A Peel teenager has admitted causing the death of a cyclist on the Poortown Road near St John’s by careless driving.

Emily Rose Dale-Beaton, aged 19, of Peveril Avenue, had previously pleaded not guilty to the offence but changed her plea to guilty on Tuesday.

Matthew McSevney, aged 43, from Peel, was hit by Dale-Beaton’s Toyota as he was cycling on October 5. The married father-of-two died in hospital.

Prosecutor Richard Butters described the incident as a tragic case and told the court how, at 8.29am, Dale-Beaton was driving along Poortown Road with her sister as a passenger.

The weather was fine, clear and dry, and there was a low morning sun which was extremely bright.

Dale-Beaton, who was an ’R’ plate driver, was driving along the straight section approaching Hope Cottage, where there are no speed restrictions.

As she was coming to the junction her car hit Mr McSevney’s bike as he was travelling in the same direction.

The front nearside bonnet was said to have collided with the bike and he impacted on the windscreen.

He was said to be riding about half a metre from the kerb and wearing a red outdoor jacket.

stopped

Beaton-Dale stopped immediately and her sister called 999.

Mr Butters said she had co-operated with the police throughout.

In a police interview she said that as she had driven over the brow of the hill she had been hit by the sunlight.

She said she had put the sun visor down and applied the brakes, decreasing her speed when all of a sudden the cyclist appeared in front of her and she made an emergency stop.

Mr Butters said that both defence and prosecution witnesses could not be sure of the speed.

A prosecution expert had estimated that Dale-Beaton would have been travelling at a maximum of 47mph - while the defence said it would have been around 30mph.

Defence advocate Peter Russell said that it was accepted that, while the speed could not be agreed, his client had been driving too quickly for the conditions that day.

The case was adjourned until April 24 when sentencing will take place after the preparation of a probation report.

Bail continues.

Conditions include that Dale-Beaton live at her home address, contact probation, and does not leave the island without court permission.