Daughters Confront E-Bike Rider Who Left Their Mum To Die After Collision

A teenager has been jailed for killing a great-grandmother when he crashed into her with an illegal e-bike as she used a zebra crossing.

Gloria Stephenson, 86, was getting her 10,000 steps in and walking her daughter’s dog in Sunderland last May, when Billy Stokoe, 19, collided with her on his defective Sur-Ron bike.

Stokoe rode off to hide the bike at a friend’s house and to change his clothes, while Gloria died at the scene.

It turns out Stokoe’s bike was not street legal and the right brake was broken. Furthermore he was stoned and holding his phone in his left hand at the time of the collision.

He also requested to change his bail conditions so he could go watch Sunderland play at Wembley and to take a holiday, which goes to show you how remorseful he is about the whole thing.

Speaking to Stokoe in the dock, Gloria Stephenson’s daughter Lisa Tench said: ‘You, on your illegal, defective bike. You, speeding. You, on your phone. You, under the influence of cannabis.

‘Mam didn’t stand a chance. You hit her with such ferocity that you catapulted her feet away from the crossing, inflicting those horrific injuries on her and injuring my dog.

‘You drove off and left her there to die.’

Eldest daughter Julie Francis told the court: ‘Our Mam was fit and healthy, with years left to live a full and active life.

‘She had a zest for life that did not fade or diminish with age; she was vital and vivacious until the day you killed her.

‘Our Mam was a beautiful woman, looking good was effortless to her, in fact she was known as “Glamorous Gloria”.

‘But, much more importantly, she was a good person, with strong moral principles which she tried to live her life by.’

A psychological assessment revealed Stokoe had ADHD and an IQ of just 66, which almost makes you feel bad for the kid. I mean, that’s basically a disability? Add cannabis to the equation and you’re dealing with someone truly dumb as rocks here.

Still, it doesn’t take a genius to know that you should be paying attention on the roads, especially on an illegal vehicle, and the truth is he did nothing to avoid colliding with Gloria Stephenson. You cannot excuse that away with ADHD or a 66 IQ.

In the end, Stokoe was jailed for six years and nine months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving. Which some might say is a little light, all things considered.

RIP Gloria and thoughts with her friends and family.