CopperBrompton
Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
- Location
- London
Just back to the original incident, a Police Caution is a criminal conviction in law. It's exactly the same as being taken to court, pleading guilty and then being bound over to keep the peace.
Having a criminal record for assault will have all kinds of effects on his life, from not being eligible for visa waiver programmes (like ESTA for the USA) to being barred from many types of employment. While I'd have preferred to see the driver receive a court-ordered penalty as well, it's not a trivial outcome. It's clear from the video that the cyclist slapped the van then lied to police about it, so I think in the circumstances he should probably be glad it didn't go to court: perjury is a more serious offence than common assault.
Having a criminal record for assault will have all kinds of effects on his life, from not being eligible for visa waiver programmes (like ESTA for the USA) to being barred from many types of employment. While I'd have preferred to see the driver receive a court-ordered penalty as well, it's not a trivial outcome. It's clear from the video that the cyclist slapped the van then lied to police about it, so I think in the circumstances he should probably be glad it didn't go to court: perjury is a more serious offence than common assault.