- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
Paul Crompton's bike after Derek Pipe rear-ended him (via Twitter)Mr Loophole secures acquittal of cyclist accused of causing crash
Nick Freeman, the lawyer nicknamed ‘Mr Loophole’ for obtaining not guilty verdicts for celebrities charged with motoring offences, has secured the acquittal of a London cyclist who had been accused of causing a crash.
Paul Crompton, aged 54, appeared at Bexley Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with riding his bike “without due care and attention” following an incident in Lewisham on 24 October 2020, reports the News Shopper.
Oct 2020 I was rammed from behind by a motorist as I was cycling. Unbelievably, @CPSUK decided to take me to court for “cycling without due care and attention”. Today I was given a NOT GUILTY verdict. I was represented by @TheMrLoophole who made sure justice was done. pic.twitter.com/QV3HIN5NVI
— Paul Crompton (@major_rawls) January 6, 2022
The prosecution had claimed that Mr Crompton – a television producer whose credits include the Channel 4 show Escape to the Chateau – had braked suddenly in front of 74-year-old driver Derek Pipe, causing him to crash into the back of his bike.
Mr Crompton, who sustained soft tissue damage in the incident on Ladywell Road, described the charge against him as “insane” and told the court that he had feared being “sandwiched in” between Mr Pipe’s Ford Focus and a row of parked cars and that he knocked on the driver’s window to try and make him aware of his presence.
“I wanted to warn him that he'd done a dangerous manoeuvre and I would hope that a warning would mean he would think about it next time,” he explained.
“I knocked on his window and shouted, ‘Didn't you see me?’ very loudly.”
He said he then rode in front of the car, but was “catapulted” over his handlebars after the driver crashed into the back of his bike, destroying the rear wheel.
“He had no idea I was there,” he added.
Mr Pipe had claimed that Mr Crompton had clipped his wing mirror and hurled abuse at him during the incident, and that he had then stopped twice in front of his car and given him no time to avoid the crash.
He told the court: “The cyclist came up the outside of me and then put his bike across the front of my car towards the windscreen and started hurling abuse, shouting, going off in a very intimidating, aggressive manner.
“I was just proceeding safely behind him then all of a sudden he stopped again a second time,” said the motorist, who claimed he was driving at five miles per hour when he struck Mr Crompton.
“The distance we both travelled was so short it was impossible for me to hit the brake in time,” he added.
Mr Freeman, who described Mr Pipe’s version of events as “littered with confusion,” said that even if the cyclist had come to a halt suddenly, Mr Crompton had not allowed adequate braking distance between his vehicle and the rider.
He said the claim that his client meant to cause the collision was “ludicrous,” bringing about “this rather unique and bizarre situation Mr Crompton finds himself in accused of riding without due care and attention.”
Christina Pride, chairing the bench, said: “We’ve heard two differing accounts of the incident.
“The prosecution has not proven the case so that we are sure beyond reasonable doubt. We therefore find Mr Crompton not guilty.”
Following the verdict, Mr Crompton said that he was “utterly, utterly relieved.”
He added: “Although it sounds farcical you still question which way they will go because it's one person's word against another.”
Mr Freeman, whose past clients include Sir Alex Ferguson, David Beckham and Jeremy Clarkson, said: “The whole case has been bizarre,” and described it as “a complete waste of people's time, trouble and money.
Happy to report a successful outcome for my client #cycling https://t.co/TFOUKQxa1I
— Nick Freeman (@TheMrLoophole) January 6, 2022
“This has taken up three hours of time,” he continued. “It’s cost the taxpayer probably thousands of pounds.
“Mr Crompton will now be commencing civil proceedings against Mr Pipe,” he added.
Last month, the Government responded to a petition posted by Mr Freeman last June on the Parliament.uk website in which he called for cyclists to be registered and wear visible ID, be subject to penalty points if they commit offences and be forced to ride in cycle lanes where applicable.
In response, the Department for Transport said: “The Government has no plans to introduce any such requirements for cyclists. The current trials of rental e-scooters will inform future policy on them.
“The Government considers that the costs of a formal registration system for cycle ownership would outweigh the benefits. The safety case for such a system is not as strong as that for drivers since, by contrast with motorised vehicles, cycles involved in collisions on the highway are highly unlikely to cause serious injury to other road users.”
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.
Latest Comments
- Slartibartfast 2 sec ago
Doesn't really matter to IPT though does it, they've only ever been a sportswashing outfit for Israel.
- Miller 8 min 51 sec ago
It may not be as bad as made out but it's not great. In fact it is frustrating because bits of it are actually quite good but it repeatedly does...
- Matthew Acton-Varian 24 min 51 sec ago
Pushing the technical boundaries I can live with - it is a competitive sport after all. If you permanently banned everyone in F1 for repeat...
- bensynnock 52 min 53 sec ago
There also seems a constant requirement for public consultation about every change to three roads, but I don't remember there being any...
- Bigtwin 52 min 52 sec ago
It's sad to see the likes of Milla under threat of disappearance, but the bike indrustry needs to sort itself out. Selling bikes that cost more...
- lerrup 3 hours 28 min ago
This is correct, if we're going to invest in the criminal justice system we should do so on catching people and processing them through the system...
- Surreyrider 3 hours 34 min ago
I think the frames are open mould so there will be others exactly like it around the world decked out as another brand. I saw a few comments on...
- Sriracha 3 hours 49 min ago
Will the CPS/Courts follow through, one wonders?
- Surreyrider 4 hours 53 min ago
Beware though, the new Defy models are more aggressive than previously. Getting quite close to the TCR now....
Add new comment
142 comments
Would prefer the silence. One of his obvious "provoke" points and not one reply after it is better then anything on here. He will then start to get into a tizzy about it and hopefully leave in a huff, probably after claiming cyber-bullying for the nth time and five more name changes.
It looks like the CPS has an unconscious or even conscious bias problem towards cyclists.
If it had been two cars in collision would they have found grounds to prosecute, without video evidence, the driver in front or would our informal presumed liability mean that the car behind woud be presumed liable or the incident be seen as a 50/50 by insurers.
I'm confused. Mr Crompton doesn't seem to have been wearing a hi-viz tabard with a registration number on it . How on earth were the authorities able to identify the reckless "tax" dodging miscreant? After all, to quote an apparently top tier road safety expert:
"Without some kind of registration scheme we have no idea who may be riding a bike or an e-scooter."
In this specific case it looks like it was quite hard for the cyclist to ride off into the sunset anonomously.
A challenge!
Because it happened in the morning?
Not as confused as me! I had to google your new user name.
Pesky millenials and their cultural references, where's FlintshireBoy with a nice Dire Straits song when you need one?
Hello Simon this is Clem Fandango, can you hear me?
Nasal's job is done. So I'm taking a leaf out of Nige's book re the user name. I'm reverting to just ignoring the so & so now.
I wish I was a millenial, my teeth are a bit longer than that unfortunately.
Yes, I can hear you Clem Fandango
This rather adds credence to the theory that the reason Freeman wants more regulation for cyclists is so that he will be able to generate more work from them.
Yep, he isn't bothered who pays his 10k a day fees, whether it is someone who drives 80mph through a school zone whilst on a mobile phone or someone who gets hit from behind whilst cycling. He takes the totally holistic view that cash is cash and whilst one is inherently more dangerous to passers-by then another, (apparently so dangerous that even cycles do the former), he goes "look at my wonga".
Edit: He apparently did it for free. Obviously trying to cultivate an image he is not against cyclists even though he released a video claiming cyclists cycle 60mph through school zones and 40mph on pavements. Why would someone lie about such absurd claims for? Or claim a group of cyclists were cycling illegally when they were on the correct side of the road and cycling safely.
"The first sample is free..."
The alternative would appear to be that he is stupid enough to actually think the things he's suggesting are a good idea, which seems far more libellous to me.
WTF? Someone stops, another road user who wasn't paying attention and/or leaving a suitable stopping distance crashes into them.
The person who stops gets prosecuted???
WTAF???
The Magistrates came to the only correct verdict - the defence barrister could have been a manatee for all relevance to the outcome, yet somehow poophole gets kudos????
Fack my old boots
Mind you, the comments are a scream....
Crompton is in TV so probably has a few quid and went for someone he'd heard of (or maybe that his mates have previously used) but any lawyer would have got the same verdict. I'm pretty sure he could have defended himself and got off. In employing Nick Freeman he's lined the pockets and generated more publicity for the vampiric mercenary, making the roads less safe for us all.
Hmm. Mr Loophole defending a cyclist. This will cause a disturbance in the space-time continuum.
Seems like a case that shouldn't have gone to court.
That sounds really bizarre - trying to prove "without due care and attention" when it's just one person's word against another. I don't understand how the police took it further without other witnesses or video footage or maybe that only applies to when cyclists report road crime.
WE know the old codger is lying from the outset
No witnesses are required. For anyone who knows the slightest thing about HWC, cycling and driving, it's plain the driver is a lying c$nt. Therefore no case to answer, as it seems the magistrate rightly discerned
I personally don't believe that a car doing 5mph and in the process of stopping would do that damage to a back wheel. If they were that fragile, one fenland pothole combined with my enormous post-solstice festival bulk would see me needing a new wheel too.
Just can't understand how CPS decided there were grounds to proceed.
Just keep an eye out for Crompton producing an independent balanced factual programme featuring Mr Poophole on hi vis, bicycle registration, road tax etc.
Riding without due care and attention is a criminal change, no? Obvs. we're missing a lot of the detail as to why this ever went ahead and probably will never see it.
Maybe someone played heavily on the "threats and fear" and the age difference? Maybe there was some other evidence of beef between them or some other point the driver could advance suggesting this situation had come up before for him?
I agree on the face of it it seems as extraordinary as a mugger launching a claim for someone's face wounding his fist. I'm just trying to understand how this could have flown (requiring the nod from both police, CPS and the court).
Either that or the driver was well-connected or someone in the police / CPS was getting unduly personally involved?
Not against the principle that a cyclist could be in court for e.g. riding into a car but this one seems a bit strange when it looks like the vulnerable party took most if not all the damage. I mean, you could as easily frame it as "driver was warned about dangerous manoever, took umbrage then deliberately assaulted cyclist by riding into them."
WTF the CPS were thinking pushing this one - no realistic chance of conviction, not in public interest.
Sounds like an institutionally anti-cyclist police and CPS. Facking d!cks
Pages