Oval This Morning (28 May) - Witnesses Needed

[clarion]

I'm still waiting to hear from the OIC. I'll decide how to proceed after that.

Point is, I neve raised a hand to the driver as he was manhandling me. Anyone who did see the incident would be able to testify to that. And a lot of cyclists did see it. Certainly a person who didn't get out of the cab didn't see as well. And, as I said, there's no way she's independent.

I think I will need to do the on the spot questioning. Tedious that I have to.

 

[HLaB]

I wouldn't say the passenger is independent; they have chosen to travel that way and are therefore more likely to favour that mode and be anti cyclist. I'm no expert legally though.
Best of luck.

 

[fossyant]

Grrrr depressing reading.....

 

[Jezston]

I missed one bit somewhere ... what did the passenger say happened?

Also what happened to the paramedic? ... Assuming I'm not now thinking of a different case...

 

[clarion]

I was taken to hospital in an ambulance for injuries sustained by the dangerous driving, not for the assault.

 

[clarion]

I've spoken to the OIC, and this is very much a live case, but he'd like to hear from anyone with anything to contribute.

 

[clarion]

I've spent a productive half hour at the junction concerned speaking to cyclists. I think there may be four or five more people who saw something.

Plus a car driver made the effort of parking his car (not easy just off the A3) and running back to give me his business card. He said he'd seen the driver being aggressive, and was concerned enough that he wanted to help. Top marks, that man!

I shall pass on all details to the Police, who are now taking this seriously, and have allocated a Crime Reference Number to the assault.

However, they would like to hear from more witnesses to anything that took place that morning. If you passed by, then please do get in touch, and I'll give you the CRN and who to contact at the Met. I don't need to discuss with you what you saw, as I want you to maintain your independence.

 

[Origamist]

Excellent news - hopefully a few more pieces of the jigsaw will fit into place.

It's irksome, in some respects, that you have to be this proactive - but if it means that there is a greater chance of a charge, it's def worth 30mins of your time.

 

[clarion]

It was good to see you. At least the cyclists who stopped with you might have been persuaded I wasn't just a loony.

I had kind words from several people who were unfortunately unable to help, including one who showed me his road rash scars from another incident at the Oval.

And the cool Japanese (I think) guy on the beautiful green Shorter who I see regularly stopped so long that, when he was ready to go, he had another red light. Ah well, his comments were reassuring.

 

[Origamist]

It was good to see you. At least the cyclists who stopped with you might have been persuaded I wasn't just a loony.

I had kind words from several people who were unfortunately unable to help, including one who showed me his road rash scars from another incident at the Oval.

And the cool Japanese (I think) guy on the beautiful green Shorter who I see regularly stopped so long that, when he was ready to go, he had another red light. Ah well, his comments were reassuring.

That's Mike - he's a great guy.

 

[clarion]

I like him. Partly because he's slightly faster than me, so we spend a lot of time in fairly close proximity. And I wish I could keep my bike as clean as his!

 

[Rob3rt]

Good luck with getting more evidence clarion, its a f*cking joke that the passenger is making things difficult, either biased or clueless, possibly even persuaded by the cab driver/cab company?

Personally, I'd keep an eye out for the cab driver and knock him senseless if oppertunity knocks. If the police wont do anything about him knocking you off then assaulting you, him taking a good hiding wont spark much police interest either.

Hope your injuries clear up soon and that some justice comes of this!

 

[Amanda P]

I think I will need to do the on the spot questioning. Tedious that I have to.

It's scandalous that you have to. It is quite clearly the job of the police to investigate, and they're not doing it.

I think it'd make a great newspaper headline (if the papers weren't all so rabidly anti-cycling):

"POLICE WOULND'T INVESTIGATE SO I DID

Faced with total inaction on the part of the police, London cyclist Clarion, who was knocked off and then assaulted by a cab driver, decided to take the law into his own hands by canvassing possible witnesses at the scene of the crime..."

Reckon the grauniad would give me a job?

 

[clarion]

I think you should be a journalist.

And I should be a rozzer. I've doubled the number of witnesses, having received a call this afternoon from someone I leafletted this morning.

Half an hour's work, and maybe enough to convict a thug.

 

[Riding in Circles]

I think the press would be interested to know you had to do the polices job for them because they could not be bothered.