A 29-year-old Indian-origin taxi driver in Australia on Friday was sentenced to two years of community service, but spared of a jail term for hitting a cyclist, leaving him with spinal injuries.
Gurbhej Singh confessed hitting the cyclist in December 2017 while turning from Flinders Street onto Exhibition Street in Melbourne.
The County Court of Victoria judge Paul Lacava on Friday said Mr Singh experienced a moment of "brief inattention" when he failed to see a red light, paving the way for "awful consequences".
The judge said no jail time was needed and sentenced Mr Singh to a two-year community corrections order, through which he must complete 100 hours of unpaid community work.
However, Mr Singh has been disqualified from driving a motor vehicle for two years and will pay an amount of 2,814 dollars to replace the cyclist's bike.
"The injuries that he did sustain have affected his life markedly, and have affected his family," the judge said.
Security footage from the taxi revealed that Mr Singh was carrying two passengers and was not talking or distracted. He was driving under the speed limit and had not been using drugs or alcohol.
