E-bike cyclist cleared of killing Hackney pedestrian

QUOTE:
A cyclist has been cleared of killing a pedestrian while riding a modified e-bike in Hackney, east London.

Thomas Hanlon, 32, was accused of "going way too quickly" when he hit Sakine Cihan in Kingsland High Street in Dalston, on 28 August 2018.

He was acquitted of causing death by careless driving and driving without a licence at the Old Bailey.

Jurors took just over an hour to reach their verdicts in what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind.

The court heard Mr Hanlon's modified e-bike was travelling at more than 10mph over the 20mph speed limit.

In law, e-bikes which are fitted with an electric motor can only be driven without a licence or insurance if their power is limited, and the motor automatically switches off at speeds above 15.5mph.

The court heard Mr Hanlon's bike was capable of going double that speed and as such should have been categorised as a motorbike.

Prosecutor Nathan Rasiah read out a statement by cyclist Raymond Murphy, a witness to the 28 August crash, who said he was "struck" that Mr Hanlon's bike was "going way too quickly for a normal electric bicycle".

But, Mr Hanlon's defence barrister Claire Howell argued that Ms Cihan had "ran out in front of him".

She added: "He is going straight along a straight road on a sunny clear day when he has got the right of way and he can see the lights have changed to green and he's just moving through.

"His reactions were quicker than many confident and careful drivers in the time it took him to react to her stepping out, which suggests he was keeping a good look out."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-51707616

On 02/03/2020 17:31, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
"His reactions were quicker than many confident and careful drivers ..."

That's not difficult.

However, are they going to do anything about speeding on a motorbike and
using it without tax, insurance, licence and possibly helmet?

On Monday, March 2, 2020 at 8:10:19 PM UTC, TMS320 wrote:
On 02/03/2020 17:31, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
"His reactions were quicker than many confident and careful drivers ..."

That's not difficult.

However, are they going to do anything about speeding on a motorbike and
using it without tax, insurance, licence and possibly helmet?

It was an e-bike but SHOULD have been classed as a motorcycle, but it wasn't.

On 02/03/2020 20:20, Simon Mason wrote:
On Monday, March 2, 2020 at 8:10:19 PM UTC, TMS320 wrote:
On 02/03/2020 17:31, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
"His reactions were quicker than many confident and careful drivers ..."

That's not difficult.

However, are they going to do anything about speeding on a motorbike and
using it without tax, insurance, licence and possibly helmet?

It was an e-bike but SHOULD have been classed as a motorcycle, but it wasn't.

Precisely. Whatever it started life as, it was now a motorcycle.

In article , (TMS320) wrote:

Precisely. Whatever it started life as, it was now a motorcycle.

Actually, as the court also found him not guilty of the "motorbike"
offences, that means that as a matter of law, it isn't.

--
Paul Cummins - Always a NetHead
Wasting Bandwidth since 1981

There are two kinds of people in the world,
Those who can draw conclusions from incomplete data...

On 03/03/2020 00:29, Paul Cummins wrote:
In article , (TMS320) wrote:

Precisely. Whatever it started life as, it was now a motorcycle.

Actually, as the court also found him not guilty of the "motorbike"
offences, that means that as a matter of law, it isn't.

Was he charged for any wrong doing? All I can find is that he was
cleared of careless driving.

If not it seems to give a green light to doing some tweaking up.

On 02/03/2020 20:46, TMS320 wrote:
On 02/03/2020 20:20, Simon Mason wrote:
On Monday, March 2, 2020 at 8:10:19 PM UTC, TMS320 wrote:
On 02/03/2020 17:31, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
"His reactions were quicker than many confident and careful drivers
..."

That's not difficult.

However, are they going to do anything about speeding on a motorbike and
using it without tax, insurance, licence and possibly helmet?

It was an e-bike but SHOULD have been classed as a motorcycle, but it
wasn't.

Precisely. Whatever it started life as, it was now a motorcycle.

Quite so.


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In article , (TMS320) wrote:

Was he charged for any wrong doing? All I can find is that he was
cleared of careless driving.

He was charged with driving a motorcycle without a licence or insurance,
and causing death by careless driving.

Since he wasn't "driving" a motorcycle, he was found not guilty of all
three offences.

--
Paul Cummins - Always a NetHead
Wasting Bandwidth since 1981

There are two kinds of people in the world,
Those who can draw conclusions from incomplete data...