A cyclist had a quarter of his skull removed after crashing into a fly-tipped shed on a remote country road. Colin Appleton, 66, was left with life-threatening injuries when his bicycle tyre was punctured by a nail protruding from a dismantled asbestos-riddled shed in Brentwood, Essex.
The Incident
The grandfather was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition and spent three weeks unconscious. Doctors gave him just a ten per cent chance of survival. After seven months in hospital, Colin was discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home.
However, he has been left unable to work since the accident, had his driving licence revoked by the DVLA, and suffers from lasting physical and mental effects. Tree surgeon Craig Frewin, 36, wept as he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for causing a danger to road users, with the judge stating he fly-tipped "deliberately and cynically".
Colin's Ordeal
Colin said: "When I came round, I had no memories - nothing at all. I had no memories with my family or with my kids, I weren't even sure what their names were. I don't think I'm going to get my licence back. I wanted to work at least another five years and I'm gutted I can't drive."
He added: "I've got no way of getting round apart from the bus or on the train and so I haven't got my independence. I wanted to see justice done. I've been driving for forty odd years - I'm a good driver. I've never fly tipped or even dropped a bit of rubbish out my car window."
Colin, a self-employed double glazing service engineer, finished a job at around 2.30pm on September 18, 2024, and decided to go for a bike ride. His usual circuit took him just under an hour across country lanes.
The Fly-Tipping
On the same day, Frewin - a tree surgeon with 14 years of experience - cleared a garden in Havering, then dumped a dismantled shed in the middle of Lincolns Lane, Brentwood. His boss hired a Ford Transit tipper truck for a limited time so Frewin could clear all the waste, but when he took it to the usual disposal site, they refused to take the shed because it contained asbestos.
Colin's front tyre was punctured by a protruding nail from a piece of the asbestos-riddled shed on a blind bend. A delivery driver found him later that day lying next to the debris. He was airlifted to King's College Hospital in London in a life-threatening condition.
Medical Consequences
Colin, who has no memory of the incident, said: "I was caught on our doorbell camera leaving to go cycling, and caught on other cameras just before the accident. I was told I had less than a ten per cent chance of pulling through. When you've been told that, it is a bit of a shock."
Colin, who was not wearing a helmet, spent seven months in hospital and required surgery to remove a section of skull due to his catastrophic injuries. He also suffered a shoulder fracture in three places and broken ribs.
He explained: "When I came round, I couldn't eat, I could barely talk or walk. I had a tube into my stomach which is how I was fed. I didn't know where I was, what I was doing or even what I was saying. When I started being able to think again, the first thing I wanted to do is start walking."
His long-lasting injuries include a weakening of the left-hand side of his body, severe headaches, migraines and brain fog.
Emotional Impact
While in hospital, Colin missed the birth of one of his grandchildren and now struggles to remember their names or pick them up. In his victim impact statement, read to Southend Crown Court, he said: "Sometimes I wish I had died. Life is never going to be the same as it was before the accident."
Colin is now dependent on buses and trains, and walks around the block near his home to build his stamina.
Sentencing
Frewin was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Southend Crown Court on April 30. In a letter read to the court, he said he felt "deep remorse" and was "painfully aware that no words can undo the harm that has been caused".
Judge Samantha Cohen told him: "You were fly-tipping asbestos to avoid having to pay to deal with it properly. I am satisfied that you committed this offence deliberately and cynically."
Colin said he was "surprised but glad" at the length of Frewin's sentence and has called on fly-tippers to think before they dump waste. He said: "I thought he might get a driving ban and serve six weeks in prison - but they've given him a 16 month sentence and he's got to serve at least six of it."
He added: "If I'd had a helmet on, I might not have been injured as badly as I was. But he tipped it in the lane itself - he didn't even try and put it to one side - and it was full of asbestos. It wasn't just dangerous for me, if there'd been a motorbike or car, they might have gotten punctures as well."
Colin concluded: "The lanes are so narrow, you couldn't really go round it and if something was coming the other way, you'd be in great trouble. I wish fly-tippers wouldn't do it. Frewin's sentencing is a bit of a deterrent and I hope that's making a change. There's talk about cancelling their licences and retaking their tests if they're caught and I think that's a good idea. They should be coming up with ideas that are going to put people off."
