2 cycling protests 3 July re killer drivers & the CPS
The Chingford Skinhead
Posts: 718
I am rather annoyed with the London Cycling Campaign. There were two very important protests today yet there was nothing on its front page about this last night and it only sent out an email newsletter today at 15.02 when both protests were taking place at 16:00 outside the London and Reading offices of the CPS! Busy as I am at work, I'd have made the effort to go and I suspect if it had been better known so would many others. If any of you went please let us know because I doubt it will get reported in the news.
Anyway - enough ranting. What were the protests about? Well this is the 1st anniversary of the death of Reading cyclist Anthony Maynard and the serious injury of another cyclist who was with him. They were struck from behind by a van driver. The van driver’s defence - I didn't see them. That's right a SMIDSY. But fear not, fellow cyclist, the CPS must take the death and injury of cyclists seriously by drivers who clearly aren’t paying attention. Er. No. It decided not to prosecute the driver. I'm sorry but this decision simply tells any driver that SMIDSY is a justifiable defence and you'll walk (or drive) away scot free - unlike the poor blighter you've just mown down. This is truly an outrageous decision, but there is no option to appeal.
Reading Cycling Club (of which Anthony was a long term member) organised the protests. Adrian Lawson said
“The CPS’s own guidelines in these situations state that these decisions must be influenced by the public interest.
“Surely it is in the public interest that a jury have the opportunity to decide guilt when an innocent cyclist is killed from behind on a clear road?
“When a driver collides with an innocent cyclist from behind, in this case two, then barring acts of god, or overwhelmingly adverse conditions, there has to be careless driving involved.”
Anyway - enough ranting. What were the protests about? Well this is the 1st anniversary of the death of Reading cyclist Anthony Maynard and the serious injury of another cyclist who was with him. They were struck from behind by a van driver. The van driver’s defence - I didn't see them. That's right a SMIDSY. But fear not, fellow cyclist, the CPS must take the death and injury of cyclists seriously by drivers who clearly aren’t paying attention. Er. No. It decided not to prosecute the driver. I'm sorry but this decision simply tells any driver that SMIDSY is a justifiable defence and you'll walk (or drive) away scot free - unlike the poor blighter you've just mown down. This is truly an outrageous decision, but there is no option to appeal.
Reading Cycling Club (of which Anthony was a long term member) organised the protests. Adrian Lawson said
“The CPS’s own guidelines in these situations state that these decisions must be influenced by the public interest.
“Surely it is in the public interest that a jury have the opportunity to decide guilt when an innocent cyclist is killed from behind on a clear road?
“When a driver collides with an innocent cyclist from behind, in this case two, then barring acts of god, or overwhelmingly adverse conditions, there has to be careless driving involved.”
Pain is only weakness leaving the body
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The whole criminal justice system is against cyclists from the police right through to the courts. The whole lot of them are a disgrace. Shameful. None of them could run a bath let alone recognise a grave injustice that they have committed against these cyclists. Asolutely bloody shocking.
The LCC are normally pretty good. Don't be too hard on them.Life is like a roll of toilet paper; long and useful, but always ends at the wrong moment. Anon.
Think how stupid the average person is.......
half of them are even more stupid than you first thought.0 -
I emailed the guy who organised it in Reading to say I hope it was a success etc and to whinge about the LCC. To be fair, he said it was his fault as he'd kept it pretty low key so it was a surprise for the CPS but he'd told a few people in London who then organised their own protest at the CPS HQ. He told me therefore not to be too hard on the LCC
Well, sorry if I was a bit ratty with them but at least I have a bit of passion about the subject.
The Reading CC also attached a white ghost bike with blood stains to the CPS building and posted a video on you tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkoCtPQl2CsPain is only weakness leaving the body0 -
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I fully support the protest of Reading Cycling Campaign. It's shameful that a killer driver who hits a cyclist can just say - ah well, didn't see 'em. A disgrace!0
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Particulary as it's likley he was "angry" at the time at the cars in front of him were slowing down, but then not reasoning that they might have been going slow for a reason (i.e. the cyclists in front of them).
(I understand he overtook some cars and was then "blinded" by the sun).
It seems that for many the "ug ug" need to get forward as fast as they can lobotomises any reasoning that they might've otherwise performed (and this is the same for cyclist, motorists and pedestrians alike).0
