Disabled woman, 50, who was jailed for angrily waving a cyclist, 77, off the sidewalk and into the path of the car that killed her, is ‘thrilled’ to be back home as she is released on bail after won the right to challenge the manslaughter conviction
A disabled pedestrian jailed for causing the death of a cyclist in the street has been released on unconditional bail after winning the right to challenge her manslaughter conviction.
Auriol Gray is ‘excited’ to be back home and was welcomed with ‘big hugs’ from supportive neighbors and after doing a supermarket shop.
She was jailed for three years in March last year for aggressively waving at a retired midwife who then fell into the path of an oncoming car, killing her.
Polite and well-spoken, Gray confirmed to MailOnline today that she was now back home, but refused to say how she was feeling or answer questions, simply saying: ‘No comment.’
Her good friend Roman Ramsay, who bailed her out, said: “We are so happy that Auriol is back home and it is really nice to see her again. She should never have been in jail in the first place.”
Auriol Gray (pictured) was jailed for three years in March last year for aggressively waving at a retired midwife who then fell into the path of an oncoming car, killing her.
Gray shouted “Get off the sidewalk” when a retired midwife approached her on the sidewalk
CCTV footage showed Ms Ward falling onto the road just before she was hit by a car
He added: “She is happy to get bail.”
Another friend and neighbor Robert Reed told our website: ‘She was granted bail and left jail last night.
‘I welcomed her home and we had a quick cuddle before she went to the Aldi store to buy some stuff.
“One of our friends got her out of jail and we’re all so happy she’s back. She is in good spirits and happy to be home.”
She had spent a year behind bars at HMP Peterborough.
Gray returned to her adapted flat in a gated complex in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, owned and maintained by the Papworth Trust, which had been ‘sparklingly cleaned’ by her neighbours.
Mr Ramsey said Gray, now 50, was also “pleased and relieved” at the prospect of her name being cleared if her appeal was successful, and had told friends: “I’m not a murderer!”
After three judges at the Court of Appeal this week allowed her to challenge her conviction, he said: ‘Auriol was very angry about being in prison in the first place.’
The retired stonemason, 78, who regularly visited her in prison and last saw her inside on Saturday, said: ‘Her friends, family and neighbors all thought it was completely ridiculous that she had been convicted of manslaughter and given a custodial sentence.
“So did she, and she has always maintained that she is not a murderer.”
A spokesperson for the Criminal Appeal Office told MaiOnline: ‘Auriol Gray has been granted unconditional bail pending her appeal against the conviction.
‘She has been released. It is expected that the appeal will be heard in May 2024.”
Gray, who suffers from cerebral palsy and partial blindness, denied manslaughter but was found guilty after a retrial.
She lost her appeal against her sentence in May last year, but has since hired new lawyers who took her case to the Court of Appeal in London.
Mr Ramsey said: ‘She feared she would lose her flat after receiving a three-year prison sentence, but fortunately she was not deprived of that sentence.
“She has been looking forward to the thought of coming home.
‘We prepared it for her with great anticipation, it has been cleaned and it shines!
“She has many friends and neighbors here who care about her and will care for her, and we will all give her a warm welcome.
“She also has caregivers who help.”
Gray repeatedly told police she “couldn’t remember” details of the incident that led to Ms Ward’s death
Gray left the scene of the collision before emergency services arrived and went to a local supermarket
CCTV footage showed Celia Ward (pictured with her husband David) wobbling on the road in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, where she was hit by a VW Passat
He added: ‘She is pleased with the appeal hearing and the fact that her conviction could be overturned.
‘She just wants to get on with her life.
‘She was not present at the hearing but was allowed to watch the proceedings via video link from the Governor’s office at HMP Peterborough.’
Gray has few surviving relatives – her mother Verna Gray, 87, from Sudbury, Suffolk, is not in the ‘best of health’ and has rarely been able to visit her in prison.
She has a businessman brother-in-law who lives in Chiswick, West London.
Her father and sister are both deceased.
Gray was caught on CCTV gesturing to grandmother Celia Ward, 77, while shouting at her to ‘get off the sidewalk’ in Huntingdon in October 2020.
A spokesman for the Criminal Appeal Office said: ‘This case was heard on Tuesday and the application for leave to appeal against a conviction was granted.
“A new hearing date will be set in due course for the final outcome of the appeal.
“The court has granted the lawyer the liberty to file a bail application.”
Ben Rose, of lawyers at Hickman & Rose, who are representing Gray, said: ‘Auriol Gray is an autistic, disabled person with reduced vision.
“In a case like this, the prosecutor must prove to the jury that she intended to harm, or feared harm, to Ms. Ward.
‘We say this did not happen and will therefore ask the Court of Appeal to quash Ms Grey’s conviction when the case is heard in May.’
Mr Ramsey told how Gray had appeared ‘in good spirits’ whenever he visited her – and before he was released yesterday.
He said: ‘She has been inside for a year and is doing well considering the circumstances. She is well cared for in a special wing because of her needs, keeps her head down and does not cause any problems.
“She is a smart and very literate lady and instead of going crazy inside, she has put her mind to good use.
“She is always reading and taking quizzes, and even learning advanced math from another inmate.
‘She has a lot of knowledge and the people there are amazed at what she knows.
‘But she can’t wait to get out of prison and get on with her life.
“She feels like she has been wronged.”