Cyclist pavement killer fears she will be bullied in jail, claims friend
A woman jailed for causing the death of an elderly cyclist by swearing at her fears she'll be taunted and abused by her fellow inmates, a friend has said.
Auriol Grey, 49, shouted "get off the f***ing pavement" and gestured at 77-year-old Celia Ward causing her to fall off her bike into the road where she was hit by a car and killed.
The killer was locked up for three years on Thursday after being convicted of manslaughter - and risks losing her assisted living home.
Grey suffers from multiple chronic health conditions, including cerebral palsy and partial blindness, and is understood to be largely estranged from her family.
Her sole pal, a kind-hearted family man who for years has supported Grey, including driving her to court each day during her trial, fears for how she'll cope in prison.
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Grey is said to be worried about getting bullied in prison (Cambridgeshire Police / SWNS)
Celia Ward with her husband David (Cambridgeshire Police / SWNS)He told the MailOnline: "She is a good person, a lovely person and is very remorseful for what happened but because of her disability people are not very nice to her. They are horrible."
The man did not wish to be named but wanted to help paint a better picture of his friend who has limited contact to the outside world because she "is different".
Grey has a cleft foot and walks with a supportive splint on her right leg, and also has cognitive issues, further jeopardising her mobility.
Screen grab of the moment Mrs Ward fell off her bike (PA)The friend said she has always been the target of cruel jibes, with passers-by often laughing at her, swearing and calling her "a spastic".
He explained how Grey's own mum turned her back on her "because she sees Auriol as a failure".
She was described in court as having gestured in a "hostile and aggressive" manner at retired midwife Mrs Ward during their encounter in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, in 2020.
Grey had swore and gestured at Mrs Ward causing her to fall into the path of an oncoming car (Cambridgeshire Police / SWNS)Grey had pleaded not guilty but was convicted at a re-trial at Peterborough Crown Court after a jury at her first trial failed to reach a verdict.
Her friend spoke to her by phone on Friday.
She is incarcerated in the hospital wing at a Cambridgeshire women’s prison in Peterborough.
He confirmed Grey is appealing her sentence.
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He said: "Auriol had been dreading going into prison and had [been] expecting to get a two-year suspended sentence at worst.
"She is in the medical unit at a holding jail but is worried that when she starts mixing with the other female prisoners or is moved elsewhere she will be the victim of bullying which has happened her whole life."
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