Irresponsible cyclist whose out-of-control fixed gear bike killed a mother of two in London deserved to be jailed; the law must now change
Perhaps also an ‘Aggressor of our Age’, our ‘Moron of the Moment’ just had to be a reckless cyclist whose actions resulted in the death of a mother of two.
On 12th February 2016, former McDonald’s worker Charlie Alliston chose to ride an illegal for road use Olympic style fixed gear track bike with no front brake on Old Street, East London. He crashed, at a speed of 18 miles per hour, into 44-year-old Kim Briggs causing “catastrophic head injuries” that resulted in the human resources executive’s death a week later.
Jailed on Monday for a paltry 18 months after being convicted of causing bodily harm by wanton and furious driving under an archaic piece of legislation used to prosecute horse and carriage drivers in the 19th century, what is especially shocking is that this 20-year-old showed utterly no remorse.
In various online posts after the accident, Alliston also wrote such heartless and disgusting comments as:
“That in way whatsoever was this my fault… She ignored me… I can put my hands up and say this was not my fault.”
“I warned… Get the f**k outta [sic] my way, which she didn’t.”
“Yes it is her fault… Hopefully it is a lesson learned on her behalf… She put not only hers, but my life in danger. But as usual theres [sic] always the odd w**er that has to blame the cyclist.”
“I’ve already had a lot of s**t from it already.”
“Eventually she got carted away, I had to sit in the van for several hours waiting for an officer to come and take pictures of the situation.”
“I was not recklessly riding, riding fast.”
“F**k me and my health, I can heal and recover. The bike cannot!”
“At the end of the day if you know the flame will hurt you, you still proceed to put your hand over it and get burnt. Its [sic] your fault, I refused to accept any responsibility in this whatsoever. She saw me and acknowledged my presence yet still carried on it. Its [sic] not my fault people think they’re invincible or just have zero respect for cyclists… Why the f**k did she stop in the middle?”
We very much hope this vile and callous horror has a most pleasant time in prison. Charlie Alliston also provides an example as to why cyclists should be forced to be insured and the outcome of this case also provides proof as to why the law should be updated to reflect the damage and destruction that cyclists do sometimes wreak.