town in a goalless draw with Wigan Athletic at their One Call Stadium home.
In a statement after sentencing, Savanna said: ‘Three years of hell, three years of avoidance and adding further to my trauma- has finally come to a close today with Akins’ sentencing.
Adrian Daniel’s wife Savanna (pictured left) rushed to find her husband of seven months lying unconscious in the road after tracing his location on his Garmin GPS device.
Mr Daniel’s wife Savanna (pictured outside court) to see her husbands killer jailed
Mansfield Town striker Lucas Akins, 36, has been jailed for 14 months over the fatal collision in 2022
‘Never being allowed to fully live the reality of Adrian’s absence because of the farce Akins’ has made of the justice system and the chances offered to him, has finally been put to bed and this man is no more deserving of any further of my time or concern.
‘No power is held over me or my family anymore and no justice will ever bring Adrian back.
‘This could all have been resolved sooner and that is the further insult to injury and makes a mockery of any remorse that Akins offers for his actions.
‘I would like to thank the West Yorkshire Police team involved for all of their time, efforts and support during this case as well as that of the barrister Miss Pearson and the Crown Prosecution Service.
‘A great father, son and husband was lost three years ago, but his legacy for living life to the full will always remain. ‘
In her victim impact statement Mrs Daniel, who had only wed the victim seven months before the fatal crash, described him as an ‘adrenaline junkie’.
‘We met in August 2019, we were married in August 2021. He became a third-wheel to me and my daughter Evie and he became her dad without obligation to her,’ she told the court.
She described her life since as ‘like hell and a nightmare I’m not waking up from.’
Cyclist Adrian Daniel, 33, was killed after Akins gave him ‘no time to brake’, the court heard
Akins (right) arriving at Leeds Crown Court. The professional footballer who caused the death of a cyclist as he drove out at a junction has been jailed for 14 months. L
Mr Daniel’s wife told the court: ‘His wife and children shouldn’t have to live the life we have since that day.
‘We do not need any more lives to be destroyed from this.’
She continued: ‘Adrian survived a terrible accident 11 years ago. I’m not a spiritual person, but I believe he survived that to find us, to show Evie what a dad was and me what true love was.
‘I can say I have learned to live life without him and live it to the full, but that doesn’t excuse Mr Akins’ actions.’
She is undergoing therapy and has had to quit her job as a operating theatre practitioner at Oldham Royal Hospital because she can ‘no longer set foot’ inside one due to her daily visits to her husband in ICU.
Mr Daniel’s father has also died before he could see justice for his son, the court heard.
Head-cam footage from Mr Daniel, who cycled the same route to and from work every day, showed Akins pull out slowly from Crossland Factory Lane onto Huddersfield Road directly into his path, giving the cyclist ‘no time to brake’.
‘Traffic is obliged to give way at Huddersfield Road, which is what the defendant should have done. He intended to turn right into Huddersfield Road,’ Ms Pearson said.
‘The defendant didn’t give way at a give way sign. There is no stop sign or white line at that junction but there is an obligation to give way.’
Prosecutor Carmel Pearson told Leeds Crown Court that Mr Daniel suffered a ‘catastrophic’ head injury when Akins (pictured) pulled out onto Huddersfield Road, in the village of Netherton, West Yorkshire
Akins’ employers Mansfield Town have said they ‘considering’ their position over forward the forward following his conviction.
Manager Nigel Clough wrote a reference for Akins to the judge saying: ‘The nature of his employment means that this conviction may make it difficult to continue with his career in the future.’
In March, the club was severely criticised for playing him in their 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic.
When asked by BBC Radio Nottingham about the player’s involvement in the game just hours after he pleaded guilty, Mr Clough said: ‘We can’t comment on it, I’m afraid.
‘We’ve known about it for some time, it’s not just happened but we’re not in a position to comment.’
Akins, who has six international caps for Grenada, played the first half against Wigan but was substituted at half-time due tp a hamstring problem.
He was handed a new one-year deal last season, which expires in June, after his 14 goals in 49 appearances helped Mansfield to promotion from League Two last season.
Lucas Akins also played for club Burton Albion (Pictured in action against Manchester City in 2019)
Akins has played at a variety of clubs over the years including Stevenage and Tranmere Rovers
Hours after he was sentenced on Thursday, the League One club released a statement.
It read: ‘Mansfield Town Football Club acknowledges today’s decision by Leeds Crown Court concerning Lucas Akins following a tragic road traffic accident in March 2022.
‘Mansfield Town Football Club offers its sincere and deepest condolences to the family of Adrian Daniel at this difficult time.
‘The club is considering its position with regards to Lucas and will be making no further comment at this stage.’
Father-of-three Akins told police in interview: ‘Obviously I stopped, looked right, left, right, left – there were no vehicles coming. As I’ve pulled out, I’ve just seen a cyclist.’
Mitigating Tim Pole said Akins suffered a ‘momentary lapse in concentration’.
Jailing him for 14 months and handing him a two year driving ban, Judge Alex Menary said: ‘You failed to see Mr Daniel and you drove into collision with him. The impact was devastating and he was thrown from his bicycle.
‘Had you been keeping a proper lookout for all road users, not just motor vehicles, then this accident would not have occurred.
Mr Daniels was described by his wife Savanna as a ‘great father, son and husband’
‘It is plain to me you are someone who is highly unlikely to trouble the courts again,’ judge Alex Menary told the footballer.
‘There is strong personal mitigation here. However, it seems to be the appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.’
Tim Pole, defending, told the judge: ‘I want to publicly apologise on his behalf. The fact he caused the death of Mr Daniel continues to dominate his thoughts and it’s a burden he will carry for the rest of his life.’
Mr Pole said his client understood the ‘frustration and anger’ expressed by Mrs Daniels about the time it took him to plead guilty, and said her words to the court ‘had a profound impact on him’.
The barrister said the collision occurred when Akins was having difficulties in his personal life and his marriage had now come to an end, although he continues to co-parent his three young children.
Mr Pole said: ‘He’s fundamentally a decent, honest and hard-working individual.’
Akins came through the youth academy at Huddersfield Town and made his debut for them in 2007.
His career has since taken him to Northwich Victoria, Hamilton Academical, Partick Thistle, Tranmere Rovers, Stevenage, Burton Albion, and latterly Mansfield, who he joined in January 2022.
Just hours after pleading guilty the footballer played for Mansfield Town in a goalless draw with Wigan Athletic at their One Call Stadium home
Detective Sergeant Alex Booth of West Yorkshire Police, who led the MCET investigation, said: ‘Our thoughts are with Adrian’s family following the sentencing of Lucas Akins today.
‘Adrian was a much loved husband and son, and doting father to step daughter Evie and his family’s anguish at his loss has been heartbreakingly apparent to the team during the investigation.
‘This case sadly reaffirms the danger all of us can pose to others when we drive our cars and the dreadful consequences which can result in not driving to the standards we should.
‘Akins must live with the knowledge his actions have caused absolute devastation to a family, and robbed a man who lived life to the fullest of his future.
‘We can only hope the passage of time may help Adrian’s family as they continue to cope with the huge hole which has been left in their lives.’
