cyclist who knocked over and killed

[Kerplunk]

you would have though every inch of london was covered by cctv by now,surprised there is none mentioned.

There is,
...Jurors at the Old Bailey were shown CCTV footage of the collision on 12 February...

Not seen it widely reported but the police admitted in cross examination that they'd studied lots of CCTV footage of the cyclist (not from just before in accident) and not found any incidents of him riding dangerously or erratically. It was a tragic accident and even at the speed he was travelling the collision causing a death was extremely unlucky. You'd probably get away with a car hitting you at that speed.
That said I find it highly unlikely that he didn't know the law about having to have a front brake and he should have been prosecuted and found guilty for that reason. He knowingly put others at risk.
As for the sentence he'll get I'm sure its going to be at the hefty end of what is allowed due to the media coverage. Interesting that in an adjacent court at the same a woman was found guilty after killing a pedestrian whilst doing 45mph in a 30 zone having taken her eyes off the road to look at her speedo. Suspended sentence in part because she'd shown remorse....

 

[jackosbournesnr]

That kicks off a whole different argument as regards the leniency shown to drivers involved in fatal accidents... Particularly involving cyclists or in that case, a pedestrian.

The multiple threads discussing the Allison case over on road.cc are filled with exactly that perception of bias.

 

[NeilM]

Re:

Remarks or not, he stayed at the scene, something many vehicle drivers don't do these days, they flee in an effort not to be caught.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

The remarks could easily be venting off after/during shock. Also they were before he new how serious it was.

 

[Silvergoat]

Re:

Make sure you don't collide with any pedestrians who step out in front you http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41306738

 

[NeilM]

Re:

I predict some very adverse comparisons with sentences given to car drivers for the same offence.

 

[NeilM]

Re: Re:

and if you are involved in an accident, by your doing or otherwise, don't scream at the injured party and generally act like a dick.

Unless of course you are driving a car, drunk, without a license and uninsured, in which case it is expected.

 

[tintin40]

He got 18 months in a young offenders hotel.

 

[The History Man]

Re:

I very much doubt he will be quite as ebullient in there.

 

[Silvergoat]

Re:

18 months too long and as a scapegoat. As tragic as it was that she died, Mrs Briggs was fatally injured because she simply stepped out into the road while concentrating on her mobile phone instead of looking out for traffic before stepping out to cross. Alliston has been unlucky in that she did this and then stepped back into his path, so he couldn't avoid her, irrespective of his bike or the arrogance of youth.

He's been even more unlucky because Mr Briggs who is wealthy, owns his own PR company in the City and is extremely very well connected, had the resources and the contacts to bring the case to the highest court in the land. The hapless Alliston who has been painted as another dangerous out of control cycling dick, had no resources or privileges or access to experts behind him for his defence.

The case and its outcome has been a boon for the anti-cycling lobby and has set a precedent which means all cyclists are going to be viewed as guilty in any similar incidents in the future. Already, the reporting of cyclists is increasingly negative and more letters being published in the press which use lazy sweeping generalisations that describe cyclists as a whole as lawless menaces that need to be legislated against.

There have been many cases where cyclists who have been knocked off their bikes and either injured or killed where the motorist or truck driver has got away with it as being an accident or that the cyclist involved in the collision was somehow at fault for being there on the road and under their truck.