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news
Video: “Nutjob” cyclist attacks another rider for overtaking him on London’s CS3 (warning: contains extreme language)
A cyclist described as a “nutjob” has received a suspended prison sentence after threatening another rider and attacking him with D-locks as well as stamping on his bike on London’s CS3, the capital’s flagship cycle route that runs along the north side of the Thames.
Michael Reyes, the victim, took footage of the shocking incident on a helmet-mounted camera, and has posted a video to YouTube now the court case has been concluded, with the footage flagged to road.cc by Mike van Erp, whose videos posted under the name Cycling Mikey have secured the conviction of hundreds of motorists for a range of driving offences.
In the description to the video, Mr Reyes says that the unnamed perpetrator was convicted at City of London Magistrates’ Court with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour causing fear of or provoking violence, an offence under section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986, and with criminal damage to property valued under £5,000, contrary to the Criminal Damage Act 1971.
The incident on 17 July 2020 started shortly before the Blackfriars underpass on CS3 as both cyclists headed westward, with the perpetrator apparently dropping back before catching up with the victim again at a red light just before the ramp up to the junction at the northern end of Blackfriars Bridge.
Mr Reyes said: “Last July I had started playing around with different places to mount a camera to record my bike rides. On one fateful day I chose to test it mounted to my helmet. Little did I know how much that would save me just a few hours later.
“On this day the weather was fantastic so I left work about an hour early so I could get a nice long ride in before I commuted home. Unfortunately I only made it about a half mile from my office when I was verbally abused and attacked by another cyclist.
“At first I thought the rant was amusing because I had the camera on my head pointing right at him so I assumed he was just trying to be entertaining but when he pointed out my accent and how it's a problem I realised it maybe wasn't very funny so I tried to just get away.
“He catches back up with me at the next red light and attempts to attack me with two different D-locks. I manage to defend myself and he runs off. I step away from the scene to apologise to those around me when he comes back to my bike and stomps on it, bending the fork, frame, wheel, and disc brake. Luckily as he flees he is stopped by a member of the City of London Police.”
In his text commentary to the video, Mr Reyes said that the police officer “took our statements, witness statements, and called for additional officers.
“No arrests were made on the day,” he continued. “I specifically said I didn’t think it was necessary.
“Only after reviewing the footage when I got home did I realise he could have really hurt me.
“By October 2020 the investigating officer asked him to come in for an interview. He didn’t.
“A warrant was put out for his arrest and by mid-January 2021 he was finally arrested.”
He was charged with the offences in February, and pleaded not guilty to them at an initial hearing in late March, which the trial taking place in August.
Mr Reyes said that once the case went to trial, the defence “rested completely on the belief that his locks supposedly fell out of his pockets as he pulled alongside me and I allegedly grabbed them to hit him. The damage to my bike was supposedly caused by it falling to the ground.
“I know defence lawyers need to represent their client as best as possible but their claims were asinine when viewing the video evidence put forward,” he said.
The offences of which the defendant was convicted carry maximum penalties, on summary conviction (ie at magistrates’ court), of six months’ imprisonment or a fine in the case of threatening behaviour and three months’ imprisonment for property damage.
Mr Reyes added: “Luckily the City of London Magistrates’ Court agreed with me and he was found guilty and eventually sentenced to 26 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, 20 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, and ordered to compensate me for my 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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81 comments
I try to avoid them .Ii feel safer on the road. Many of those Cycle superhighways give a false sense of security and are confusing at side turnings.
The EW Superhighway (the one in question here) runs from Parliament Square to Blackfriars without a single side turning; from thence to Tower Bridge there are three or four side turnings, each one light controlled. If you find that confusing perhaps riding a bicycle on public roads isn't for you.
Unfortunate that you came up against a clearly unhinged personality looking for an excuse for trouble. Luckily he wasn't in charge of a motor vehicle. Only thing I would suggest is using an "On your right" before passing which cannot be mistaken for giving the other person an order. Of course using an American accent would then probably be enough to trigger the aggressive response or possibly having the wrong colour socks, or even insisting on spelling colour as 'color' or glancing at him a bit funny as you passed but whatever spurious reason I'm sure our resident Mr Mason would be along to tell you that was your fault in provoking him.
Not at all but good to know the roadcc cabal are having a problem. Maybe shake you out of your cozy groupthinks.
It genuinely confounds me why someone who clearly disagrees with the ethos of both the editorial staff and the overwhelming majority of readers and commenters on a website would keep coming back to it. It's almost like you're just pointlessly trying to annoy people and start arguments, someone'll come up with a nickname for folks like you one day...
It troubles me that someone would take it upon themselves to hound anyone with a different opinion and try to persuade them to stop commenting.
It's a really problematic personality trait.
True that. Why do you do it? Why do people like you and NM and NG continually come on here with no aim to discuss cycling but to bang on about extraneous political issues such as Brexit, or refugees, or your hatred of what you regard as "woke", or how virtually every car driver is a saint and all cyclists are to blame for aggression towards them? You know what you're playing at, and so does everyone else. Trolling is definitely "a really problematic personality trait."
Thats fairly weird. I have never done any of those things. What I have done is disagree with viewpoints. TBH I dont care if you agree or disagree. And I dont see abusing the police as a "cycling discussion" though it very frequent on here. Its lazy thinking. .
What is lazy thinking is always defending the police no matter what the circumstances.
What's your solution to the systemic failures of police forces? Why do certain forces fail to act whilst others do act?
If discussing the treatment of refugees below an article about, um, the treatment of refugees is problematic for you I would suggest it is you that has the problem.
I regularly post purely about cycling on this forum, if there are articles which contain an element of politics, a common occurrence, I am happy to discuss the politics involved.
You also seem happy to discuss politics, even on articles where there is only a tangential link. For some reason you see my behaviour as problematic but don't see any issues with your own. Why is that?
Throughout history there have been those in human society who wish to aggressively impose conformity on society.
When we reflect on those periods of time do we judge those people well?
Perhaps that's something you should consider as you reflect on your own behaviour on this forum.
I don't think Rich_cb is at all a troll - he may get involved in lengthy discussions from time to time, but he's most definitely posted interesting bike related stuff as well.
I tend to agree and there's a few on here similar. The distinction is such a fine line though. Especially when people have abhorrent views on certain matters and they go on and on, regularly citing evidence contrary to their own claims. It looks like trolling even if it's not their intention. I suppose feigning outrage or claiming they are being silenced/ attacked when people dare to challenge their (seemingly felt) superiority is a common reaction of both subsets of people, so it's an understandable conclusion to draw.
I'd just stop digging.
He's definitely not a a troll. He presents clear arguments and is always polite and a lot of the time, people don't have an answer !
I have only seen him argue about politics where it is the subject or closely linked to the topic. He also points out inconsistencies in approaches to allowing political comments or even editorial approaches.
Can't quite remember the image he posted which was airbrushed from history, but it reminded me of
If your annoyed thats not my problem. IMO anyone who gets annoyed about comments in somewhere like this probably has a few issues they should deal with.
Classic baiting.
Perhaps people who bait have a few issues they should deal with.
not really . I have no problem. If you want a forum where everyone agrees with you I suggest you all get together and set one up,. You can moderate it and expel anyone who disagrees with you. There are plenty of free portals for that sort of thing. I imagine it'll be quite unstimulating.
That doesn't follow at all from what I put and you were baiting.
Where do I suggest I want a forum where everyone agrees with me?
a. i wasnt baiting.
b. that should have been a reply to Rendel Harris. sorry for that.
Ah, OK.
Agreed, since the incident I have evaluated my behavior to help encounters not escalate in the future and your suggestion is already something I've done. Announce my presence rather than direct others.
Though with the guy in the video it's unlikely it would have mattered. He was out to get someone and I just happened to be the unlucky one who approached him. My being a dirty foreigner probably set him off more.
we don't mind the accent, but please learn English spelling 😉
When I first moved here I tried. Honestly, I did. But then I came across "manoeuvre" [maneuver] and got irrationally angry at the level of ridiculousness so now I use my American spelling as a form of protest 😉
Ha! Pritti Fascist will soon put paid to this protest nonsense....
Right, I'm siding with the 'nutjob' now
(Seriously, though, what a horrible experience for you to go through.)
The guy is a nut job. Maybe he'll learn a lesson from this, mybe not. From his behaviour I do wonder whether he's had convictions previously.
I think that "we" do forget that sometimes other cyclists can be just as "difficult" as motorists.
We're all individuals, all just folks, so some of "us" are probably "nut jobs" and @rses too.
Anecdote alert:
sarcasm=on
I particularly enjoyed being run off the Pill Path - the narrow bit of flat path approaching Horseshoe Bend - on my way home last night. I moved as far left as I could, slowing down, but the approaching pair of MTBers (male and female) didn't deviate from their line, didn't slow down at all, and I ended up tangled in bramble. What fun!
sarcasm=off
I find it works really well to just stop, completely, on the left side of the path. At that point it's up to them to swerve around you. I've done this for walkers using the full path too. I've also done it while I've been walking on the pavement.
Passive aggression is the best aggression. Maybe don't do this in a secluded area at night, though.
Gosh! What's a troll to do? No thuggish driver behaviour to defend.
Ah well, let's look on the bright side. We can still say it's the cyclist's fault. Probably both of them......
More surprisingly, no troll activity on the Poole bridge story. You'd have thought that would be, er, home ground, as it were...
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