Video: Driver guilty of charges including common assault after knocking cyclist off bike

Comments on the local paper webpage are depressing
"Shutupyourface21st December 8:19 pm
So the top and bottom of this story is the cyclist gave it the big one then got a slap!

Time to grow up and get a car"

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/15784834.Cycling_campaigner_blasts___...

unbelievable. I can't understand why they settled for ABH rather than GBH. 

However, for everyone mentioning attempted murder, for once that's not the CPS's fault. For actual murder, it has to be proved there was intention to kill or intention to commit GBH. That's how people get convicted for murder where they've punched someone and they've fallen over and smacked their head on a kerb. If the person dies, intention of GBH is enough. 

However, for attempted murder, it is only intention to kill which is enough. There is a logic to this - otherwise, anyone done for GBH could also be done for murder, whether or not the person died. 

That's all fairly pedantic and going off topic. So going back to my first point - seriously, only ABH for using 1 ton+ of metal to attack someone like that??

I would also wholeheartedly support the view that anyone convicted of deliberately using a vehicle to attack another person (as proved by the ABH charge) should lose their license for life. As many others have said many times, driving needs to be seen as a privilege, not a right. 

I emailed and asked if they did a 2 cyclists for the price of one offer. 

Anyone found quilty of using a vehicle as a weapon should lose their licence for ever.

Aha, you don't actually see the motorist strike the cyclist in the second one do you? He should have his camera adjusted to be able to capture it. <--- this is a genuine response from Surrey Police to my submission of video evidence showing an irate driver ramming me from behind.

I don't bother now, I know the police do not care about me on my bike.

My god what have we come to, terrorists don't get away with this but certain motorists seem use it as normal practice when they see a cyclist and the red mist comes up. Should never be allowed near a car again. 

Idiot! Similar thing happened to me, no video but an independent witness who told the police the man swerved into me, police didn’t want to know. 

That was attempted murder, surely.

There are no circumstances that would (should) allow 'a person' to behave in that manner.

That was a deliberate act (wanton and furious driving?)....

Hope he gets his 'cute little ass' seen to by big bubba in the clink.

Would that be Ashley Wallace-Merrett, owner of AWM Auto Services,  Colchester? Telephone number 01206 242254? Website http://www.awmautoservices.co.uk/ ?

Charge should have been attempted murder but then the cyclist wasn't a copper.

That was probably the worst incident footage I've watched on this site. Ever.

Un. F-ing. Believable.

surely that is attempted murder or the driver is just insane and should be sectioned.if this can happen to cyclists just because we are there then we are fucked,

Why has this taken so long to get too court? In a completely unrelated event today, why has this person been convicted already when the incident only happened Saturday?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42429178

Absolutely horrific, jail time and nothing less can be the only sensible punishment.

dangerous driving case in st.helens (reported via BBC news site) which resulted in a female pedestrian on the footway being wiped out and sustaining serious head injuries amongst others got a 15 month suspended and a 3 year driving ban.

This fukcer should get at least 3 years for the assault with a deadly weapon which clearly has aggravating factors, but we all know how soft the so called justice system is.

Pressure should be brought to bear on the Essex police with regard to that incident eariler in the week. Appalling that nothing was done about it. The driver should have been prosecuted and banned at least for 1 year. That is the only way to reduce this type of crime. 

Why wasn't the driver also charged for failure to stop/report an accident, and most heinous of all, driving in a bus lane?

I will be interested to see his punishment. Guessing suspended sentence, 2 yr ban?

Essex Police = bunch of imbeciles.

Something is going wrong at the top of that organization, not the bottom.

I used to live just around the corner from this roundabout/road catastrophe, I don't think it's the first time drivers have deliberately swerved at cyclists despite the cycle lane (which is barely wide enough. it seems to be an area that people drive too fast around trying to beat the lights and jump lanes to get ahead (not that it helps, the traffic around the whole of that area is ridiculous).

I'm glad this guy got caught, but as others have said, I fear his punishment will be far to lenient, if he'd hit a pedestrian with a metal bar (arguably a less dangerous weapon than a car) he'd be in for some sersious jail time.

Seems like essex police are trying to get some good publicity after the other story but have just highlighted how stupid them taking no action really was.

I bet the driver is bracing hinself for a vicious slap on the wrist with a punative £80 fine and 3 points.

The only difference I can think of in the 2 cases is that in one the footage is from the cyclist themselves, in the one where they prosecuted, it's taken from another vehicle and therefore classes as "independent", although exactly how a camera mounted on a helmet or in a windscreen  in itself can be independent or biased I am unsure, maybe it's something GoPro etc can fix with a firmware update ?