Family await justice after athlete's death

The family of a Commonwealth Games athlete who died after being hit by a motorbike while cycling in France have said they face an agonising wait to learn if anyone will be prosecuted over his death.

Sam O'Shea, 27, who represented his birthplace of Gibraltar at the 2022 Games as a cyclist, was struck while riding down a hill in Perpignan on 4 September.

An inquest heard how the bike collided with Mr O'Shea, who lived in Leeds, after travelling around a blind bend from the opposite direction.

Speaking after the hearing, his father Paul said they had been told they could be "waiting years" until French authorities completed their investigation into the circumstances of the crash.

The inquest at Wakefield Coroner's Court heard how triathlon coach Mr O'Shea, whose family were in the military, had lived in various places including Portsmouth and Italy before he was awarded a triathlon scholarship in Thailand at the age of 16.

A bike mechanic by occupation, he studied sports marketing at Leeds Beckett University and trained with the Olympic medal-winning triathlete brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee.

The inquest heard in the days before the fatal crash, he had been holidaying in the region with his partner, professional triathlete Lucy Byram, and friend James Scott Farrington, who had both been competing in races.

A statement by Miss Byram said she had taken part in a race in the French Riviera and a few days later on 4 September, the trio set off for a bike ride in the Pyrenees.

She described how as they were riding down the valley, she spotted a group of motorcycles coming up the hill and that one of them "was driving so fast he could not remain on his side of the road."

Her statement said the bike had come onto their side of the road before colliding with Mr O'Shea and Mr Scott Farrington.

The inquest heard that the other motorcyclists came to help before paramedics arrived.

Mr O'Shea was taken by air ambulance to hospital where he died several hours later from chest and abdominal injuries.

Coroner Oliver Longstaff concluded that Mr'O Shea died "as a result of injuries sustained in the collision between the bicycle he was riding and a motorcycle approaching the opposite direction on the wrong side of the road".

Speaking afterwards, Paul O'Shea said the family were unable to get any closure over their son's death because of the ongoing investigation.

"We have had no updates from the criminal procedure in France because while the investigation is ongoing, they don't release any information.

"We've been told it can take years and years as that's just the way it operates in France."

He added: "It's unimaginable what life is like and to have this hanging over us in the background is terrible.

"We know that Sam wasn't at fault whatsoever - he was on the right side of the road and was just cycling along with his friends - so we just want some sort of justice."

Mr O'Shea and his wife Angela, who also have an older daughter, Holly, said Sam was "amazing" and his death had been "heartbreaking" for them all.

He said he had had thousands of messages from people all over the world and the impact he had made on people and those in the triathlon community was "enormous".

An spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.