An e-bike rider was jailed for over six years for killing an 86-year-old on a zebra crossing. Billy Stokoe, now 19 but aged 18 at the time, struck Gloria Stephenson on the B1286 Burdon Road in Sunderland near the junction with Lidcombe Close on 16 May 2025. Newcastle Crown Court heard he was riding an illegal and defective Sur-Ron e-bike that was uninsured, not street legal, and had no brake on the right-hand side because the brake lever was missing. The only operating brake was on the left. For half a mile before the collision, dashcam footage showed Stokoe holding his mobile phone in his left hand, meaning he was effectively riding with one hand and that hand was on the phone, not the brake. He did not slow down or attempt to avoid Mrs Stephenson, who was crossing the zebra crossing with her daughter’s dog after waiting for traffic to stop for her and the animal.
The Sur-Ron e-bike at the centre of the case is not classed as an electric bicycle in the UK. Because of its power output and speed, it is legally a motorcycle. Road-legal variants do exist – such as the Sur-Ron Light Bee L1E and Ultra Bee – which require a Compulsory Basic Training certificate, insurance, registration with the DVLA and a number plate. The L1E is treated as equivalent to a 50cc moped, requiring an AM licence for riders aged 16 and over; the Ultra Bee and Storm Bee are classed as L3E, equivalent to a 125cc machine, needing a CBT or A1 licence. Stokoe’s bike had none of these features. An expert who examined the machine afterwards told the court it was obvious to any careful and competent rider that the bike was not in a safe condition to be used on public roads. Knowing he only had one brake, Stokoe should have been riding more carefully, the court heard. Instead he was holding his phone in the hand that controlled the only working brake.
Stokoe was also over the legal limit for cannabis. The UK limit for THC while driving is two micrograms per litre of blood – a strict threshold effectively amounting to a zero-tolerance approach. He had consumed cannabis before the ride. After the collision, he continued to smoke cannabis to help him sleep and suffered from flashbacks, the court was told.
Mrs Stephenson, a mother of four with 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, had worked managing domestic services for a local health authority. She was described by her family as “vibrant, active, beautiful and intelligent”, known as “Glamorous Gloria” for her effortless style and strong moral principles. At the time she was walking her daughter’s dog and aiming to complete her daily 10,000 steps. Judge Robert Adams said she was a vulnerable road user on a pedestrian crossing who had waited for traffic to stop for her and the dog. Stokoe struck her with such force that she was catapulted off her feet. She suffered a severe leg injury and cardiac arrest, dying at the scene despite the efforts of air ambulance specialists. Her funeral was held on 13 June 2025 at St Leonards Church, Silksworth, with the family asking attendees to wear bright, celebratory colours. Donations in her memory were directed to Saint Benedict’s Hospice and the Great North Air Ambulance service.
One of her daughters, Lisa Tench, addressed Stokoe in the dock. “You, on your illegal, defective bike. You, speeding. You, on your phone. You, under the influence of cannabis,” she said. “Mam didn’t stand a chance. You hit her with such ferocity that you catapulted her feet away from the crossing inflicting those horrific injuries on her and injuring my dog. You drove off and left her there to die.” Another daughter, Julie Francis, told the court: “Our Mam was fit and healthy, with years left to live a full and active life. She had a zest for life that did not fade or diminish with age, she was vital and vivacious until the day you killed her. Our Mam was a beautiful woman, looking good was effortless to her, in fact she was known as ‘Glamorous Gloria’. But, much more importantly, she was a good person, with strong moral principles which she tried to live her life by.”
After the crash Stokoe was thrown from the bike but did not stop. He rode off, changed his clothes and hid the e-bike at a friend’s house. He handed himself in at a police station just over an hour later. Footage of his arrest captured him asking a police officer, “Is she dead?” The family was angered by Stokoe applying in 2025 to vary his bail conditions so he could go to Wembley to watch Sunderland and to go on holiday, although the court heard he did not attend the match. They believed he had shown no remorse, though Judge Adams said he had seen evidence of the teenager’s regret and sorrow. The defence barrister, Helen Towers, said Stokoe was remorseful and had told the court: “I will forever be sorry and I don’t expect to ever be forgiven. I wish more than anything that I could change it all.” A psychological assessment revealed Stokoe had an IQ of 66 and was diagnosed with ADHD.
Sentencing and police response
Stokoe pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and also admitted to causing death while unlicensed and uninsured. He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison and disqualified from driving for more than eight years. Judge Adams told the court: “The defendant will have to live with what he has done for the rest of his life.” Outside court, Northumbria Police urged the public to report dangerous e-bike riders. Superintendent Billy Mulligan said: “Billy Stokoe wasn’t known to us, but I guarantee people knew that he was riding a bike in that manner and the plea from us to the public is, ‘Let us know so we can do something about it.’” The officer insisted police will take action against the menace of young men on e-bikes and said the perception that officers will not pursue them was false.
