A professional footballer has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after causing the death of a cyclist in a collision in West Yorkshire.
Lucas Akins, a 36-year-old striker for Mansfield Town, struck 33-year-old Adrian Daniel while driving a Mercedes G350 near Huddersfield in March 2022. Mr Daniel, a father-of-three from Meltham, died in hospital 10 days after the crash.
Akins, of Heys Road in Holmfirth, appeared at Leeds Crown Court, where he previously pleaded guilty to causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving. The incident occurred as Akins pulled out of the junction with Crosland Factory Lane onto Huddersfield Road, failing to check properly before entering the path of Mr Daniel, who was cycling home from work.
The crash was captured on the cyclist’s helmet camera, with the court hearing Mr Daniel had not been speeding and was in a safe road position at the time of the collision.
Judge Alex Menary told the court the crash could have been avoided had Akins paused longer before emerging from the junction. He described the incident as a moment of carelessness with devastating consequences.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Daniel’s wife Savanna described her husband’s death as “a nightmare I’m not waking up from,” and criticised Akins for delaying his guilty plea, which she said prolonged the family’s grief. However, she also stated that she did not want Akins to go to prison.
Despite this, the judge ruled that only immediate custody would reflect the seriousness of the offence, acknowledging Akins’ remorse but stating that his actions “made a mockery of any remorse offered.”
Akins, who continued to play for Mansfield Town following the charge, has also been banned from driving for 12 months. The club has expressed condolences to Mr Daniel’s family and said it is reviewing Akins’ position.
Mr Daniel’s legacy, his wife said, would be “to live life to the full.”