Suspended sentence for man who pushed over charity cyclists

A man who attacked cyclists by shoving them off their bikes from a moving car has been handed a three-month suspended sentence by magistrates in Kent.

Aaron Pauley, 21, filmed himself on his mobile phone as he leaned out of the passenger window of a car in Wye on May 10 2014 and pushed riders who were taking part in a Paris to Bury st Edmunds charity ride, reports Samantha Williams of KentOnline.

He managed to push over the riders of three bikes, including a tandem with a partially-sighted stoker.

The riders were on the third day of a four-day, 355-mile Memorial Cycle Ride in honour of friends and relatives who died in a plane crash in France four decades ago.

Witness Chris Berry, who was on the ride, said: “Two people were in a car and they pulled up alongside us and pushed people.

“I managed to stay on but the rider in front of me was pushed over.

“Further up the road, the tandem was pushed, which had a partially-sighted rider, and another bike carrying an ex-policeman was pushed, too.

“No-one was hurt as such, but it could have potentially been worse. The person in front of me was close to a barbed wire fence.

“I have no idea why he did it. He was young. I guess he thought it was humorous.

“We were angry. By that time we were very tired and were just angry that someone could do something so stupid.

“We spoke to some riders who were further along, and they said he’d tried to do the same thing.”

The following day, Pauley attacked another cyclist, shoving a 52-year-old man off his bike in Bell Lane, Biddenden.

Police traced Pauley through details supplied by riders including the car's registration number and descriptions of Pauley.

On May 21, 2014, they seized a mobile phone which had footage on it of the incidents, and he was arrested four days later.

Pauley pleaded not guilty to four charges of assault but was convicted of all four attacks.

He was sentenced to 90 days in prison, suspended for 12 months,  ordered to perform 150 hours community service, and to pay £500 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.