Driver jailed after cyclist’s death - judge’s comments

Zija Lushi, 27, also known as Luigi Dannile, of Broadwater Lane, Copsale, had been found not guilty on the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

However, a jury at Hove Trial Centre found him guilty of causing death by careless driving.

He had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured.

Cyclist Mike Dixon, 65, of Trundle Mead, died after the collision with a silver Citroen in Kerves Lane, Horsham, on Monday December 8.

A statement from his family, read out in court, said he was a retired RAF engineer with a wife and two children.

Since retiring, Mr Dixon had taken up flying as a hobby, had become an experienced cyclist, and worked shifts for the Samaritans.

Lushi, an Albanian who entered the UK using a false identity, has been served with deportation papers, meaning he is likely to be sent home as soon as he is released from prison.

Sentencing, Recorder George Lawson-Rogers told him: “It goes without saying that this is a tragic case, resulting in the death of a much valued husband, father, and grandfather, a man who, it is clear, still had very much to contribute, both to others and to his own self.

“You have shown yourself to be someone who has no respect for the laws of this country. You came to this country from Albania, on false documents, in breach of the laws of this country.

“A man’s life was taken because you thought your desire for a cigarette was more important than obeying the laws of this country, that you came to in search of a better life. Such is your gratitude.”

He added that he had to follow the sentencing guidelines, and had to reduce the sentence by one quarter, since Lushi had previously offered to plead guilty to the charge of causing death by careless driving.