Club run - van passenger slapping incident

[Fnaar]

He needs his @rse slapping, silly eejit!

 

[Blue_icicle]

did you get the Reg number of the van too?

Although it seems to be a small self employed firm registered from a house, they may have a couple of vans, so you may have to identify which van in order to identify the driver.

regardless of the sexual assault debate, in the very least the driver must surely have committed a dangerous driving offence by allowing his passenger to act in such a way, and the passenger must be guilty of assault, and behaviour likely to cause gbh.

you were right to report it, and I (like others) await the outcome with interest.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Don't see it as a sexual offence, but the driver should loose his licence and the idiot hanging out of the passengers side doing the slapping should be jailed for reckless endangerment.

Putting someone on the sex offenders register for such an act demeans the seriousness of being placed on such a register. There was outrage in the Borders a few years back when a lad got convicted of a sex offence for mooning, thankfully it was all overturned. LINK

+1.

The idiots in the van need dealing with, no doubt about that... but placing him/them on the Sex Offenders Register????? There was no sexual intent whatsoever (unless of course they were bisexual and wanted to touch up everyone regardless of gender) just a complete pillock who lacked the brain capacity to think about the possible consequences of his actions. By all means throw the book at him, but let's leave the Sex Offenders Register out of it.

 

[ASC1951]

Don't see it as a sexual offence, but the driver should loose his licence and the idiot hanging out of the passengers side doing the slapping should be jailed for reckless endangerment.

You may be watching too many American cop shows. We have no such offence.

I was pedalling through Halifax a few years ago and a front seat passenger 'shot' me with something (catapult? air pistol?) which nearly had me off the bike and still left a mark four hours later. I reported it to Plod at the next phonebox, registration number as well. Plod didn't give a toss.

 

[Kirstie]

Something similar-ish happened to me once, but i was driving at the time. I was overtaken on the motorway by a transit van and the passenger simulated masturbation and exposed himself, front and rear, to me as I was driving. They drove the van parallel to me so i couldn't get away, and then followed me off the motorway. It was a plumbers van and knew they would have tools etc inside so i was terrified. I managed to give them the slip at some traffic lights, but the daft b*stards were driving a van with all of the contact details of their company on and with a personalised number plate which was easy to remember. I went straight to the police, who were very supportive - I couldn't fault the way they responded. They took a statement and paid the company a visit. The bloke who did it got an £80 fine under the public order act and a big slap on the wrist. Apparently he was very contrite. Given some of the prior discussion on this thread i wanted to indicate the kind of resolution which may well occur when the police are involved in things like this.

 

[benb]

Some people are such idiots, especially when egged on by their mates.

 

[pepecat]

I think if that were me on the bike being slapped by the bloke in a moving van, the thing that would cross my mind first would be 'what a self-gratification artist, I could have come off the bike', not 'that was sexual assualt' - i'm female, by the way. Whoever did it was being a total moron and I've had thought the fact that some cyclists could have come off (you don't generally expect to get whacked on the back/bum when you're cycling) is more worrying. IMO.

 

[dellzeqq]

the word stupidity really sums it up, for which, last time I looked, one could not expect prizes.

When you behave in that way you take a chance. It might be that he'll get away with it, it might be that he'll be prosecuted for assault, and it might be that he'll end up on a closed ward in a straight jacket with an intravenous drip of bromine and forced to watch Sustrans videos, but, whatever the consequences he can't complain.

 

[Fletch456]

Looking forward to an update Dave. Given the witnesses and other details that those involved get some punishment from the police.

Am wondering if there is scope to do something bigger assuming a fine or points are awarded- or has someone done such - with such incidents eg write a press release to a paper or 3 and if 1 or 2 read that and hopefully they are deterred from seeing cyclists as an easy target for abuse. If one such incident is prevented it might be worthwhile. ???

 

[Dave Davenport]

If things end up with the police taking no action (athough all the indications are that they will) we may consider some naming and shaming action via the local press, maybe we'll round up as many of our 180 odd members as possible and organise a club run to the firms premises with press in attendance?!

Our female member who was slapped has made a formal complaint and we now have a case number, another member who was at the back has told the police that he saw the whole incident and that he got a clear look at the slapper (slappist?) so I assume KJ Kilford Ltd. should expect a visit from the rozzers within the next few days.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Nobody deserves that!!!

with an intravenous drip of bromine and forced to watch Sustrans videos, but, whatever the consequences he can't complain.

 

[slowmotion]

If things end up with the police taking no action (athough all the indications are that they will) we may consider some naming and shaming action via the local press, maybe we'll round up as many of our 180 odd members as possible and organise a club run to the firms premises with press in attendance

Take a look at Rothesay Drive on Streetview. There will be a certain amount of curtain twitching if you organise a protest.

 

[Blue_icicle]

Take a look at Rothesay Drive on Streetview. There will be a certain amount of curtain twitching if you organise a protest.

Take a look at the business premises ... its a very nice residence including security gates with a combination keypad.

I'm thinking this guy is not a stranger to people trying to beat down his door!

 

[Arch]

However, to bring sexual assault into it seems to be using a technicality in much the same way as lawyers use them to get crooks off the hook.

Good. You win some, you lose some. ('you' in this case being society) If someone is willing to act in such a stupid antisocial way, they take a chance on it backfiring big time.

But then I'm in favour of hanging for petty vandalism....

With regard to the effects of being branded a sex offender, who wants their kids being in contact with someone so unpleasant anyway?

 

[Mark_Robson]

IMO this counts as a low grade assault in itself but it must be treated seriously because it could have had extremely serious i.e. injurious consequences, which you would have thought would have been fairly bleeding obvious to anybody: the people doing this must have been as thick as they are irresponsible.

However, to bring sexual assault into it seems to be using a technicality in much the same way as lawyers use them to get crooks off the hook. Sexual assault is a serious matter and while getting slapped on the arse could be taken as offensive, it does not in my view constitute sexual assault and so there is no justification for getting stupid about it. The arse-slapping should however be taken into consideration at sentencing time if it ever came to court as it just aggravates the whole thing.

That just about sums it up for me. This was an act of gross stupidity that could have ended badly but to label it as sexual assault is ridiculous. How could you possible prove that the guy was aiming for her arse? Even if he was he was hanging out the side of a moving van, so it would be difficult to prove that he intended to smack her on the bum..