legal advice for running a so called red light

[dhrubo]

Hi, I wanted some advice on a court summons I received from the police for running a so called red light last march. I have typed up the witness statement from the police. Their version seems is a bit dramatised from how I remembered it happening.

Police statement
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vTdY2p24zm-cu-Mg95rqsiqztkTDJBYo3pAMyh5RM2w/edit?usp=sharing

From what I remembered. I was amongst several cyclists who went through heavy traffic. I recall being in a convoy of 8 cycles approaching the junction of Shaftesbury avenue. The statement highlighted only two cyclists. Me and another cyclists only stopped to let the police pass as we heard a siren not thinking we did anything wrong. Other cyclists behind and ahead of us continued to cycling.

The police officer in question had an aggressive tone towards me and vented his frustrations of cyclists in general. There is no way he braked abruptly just based on what I did.

I have been commuting in London for almost 10 years now. My route home in the evening has been the same for almost 3 years. I am not a careless cyclists. I stop at lights am aware of whats around me. This incident seems totally unfair.
I wanted some advice on what I should do next. Is it just a case of, the two officers statement against mine. Who would the court believe? Is it worth of fighting or just taking the easy route of accepting the charge.

 

[Pale Rider]

First question, has the copper got all the street names correct?

I once got off a red light allegation in central London because the police officer claimed I had crossed at two roads which do not meet.

Assuming he has, it goes a little in your favour that your denial was immediate, you were polite with the police and able to produce identification.

The magistrates will know law breakers rarely tick all those boxes.

On t'other hand, assuming the other officer would back up his colleague if required, the chances are the magistrates will prefer the account of two policemen against one cyclist.

A final point on hook-wriggling, charges against a friend of mine for another minor motoring matter were eventually dropped because the officer failed to turn up at court a couple of times to give evidence.

 

[ohnovino]

What's a "so called red light", and how does it differ from a normal red light?

 

[dhrubo]

First question, has the copper got all the street names correct?

I once got off a red light allegation in central London because the police officer claimed I had crossed at two roads which do not meet.

Assuming he has, it goes a little in your favour that your denial was immediate, you were polite with the police and able to produce identification.

The magistrates will know law breakers rarely tick all those boxes.

On t'other hand, assuming the other officer would back up his colleague if required, the chances are the magistrates will prefer the account of two policemen against one cyclist.

A final point on hook-wriggling, charges against a friend of mine for another minor motoring matter were eventually dropped because the officer failed to turn up at court a couple of times to give evidence.

Thanks for the advice, the road names are correct.

 

[Booyaa]

Did you go through the light before it changed?

 

[dhrubo]

What's a "so called red light", and how does it differ from a normal red light?

Just my terminology. .From what I recall. I went through an amber. They are saying I went though a red.

 

[dhrubo]

Did you go through the light before it changed?

I think so...I had cyclists behind me too. But they said I went through a red.

 

[Cycling Dan]

What's a "so called red light", and how does it differ from a normal red light?

The different between not running it and running it.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Drivers behave like this when issued with a sumons. The cycling community is sometimes harsh about their evasive wriggling and denial of guilt.

I've had lots of speeding tickets and have paid them all on demand. One summons; I attended, pleaded guilty and was banned.

Nobody ever did what they are charged with.

I hop red lights all the time in cities when cycling, but I consider myself an experienced and fairly safe cyclist. I've tried to stop doing it, but it tickles me so I continue. I've hopped lights in the vicinity of police cars and pedestrian police officers and never been chased or stopped.

I'd pay this one, moderate your riding style if you don't want any more and just take it on the chin. Perhaps you should accept, in the unlikely event that you are innocent, that you are just paying one of the many fines I was never hit with. Karma will shortly bite my arse, so natural justice will be restored.

It's interesting to imagine how the OP would be read by some members here if it were a motorist writing it.

 

[Lanzecki]

If you RLJ'd you RLJ'd. that's an offence, that is fine-able. Your issue is that they other cyclists didn't get caught.

You have my sympathy though. Don't ya love Police statments. You think they are supposed to mirror what actually happened.

You got stopped by an officer Police Counter Terrorism Support Unit. Shouldn't they be doing other things? Or have the caught all the terrorists?

You Driving licence doesn't apply to cycling since you don't need a licence. You provided you driving licence as the easiest means of identification.

They kept you there for more then an hour because of technical details? What were they doing in the mean time? I wonder why they felt the need to verify details. Is this the norm these days?

The Moral of the story? Don't ride like a prat and jump red lights in front of police. Heck just don't do it ever.

 

[PeteXXX]

Amber means the same as Red, IE.. Stop

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I think so...I had cyclists behind me too. But they said I went through a red.

(my bold)

This bit is the difficulty. You can't trust your word against the police so it's difficult to see how anyone else could. And I am saying this from the viewpoint of someone with enough experience to know that being police does not automatically make one's word more trustworthy....

But you can't say with certainty that you didn't jump the red....

Unless there is video evidence to prove it.

 

[Cycling Dan]

Amber means the same as Red, IE.. Stop

unless it appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident

 

[Pale Rider]

The OP doesn't have to prove anything, all he does have to do is establish a reasonable doubt he ran the red light.

Commonly known in legal circles as muddying the waters.

There were a lot of cyclists about in a street scene which is always busy, so could the officer have identified the wrong cyclist?

In his statement, he makes much of the OP's distinctive clothing in a bid to head off the 'wrong man' defence.

But was the clothing so distinctive, amongst eight other cyclists?

This is the sort of stuff the OP - or his legal representative - will need to put to the police officer at trial.

If the magistrates think the police officer even just might have been mistaken, they must find the OP not guilty.

 

[martint235]

So you're aware of what's around you and you stop at lights. So your side is that this PC was upset you'd pulled in front of him and actually pulled you for going through on green? You also seem to rely on the "they do it, why can't I?" attitude. To me it doesn't matter what the other cyclists did or didn't do, did you cycle through red? From what you've said and the police statement, I'd say that you did.