Drivers Beware! The Cycling Vigilante is after you.

[Ganymede]

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/07/bullied-student-video-sunglasses-private-court-case

Bloke has successfully sued for bullying by wearing a camera in his sunglasses.... definitely a case that wouldn't have got anywhere without the evidence, but I think slightly disturbing. NB it was a civil prosecution because the polis wouldn't go there.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/07/bullied-student-video-sunglasses-private-court-case

Bloke has successfully sued for bullying by wearing a camera in his sunglasses.... definitely a case that wouldn't have got anywhere without the evidence, but I think slightly disturbing. NB it was a civil prosecution because the polis wouldn't go there.

But the evidence never got to court as the defendant pleaded guilty. @User will put us straight but in a civil private prosecution isn't the burned of proof decided on the balance of probability? Thus even without the video the defendant may well have lost.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Evidence in one small photograph of someone who is taking himself far to seriously. Whoever that is, he does not look like he's very happy. If may be so bold to use a popular vernacular as used by some younger folk, he needs to chilax.

Staged photograph taken by a professional press photographer who simply would not have pressed the shutter, or would have binned the pictures, unless chummy looked suitably unchilled.

 

[EltonFrog]

Staged photograph taken by a professional press photographer who simply would not have pressed the shutter, or would have binned the pictures, unless chummy looked suitably unchilled.

Indeed, I would not have let him take the photo.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Some confrontations are inevitable as you get caught up in stuff that involves road space conflicts. However this guy doesn't seem to just observe he seems to need to oar in as well, this means he gets into needless confrontations.

Last month...

"You're taking the whole fecking road. You fecking cant. Is that a camera? Is that a fecking camara? I'm gonna fecking do you, you cant" And out of his driving seat he came. I rode off, oh the shame, through the red light, to escape to the safety of the pedestrian refuge in the middle of the DC I was waiting to join. And all I'd done was slowly shake my head as he tried to squeeze into the ASL box alongside me, in primary, about 10 secs after the light went red.

Some confrontations are inevitable because some folk, predominately men, have too much ego wrapped up in their performance behind the wheel, with some sort of race-track F1 fantasy going on in their groins, have no idea how to drive safely, especially around cyclists, and, I guess, all manner of cr@p and unresolved stuff going on in their lives, such that they have very, very short fuses. Chummy seems to ride with pretty much the same mindset how the nobbers drive.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Indeed, I would not have let him take the photo.

I rather fear chummy is immensely pleased to have his 15 minutes. The logo on the space lemon suit says it all. He's "on a mission from God".

 

[MisterStan]

Staged photograph taken by a professional press photographer who simply would not have pressed the shutter, or would have binned the pictures, unless chummy looked suitably unchilled.

Somewhat reminiscent of those photos you see on local news websites with outraged residents pointing at double yellow lines that are 3 inches long or a family looking sad as their cat has disappeared.

 

[EltonFrog]

I rather fear chummy is immensely pleased to have his 15 minutes. The logo on the space lemon suit says it all. He's "on a mission from God".

If he carries on the way he's going, someone will move him closer to god.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Somewhat reminiscent of those photos you see on local news websites with outraged residents pointing at double yellow lines that are 3 inches long or a family looking sad as their cat has disappeared.

Earlier this year I spent about an hour of my life being interviewed about some local controversy I was involved in professionally. I smiled throughout. The photographer clicked throughout. They didn't use a single picture. The reporter, when I met her for a follow-up piece, was honest enough to admit the photo's didn't suit the angle of the story they were pursuing.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If he carries on the way he's going, someone will move him closer to god.

Very few Keith Noyes out there. But looking at how he dresses he clearly thinks cycling is a high-risk activity!

 

[compo]

The day I rode with him he was very proud to tell me how compensation payments from drivers who had decked him allowed him to upgrade his cameras. As I said earlier I have no problem with recording bad driving but it seems a bit silly to deliberately provoke a confrontation.

 

[CopperCyclist]

As aforementioned, I've been involved in more road rage deaths than mobile phone related ones - a whole 'one'.

For me, comparing deaths, its one a piece! One road rage death, and one mobile phone use death.

I do however completely agree that I have dealt with a lot more motoring incidents of road rage being a major factor than mobile phone use - as a guess, at least a factor of five.

@Cycling Dan as Drago said, officially the are no 'stats' anymore. Officially... But even when there were, road traffic collisions weren't 'key performance indicators' and as such had no real effect on police 'performance'.

I wholeheartedly agree with @Drago - if he really wants to film offences and upload to police witness, no probs - but there's no need at all to chase down and confront the drivers.

 

[jefmcg]

will put us straight but in a civil private prosecution isn't the burned of proof decided on the balance of probability?

If you read the link, it was a private prosecution, not a civil case. Civil cases don't end in custodial sentences. He took him to court under the criminal code.

(yes, burden of proof is less for a civil case, eg when you sue someone)

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If you read the link the case did go to the magistrate's court where the defendant pleaded guilty when faced with the video evidence. The CPS had said the case was a good one but declined to take it on as there were lawyers on both sides and no public interest would have been served (which I don't really understand). The guilty party chose a day in prison as a punishment rather than a £500 fine.

If you read the link, it was a private prosecution, not a civil case. Civil cases don't end in custodial sentences. He took him to court under the criminal code.

(yes, burden of proof is less for a civil case, eg when you sue someone)

Read it. Didn't understand it.

But my main point is the video evidence wasn't aired in court.

"In the event the defendant pleaded guilty so the way in which the video evidence was obtained and its veracity was never an issue."

 

[glenn forger]

Somewhat reminiscent of those photos you see on local news websites with outraged residents