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news
Justice (Lonpicman, Wikimedia Commons)Suspended sentence for Bristol driver who reversed over bike
A Bristol motorist has been given a suspended sentence after admitting deliberately reversing into the bicycle of a man with whom he had been engaged in what a judge described as a “road rage” incident.
Nathan Gilbert, aged 30 and from Knowle, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Bristol Crown Court last month, reports the Bristol Post.
The newspaper says that when he arrived at an earlier hearing in November he expected the law firm representing him, Palmer Ray, to contest the case on his behalf.
However, he discovered that the firm had gone out of business and chose to enter a guilty plea at the subsequent hearing.
Prosecuting counsel Nicholas O'Brien told the court that that Gilbert, a builder who was driving a hired Peugeot 208, had turned into the path of cyclist Simon Johnson at the junction of Mina Road and St Werburgh's Park in February last year.
"The cyclist had the right of way,” said Mr O’Brien. “The defendant pulled out in front of the cyclist, causing him to be rather annoyed. There was an exchange of abuse between the two.
"At one stage the defendant said: 'Do you want me to drive into your bicycle?' The cyclist said 'yes' and the defendant reversed into the cycle, when he was off of it, and drove off."
The cyclist, whose account of events was supported by an independent witness, was not injured in the incident, but incurred costs of £40 in undertaking his own repairs to his bike.
Gregory Gordon, speaking in mitigation, said Gilbert was acting as part-time carer to two children from previous relationships and at the time of the incident was undergoing the breakdown of a relationship.
Gilbert himself admitted to a probation officer: "I had no intention of harming him. I was trying to intimidate him. It was stupid and foolhardy of me. It was the last straw. I regret all of it."
Recorder Mr Llewelyn Sellick sentenced Gilbert to four months' prison, suspended for 18 months, as well as an 18-month supervision order and 100 hours of unpaid work.
He told him: "It was an incident of road rage. You lost your temper over an incident when driving. I accept that you do regret what happened."
Gilbert was also banned from driving for a year and ordered to take an extended retest and pay £250 in costs, £40 compensation and an £80 victim surcharge.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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Cyclist was NOT injured, now clarified, apologies for confusion
He was charged with dangerous driving which is a very serious motoring offence which means he was automatically disqualified for at least a year, because he reversed the car at the cyclist and he has to take the extended driving test to get his license back.
As always the press haven't given you the full story because a suspended sentence means it passed the custody threshold so there was much more going on here than reported. Chances are if they reported the full story it wouldn't be such a good read and no one would be surprised at the suspended sentence
A charge of criminal damage would probably get a fine and the driver would still be driving. He may have also been charged with criminal damage and it wasn't reported
Drivers who kill cyclists usually get off with less.....but the sentence in this case is thoroughly deserved.
Decent sentence. Glad to hear the bike is doing better. I hope a lorry reverses into/over his car.
Cyclist was NOT injured, now clarified, apologies for confusion
"I regret all of it"
Translated..."I regret getting caught and prosecuted"
Cunt.
I can see his point of view. Yet another woman has left me. Caring for kids from broken relationships.. In a hurry. I know. I'll overtake and turn across a lorry in an act of petulant impatience. Hang on though..No. That would be dangerous. OK to do it to a cyclist though.
The line between criminal damage and physical assault depends on my mood - but as the cyclist shouldn't have been out on his bike either choice would have been justifiable.
It's a bizarre world of self entitlement we live in.
The cyclist was injured, so clearly it was a very dangerous maneuver. Under-charged, as usual. Should probably have been something like attempted GBH.
Article says he was injured BUT incurred £40 of damage to bike. Might be a typo in there somewhere?
off the road, as it should be
seems a stiff sentence. Cyclist was uninjured, so it is really just criminal damage - to the tune of hardly anything (£40).
So nothing to remove the moron from the road?
Banned from driving for a year and ordered to take an extended retest, I read somewhere.
Try reading to the end of the article before you start frothing at the mouth.
For one year, so nothing much. And yes, I know he didn't ( this time) hurt anyone, but should we really want people with this little self control in charge of a tonne of dangerous weapon?
Why wasn't this wankstain prosecuted for Attempted Murder?
Take a swing at someone with a baseball bat and you go down, do it in a car, meh.
I'm all for tougher charging and sentencing, but I don't think you can actually murder a bicycle ...
My bad, I missed the "off of it" part. However it does say the cyclist was "injured in the incident", contradictory to the piece in the Bristol Post.
Well it says he reversed into the bike when the rider was off it, so he was only trying to kill the bike (which is offensive in itself, but not murder)
Well it says he reversed into the bike when the rider was off it, so he was only trying to kill the bike (which is offensive in itself, but not murder)
Again this is a typo or an error on the courts behalf. I was on the Bike when he hit me.
Unusually strong sentence, if you ask me.
"...the defendant reversed into the cycle, when he was off of it"
I read that as property damage, so today I learned that property damage is more serious than injury or death.
Rather than focusing on the injuries caused in collisions we should all give more concern to the mangled carbon and how much it cost.
Yeah, Thats a court typo, I was very much on my bike when he hit it.
Weird isnt it? You get less for killing a cyclist in this country.
so the moral is, if some ****er hits you with his car, make sure he also drives over your bike.
Not really. It was deliberate and a considered action. There was no element of didn't see you or misjudgment about it. He made a threat to attack and then carried it out. That always carries more points as an aggravating factor than anything where what you might call "lashing out" in the heat of the moment is involved. They are both offences but if you have time to make a threat and then you go ahead and carry it out you are in deep doo doo.
find out where he lives....
...and do what precisely ?
Offer child-care assistance? Suggestions of dating sites or relationship counselling?
Or drop some anger management course leaflets in his letter box.