"The man we all relied on": daughter's tribute to cyclist killed in Isham by dangerous driver

The daughter of an avid cyclist killed by a reckless driver trying to evade police says her father was "cherished by so many".
Arthur Bourlet.Arthur Bourlet.
Arthur Bourlet.

Arthur Bourlet, 75, was tragically knocked down in Station Road in Isham on April 11 by Gary Lynch, who was driving a Mitsubishi Shogun he stole earlier that morning.

Lynch, 55, had been on a burglary spree and was chased by nine police vehicles before hitting Burton Latimer man Mr Bourlet, who was pushing his bike up a hill. Mr Bourlet died from his injuries on May 3.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Today (Tuesday) judge Rupert Mayo jailed Lynch for a total of 12 years and six months.

Read More
Reckless driver who killed cyclist in Isham jailed

She said: “It’s hard to summarise in two short sentences what a person is like when they were so imperative in your life and are suddenly taken away from you.

"Dad was a just that, a dad that everyone hopes to have on their team. The man we all relied on to fix things and solve any issues we had.

"He was the one we called when we needed help, but he was also one of the first people we wanted to call to share good news with.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"He was an incredibly fit man for his age, an avid cyclist and had a wicked sense of humour. He was cherished by so many.

“He is missed greatly by his family and although no sentence can right that wrong, it does give us a sense of redress to know he [Lynch] is off the streets and cannot cause harm to any other families."

Lynch, of no fixed abode, refused to co-operate with the investigation and was not willing to attend Northampton Crown Court yesterday to face trial or Mr Bourlet's family.

Today he finally admitted his crimes.

Anita said his lack of remorse was "frankly unforgivable".

She said: “We are incredibly relieved that we witnessed justice be served today.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Throughout this process he has put us through additional trauma and distress by showing complete contempt for us as a family.

"We feel his total lack of remorse or regard for the pain we are experiencing is truly shocking and frankly unforgivable."

Lynch was also banned from driving for five years upon his release from prison.

Joseph Dodman, road traffic accident lawyer at Slater and Gordon, said: “This is tragic case of an innocent man losing his life due to the reckless actions of another individual.

"He leaves behind many loving members of his family.

"We can only hope this provides some form of closure and will allow his family to begin to focus on the happier times they spent together, opposed to how he tragically lost his life.”