A tragic road collision has led to the imprisonment of professional footballer Lucas Akins, who was sentenced to 14 months behind bars for causing the death of cyclist Adrian Daniel in 2022.
The incident occurred in Huddersfield as Akins was driving his daughter to a piano lesson.
The crash happened when Akins, 36, pulled out of a side road into Huddersfield Road, directly into the path of Mr. Daniel, who was cycling home from work. Mr. Daniel, 33, suffered critical head injuries and died in hospital ten days later. The court heard that Akins failed to stop at a give-way sign before the collision.
The sentencing took place at Leeds Crown Court, where Akins, a Grenada international and player for Mansfield Town, had already pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. The judge rejected a suspended sentence, saying that only immediate custody was appropriate, despite acknowledging Akins’s remorse and otherwise clean record.
The victim’s wife, Savanna Daniel, shared a deeply emotional impact statement in court. She described the loss of her husband as a never-ending nightmare and criticized the delay in Akins’s guilty plea. She said the crash was avoidable and that her husband, an active cyclist and devoted stepfather, had his life taken in a moment of carelessness.
While the court accepted that Akins was going through personal struggles at the time, including a difficult period in his marriage, the judge made it clear that remorse alone could not undo the damage. Akins was also banned from driving for 12 months.
Mr. Daniel’s headcam captured the collision, which proved key evidence in the case. Prosecutors stated the junction was known to be difficult, but that Akins did not make a proper stop.
The court heard that Akins had the support of his employer, though the future of his football career remains uncertain following his sentencing. His barrister described him as a hard-working, honest man who will live with the burden of causing Mr. Daniel’s death for the rest of his life.
For Mrs. Daniel, the conclusion of the court case brought some closure, though she said the delay and Akins’s handling of the case added to her trauma. She expressed frustration that the process dragged out her grief, making it harder to heal.
Akins’s driving mistake left a family shattered and a community grieving. The case serves as a painful reminder of how a brief lapse on the road can lead to lifelong consequences.