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A professional footballer has been jailed for causing a cyclist's death in a car crash after pleading guilty to careless driving.
A professional footballer has been put behind bars for causing the death of a cyclist in a tragic road accident that unfolded in Huddersfield in 2022.
Lucas Akins, a forward for Mansfield Town, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after admitting to causing the death of 33-year-old Adrian Daniel by careless or inconsiderate driving.
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The fatal crash occurred on 17 March 2022, as Akins was driving his Mercedes G350 with his daughter in the car on their way to a piano lesson.
“There was no reason for Adrian to be killed that way,” said Savanna Daniel, the wife of the deceased, in a powerful victim impact statement delivered in Leeds Crown Court.
“It was too simple a collision to have taken a life.”
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The court heard that Akins failed to stop at a give-way sign at a notoriously difficult junction, leading to a crash that left Daniel with catastrophic head injuries.
Daniel was rushed to hospital, but tragically died 10 days later.
Akins, 36, continued to play professional football after the incident, including taking part in Mansfield’s 0-0 draw with Wigan on 4 March 2025—just hours after pleading guilty at Leeds Crown Court.
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His continued presence on the pitch in the wake of the fatal crash drew criticism from some corners, though his legal team emphasized his deep remorse.
Representing Akins, Tim Pole said, “He is fundamentally a decent, honest and hard-working individual. I want to publicly apologise on his behalf.” Pole added that Akins understood Mrs. Daniel’s “frustration and anger” over the delay in his guilty plea.
Judge Alex Menary, while sentencing, said he had considered a suspended sentence but ultimately decided that only an immediate custodial term was appropriate.
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He acknowledged Akins’s remorse as genuine, but noted that the delay in admitting guilt had prolonged the grief of the victim’s family.
“There was a failure to stop when it was clearly necessary to do so,” said Prosecutor Carmel Pearson.
“It was a difficult junction to emerge from, but the defendant did not stop at the give-way sign.”
Mrs. Daniel told the court the last three years had been “like hell and a nightmare [she is] not waking up from,” and expressed disappointment that Akins did not plead guilty earlier.
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Despite her anger, she expressed compassion for Akins’s children, saying she didn’t want “any more lives to be destroyed from this.”
Following the sentencing, she shared a statement through West Yorkshire Police: “Three years of hell have come to a close. His failure to plead guilty sooner makes a mockery of any remorse that Akins offers for his actions. He made a farce of the justice system.”
Akins has also been disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Mansfield Town FC issued a statement after the verdict, saying the club “acknowledges” the court’s decision and offering “sincere and deepest condolences to the family of Adrian Daniel at this difficult time.”
The club added that it is currently reviewing its position regarding Akins and will not be making further comment.
Akins, who has played for clubs including Huddersfield Town, Tranmere Rovers, and Burton Albion, joined Mansfield Town in 2022.
His future in football remains uncertain in the wake of the conviction.
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