attacked !! This country is full of thugs

nwallace

Simon L2 wrote:

angry_cyclist wrote:

I did phone the BC legal helpline and they were helpful but they said I couldn't claim against the MIB as I didn't have a registration and I couldn't claim against the CICB as the agressor wasn't known. .

I don't think this is right. I claimed for a hit and run, which left me unconscious; the driver was never found. Why not check with the MIB?

Assume you mean Hit and Run as in you were hit by the vehicle, not the pedestrian who hopped out of the vehicle to assault you?

wildmoustache

I'm not sure I'd claim that the spray was someone elses without being damn sure it couldn't be traced to me (think about how you paid for it, whether you were on CCTV when you bought it, used it etc.).

What's the situation if you claim the assailant said he was going to kill you? Doesn't that justify a fairly robust response? If the assalilant has a criminal record, is that disclosed to the jury?

drewfromrisca

No its not disclosed to jury but I think thats changing. If you mentioned in court that the defendant had previous convictions to the magistrates or jury the case would have been thrown out. It happened to me once...slip of the tongue. They say the reason you cant do it is that they have to remain impartial even though 9 times out of 10 the toerag has a sheet as long as your inside leg of previous convictions.

As for being threatened with being killed then thats an offence in itself as called threats to kill but you have to prove the person was indeed going to kill you ie evidence like weapon, anger of person, their actions in trying to assault you, it usually ends up a public order offence. If they say they are going to kill you and your honest belief was they were going to then self defence to a degree will be your defence if you assault the person. For example - the person comes up to you and says he will kill you and produces a baseball bat and just before he hits you, you kick him or punch him and he drops bat falls on floor, you then cant keep kicking punching etc. Your actions were enough to deem it necessary that the person is now not going to kill you and you are under no further threat. It then gives you chance to escape, call police etc.

Eat My Dust

drewfromrisca wrote:

For example - the person comes up to you and says he will kill you and produces a baseball bat and just before he hits you, you kick him or punch him and he drops bat falls on floor, you then cant keep kicking punching etc. Your actions were enough to deem it necessary that the person is now not going to kill you and you are under no further threat. It then gives you chance to escape, call police etc.

Or you could always place the bat back into his cold dead hand once you're finished!!!!

cabledonuts

yea, but you don't say it's yours, you say its theirs and you wrestled it from them!!

Years ago a friend of my sister lived together with her then, now ex, boyfriend. One night their house was broken into and it woke them up. The ex-boyfriend was a bit of a psycho and unfortunately for the burglar he found this out first hand. Her ex-fella sneaked downstairs and got a kitchen knife. He confronted the burglar, whilst carrying their tv in his hands, stabbing the burglar then gave the burglar a 'bit' of a kicking. The burglar wasn't keen on hanging around and ran out of the house. Blood all over the place, a trail of it down the street and all over a nearby phone box as the burglar went to ring someone to pick him up - can you imagine how that phone call went? 'Hi, can you come and pick me up cos I've been stabbed having broken into someone's house. Yeah, I know, the cheek of it someone stabbed me while I was in their house nicking their tv. Come on quick I'm bleeding here... cheers, see you in 5'. Her ex-fella discarded the knife. When interviewed by the police he just told them that the burglar produced a knife and he tried to fend the burglar off and that in the ensuing scuffle the burglar must have accidentally stabbed himself. The police took the view that the burglar was the more likely to have had a knife on him while undertaking a burglary and therefore my sister's friend's ex got away with it.

In a case like this sort, whilst out on ur bike, could you say that the spray was theirs, that you had a scuffle and that they accidentally sprayed themselves? After all they're out looking to cause trouble so it's plausible that they are carrying something like this spray and you're simply out enjoying a bike ride so as far as the police are concerned why would you be carrying anything like this with you?

I'm all for an eye for an eye. If you're riding your bike minding your own business and some f*cker wants to run you off the road, get out of their car and then confront you then I'm all for doing whatever it takes to stop them. Surely this type of spray is good in that you can keep them at arm's length so you're not in direct contact with them which is safer in case they have a knife or whatever. Surely one quick squirt in the face can not be seen as excessive force when you consider someone has just aimed their 1 tonne metal object at you at 30mph?

The incident that's the subject of this thread sounds like it was intentional by the fact that the guy had a friend following in another vehicle. Well, we can assume it's somene he knew? It's almost as if the one guy was unconfident of success and said to the other guy 'you follow me just in case it goes tits-up and the cyclist kicks sh*t out of me, then you can turn up and help'. F*cking c*nts.

I don't feel like we have anything to worry about as far as people singling out cyclists is concerned. Unprovoked attacks happen regularly on the streets in many towns and cities. It happens all the time in the town that I'm originally from in the bars, clubs and surrounding streets. I reckon you're more likely to get involved in a scuffle whilst out drinking than whilst riding your bike.

plusgourmande

....immigrants...benefit cheats...cyclist-killers...unprovoked attacks...foreigners..

can't even walk down the street any more!

this country's going to the dogs!!

bigjim

Going! Going! it went a long time ago.

Jim

drewfromrisca

Totally agree Jim...just check my post yesterday in soapbox about my commute.

pliptrot

To echo some of the other comments here, and add my own (unfortunately supported by too much anecdotal evidence) there is scum around who have absolutely no right to enjoy any normal life. I'm not a proponent of hanging and flogging but those who don't acknowledge their obligations as members of society should, perhaps, not be permitted in that society. Similar incidents have occured to my friends, both at home in the UK and here in the US, and the police have usually been good about it.

That's scant consolation, I know, but it's unlikely to happen again. As someone else said, this filth is out there looking for soft targets. Sooner or later they'll get their comeuppance, and in the meantime put it behind you. Anger is non productive - I've brooded over altercations to no effect in the past.

There are always people we can't understand, and we very rarely run into them in this manner. F*&k 'em, and get out on that bike.

HarryB

Yes, we've bred a nation of scumbags but even apparently decent people can be anti-cyclists.

A nate of mine was almost knocked off his bike a few months ago when a car towing a caravan took a roundabout too tightly. The caravan actually brushed his arm as it went past.

There was a dual carriageway ahead and some traffic lights. My mate went hell for leather after the caravan, hoping it would get caught at the lights. It did and he pulled up alongside.

He tapped on the window and in a fairly reasonable manner suggested to the elderly driver and his wife that their driving left a lot to be desired. Instead of an apology he received a mouthful of abuse from both of them.

At this point the lights changed and the car turned left with my mate in hot pursuit determined to continue the argument. Unfortunately he lost them but thought they may be heading for a nearby coastal caravan site.

After a ten-mile detour my pal arrived at the site and had a quick ride around having. Guess what? Bingo. There was the car and the caravan with the couple just setting up.

By now my pal's rage has subsided and he had a spark of inspiration and headed off home.

He returned at 2 in the morning armed with a chisel which he used to gouge several massive scratches down both sides of a brand new Mercedes.

Don't get mad. Get even.