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Police in Warwickshire alerted after cyclist riding at mountain bike and BMX track shot with air rifle pellet Cyclist shot with air rifle pellet (via Warwick Lanterne Rouge Cycling Club on Twitter)

Police in Warwickshire alerted after cyclist riding at mountain bike and BMX track shot with air rifle pellet

Shot was reportedly fired from unauthorised travellers camp next to Campion Hills circuit in Royal Leamington Spa
by Simon_MacMichael
Mon, Jan 21, 2019 15:18
7

Police in Warwickshire have been alerted to an incident in which a cyclist riding at an off-road mountain bike and BMX track in Leamington Spa was shot with a pellet fired from an air rifle.

The pellet was reportedly fired last Thursday from an unauthorised travellers encampment sett up adjacent to the circuit last week.

Warwick Lanterne Rouge Cycling Club tweeted a picture of the injury to the rider, who is a member of Royal Leamington Spa Cycling Club.

In a reply to that tweet from the @WarwickPolice account, a Police Sergeant Kitson said: “Disgusted to read this, what is essentially an assault on a member of public with a firearm.

“I'm hoping the cyclist called us on 999 at the time, if not please can this be rung in asap, a control room Inspector will review the incident.”

It was subsequently confirmed by Warwick Lanterne Rouge Cycling Club that the rider had indeed notified police at the time.

In response to a Twitter user who said, “No point tagging police, they won’t do anything,” Sergeant Kitson replied: “Called in to our control room at the time of on 999, it would have been assessed & I'd expect it to have been attended as Grade 1, which is immediate. It's erroneous to state this would not be taken seriously.”

The incident happened the day after the Leamington Observer reported that travellers who are believed to have moved on from Stratford-upon-Avon had set up an encampment at Campion Hills.

It added that police officers and council officials had been due to visit the site last Wednesday.

Warwickshire Police
Campion Hills
Leamington Spa
Simon MacMichael

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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7 comments

Avatar
Organon | 5 years ago
0 likes

He was saved by his impenetrable lycra shield.

Avatar
Tony Farrelly replied to Organon | 5 years ago
2 likes
Organon wrote:

He was saved by his impenetrable lycra shield.

Presumably that's why superheroes all wear it too

Avatar
StuInNorway | 5 years ago
6 likes

I assume the full force of the police will be thrown behind this, and the miscreant found and charged with "furious use of a firearm" and thrown in the nick.  This should be the perfect reason to go in with warrants, and heavy handed and do a full search for any illegal firearms (or other illegal iltems, and if they find stolen gear, so much the better to clear up more crimes)
About time these travellers were properly dealt with, I've seen multiple times the efforts it can take to remove them from private land. 
All vehicles should be checked for valit MOT and insurance (with chassis number checks, not just the plates), the same for all caravans, chassis numbers cross-checked with stolen vehicle lists. many councils opened sites for these people to use, but they refuse to do so. 

Avatar
StraelGuy | 5 years ago
3 likes

Am I going to be attacked by the politically correct brigade again if I call the miscreant in this case a 'pikey' . Good yes.

Avatar
Doug.F. replied to StraelGuy | 5 years ago
1 like

Am I going to be attacked by the politically correct brigade again if I call the miscreant in this case a 'pikey' . Good 

 

 No !!!!!!!  call the offending piece of filth a ...."subhuman"

Avatar
StuInNorway replied to StraelGuy | 5 years ago
2 likes
StraelGuy wrote:

Am I going to be attacked by the politically correct brigade again if I call the miscreant in this case a 'pikey' . Good yes.

Only if you do so within earshot of their illegal camp site.

Avatar
dassie | 5 years ago
1 like

There really are some dangerously dysfunctional people about.  Thankfully the injury doesn't appear to be as bad as it potentially could have been.

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