A disgraced cyclist who was jailed for crashing head-on into an elderly church minister before leaving her to die has been found dead, The Sun reports. Jane Stone, 79, succumbed to serious head injuries in hospital four days after the hit-and-run.
Stewart McGinn, 30, crashed into the retired teacher head-on while cycling around a corner and cutting onto a pavement.
In July 2022 McGinn was jailed for 12 months, however he soon went missing following his release from prison after only half of his sentence.
Police released a missing person appeal after being last seen on Tuesday near his home in Monmouth, South Wales.
However, today the Gwent force said: “A body of a man was discovered in woodland.
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“Formal identification has yet to take place, however we have notified the family of Stewart McGinn.
“We’re not treating the death as suspicious at this time, and a report has been prepared for the coroner.”
Following the earlier death of Stone, a court heard that the collision was unavoidable for Jane, who was hit while walking home from the cinema on a nice summer evening before passing away from her injuries.
Prosecutor James Wilson said that McGinn, despite only having one working brake, rode round the corner “at speed” before colliding head on with Jane.
He said: “She fell to the ground landing on her head and suffered a severe fractured skull.
“The defendant did not stop or offer any assistance but cycled away.”
Jane’s friend Janet Bromley said she was “poleaxed” to the ground due to the powerful collision, which left “her eyes rolling and mouth frothing”.
Mr Wilson said Mrs Bromley told police: “Her feet were lifted off the ground it caused her head to poleaxe to the ground and I heard an almighty crack as her head struck the pavement.”
Cardiff Crown Court was told by Mr Wilson that following the collision, McGinn stayed on his mountain bike and rode to his mother-in-law’s house.
10 days following the crash in Monmouth, South Wales, McGinn handed himself into police, falsely informing officers he stopped riding to assist Mrs Stone in getting back to her feet and making sure she was doing okay.
He admitted causing bodily harm by “wanton or furious driving while being in charge of a bicycle” under the 1861 offences against a person act.
Defending, Ben Waters said: ”He will have to live with the consequences of his actions and causing the death of another person.”
McGinn was told by Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke he showed “flagrant disregard for the safety of others”.
He was jailed for one year with a maximum sentence of two, and received a driving ban for two years and six months.
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: “She gave her time to help others and her loss will be felt by many people for a very long time.”
