PE cyclist’s death: sentence cut

A DRUNK driver who hit and killed much-loved cyclist and Port Elizabeth family man Clem Morris nearly three years ago before fleeing the scene, will spend just eight months behind bars, an appeal court has ruled.

Andre Gouws, 28, of Walmer Downs, was driving along Kragga Kamma Road during the early hours of October 7 2012 when he veered onto the wrong side of the road and smashed into 66-year-old Morris.

He then sped away from the scene, but was arrested by members of a community policing forum just moments later.

Nearly two years passed before Gouws eventually pleaded guilty to charges of culpable homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol, failing to stop after the accident and failing to render assistance to the victim.

The Port Elizabeth Regional Court sentenced him to an effective five years’ imprisonment after hours of emotional testimony was led in mitigation and aggravation of sentence. This included a poignant letter from Morris’s widow, Anne.