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news
Statue of Justice, Old Bailey (licensed CC BY 2.0 on Flickr by Ronnie Macdonald).jpgVan driver who deliberately ran over cyclist in road rage incident jailed for four years
A van driver who deliberately ran over a cyclist during a road rage incident in the West Midlands has been jailed for four years.
Kalvinder Bhamra, aged 65, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm at Wolverhampton Crown Court in relation to the incident which happened in Dudley on 1 August 2017, reports the Express & Star.
The court heard that a row erupted between the electrician and 25-year-old cyclist John Carter after Bhamra blocked a road with his van as he tried to make a turn.
Mr Carter, who was on his way to work, shouted abuse at the motorist, and admitted punching and kicking him after he got out of his van.
However, he told the court that he felt threatened by the driver, whom he said had grabbed his bike.
A motorcyclist broke up the fight and told the pair to grow up.
“After the motorcyclist left I went back to get my bike, put my headphones on and started riding,” Mr Carter said.
"The next thing I knew I was crawling across the road onto the grass. I had no idea what had happened because I was hit from behind.”
In his defence, Bhamra said: “It was not my intention to cause him any harm. I was hoping to call the police and sort it out.
"My intention was to park behind him. I misjudged the distance between me and the bike.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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14 comments
Getting out of a vehicle is threatening behavior, or could at least be seen as, cyclist just got in there first. Motorist seemed to want a fight, was not man enough and then used his killing machine. An argument can very easily be had through an open window.
Leaving the safety and security of the 2 tonne killing machine could never be an attempt to calm the situation.
Obviously the cyclist is a bit of a hot head and attempted hard man. That's how hard you are against old men in steel boxes.
Pick your fights carefully and obviously let them drive off first.
Except the driver got out of his car for a fight, that's instant proof for road rage, it's quite easy to stay in your car and drive in an appropriate manner.
I don't understand why some people are so keen to blame the victim here, are you seriously suggesting the cyclist tried to pick a fight with someone who was operating a two tonne killing machine?!
Aaahh... Yes. Because that's exactly what the cyclist said he did.
"Mr Carter, who was on his way to work, shouted abuse at the motorist, and admitted punching and kicking him after he got out of his van."
Honestly I think the cyclist should also be charged with assault.
Yeah, it does sound as if he also commited an offence and I'm a bit surprised he wasn't charged with anything (though I suppose it depends how hard the kick and punch were? Maybe for that sort of thing he'd have just gotten off with a caution anyway?)
Honestly it sounds as they both have anger management issues - but the difference is only one of them was weilding a potentially-deadly weapon when the red-mist came down.
I'd like more information on this bit, I think.
Does that mean "tried to make a tight turn that failed and turned into one of those twenty five point turns". Surely if it was anything other than "actively and intentionally blocked the road" then you just wait...?
Was this one of those times where the cyclist lost his rag and made a tw@t of himself and then the motorist did too, except that the motorist was driving a three tonne metal box with an engine...
I think you've nailed it there.
If you have a look on street view, it’s quite a big junction. I suspect the van had edged out into traffic blocking a lane whilst waiting for a gap in traffic to turn right.
https://goo.gl/maps/NkcN8GH3Zgx
Sentancing length just doesn't make sense in this country. This bloke got 4 years, yet other cyclists have died and the drivers received a non-custodial sentence
Can't help tinking this could all have been avoided if the cyclist just waited while the van driver sorted himself out. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Riding in to work last week, feeling virtuous because only seen 3 cars, a bus, and a truck jump red lights, but no cyclists. Stop and wait at red light, only for an entire peleton (at least8!) riders ride straight past me, across the junction, with tail end Charlie hurling abuse at driver he'd cut up. This exact situation could have been replayed right there...
And letting drivers take the piss, barge in front, close pass and all the other shit stuff they do and not react and cede priority has served people on bikes so well hasn't it.
You can be minding your own business simply going along and you;re killed or maimed, trying to add 2+2 and getting 5 because of your anecdote and then putting the blame onto the victim is bullshit.
I remember that one time a guy barged his way out the pub, maybe I should have fucking battered him senseless whilst his back was turned, which is exactly what the driver did to the victim here, or as happened called him a wanker and went on my way.
Stop defending the indefensible, if you act like a cretin and then start being a twat by making out the other person is the one in the wrong but then go back for afters then expect to be vilified, basically all you're doing is saying this might or might not happened if some other event had not happened. Yet what happened was instigated by the person causing the final assault with a killing weapon.
But yeah, running a red light deserves to be beaten up, maimed or killed.
Look! A pro-cycling troll! Who knew?
"It was my intention to park behind him" What a load of garbage, obviously told to say this by his Barrister in the hope of getting a slap on the wrist, result is a well deserved 4 years in the pokey, sorry 2 years.
"It was my intention to park behind him" What a load of garbage, obviously told to say this by his Barrister in the hope of getting a slap on the wrist, result is a well deserved 4 years in the pokey, sorry 2 years.