Cyclists' Defence Fund repeats appeal for funds to help Michael Mason's family secure justice

The Cyclists' Defence Fund (CDF) is urging people to keep donating to the appeal it has set up to help the family of London cyclist Michael Mason bring a private prosecution against the driver of the car involved in the collision that claimed his life.

Mr Mason, known as Mick, died in hospital in March 2014 just days after his 70th birthday from injuries sustained almost three weeks earlier when he was hit by a car on Regent Street, just north of Oxford Circus.

On the same day in March this year that a vigil was held at Regent Street to mark the first anniversary of his death, the Metropolitan Police announced that they were passing the case to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether charges should be brought against the motorist.

But within days the Metropolitan Police reversed that decision and said that they would not be doing so, Mr Mason's family only finding out about their change of mind via the press.

Martin Porter QC challenged that decision on the family's behalf but was told by the Metropolitan Police's Professional Standards Board that they were upholding the decision not to pass the file to the CPS.

Part of the rationale for that, according to the investigating officers report is that Mr Mason, whose death was due to a head injury, was not wearing a cycle helmet, nor was he wearing hi-viz clothing, comments the CDF say are "legally irrelevant" and "tantamount to victim blaming."

On Mr Porter's advice, the family is now undertaking a private prosecution as the only way they will be able to bring the motorist to justice.

At the time of writing, just over £30,000 has so far been raised through the website Just Giving, with more than 1,000 people donating. 

While £30,000 was the original target, CDF have subsequently changed it to £75.000 on the advice of the lawyers handling the prosecution due to the complexity of the case.

In an update on Just Giving, CDF said: "We need to raise enough funds to ensure we can carry the case through to trial, hence the reason for increasing the appeal."

Mr Mason's daughter Anna Tatton-Brown, a journalist at the BBC, last month presented a report on the Victoria Derbyshire programme that looked at the struggle of her family, and others in similar circumstances, to secure justice when a relative is killed while cycling

“As a family, it has moved us greatly that so many people not only share our feelings about this injustice, but have also been giving so generously to help us fight it. As a modest and unassuming man, Mick would have been overwhelmed by this.”