Cycling UK Forum

Grandad wrote:

Surely the only thing they can do in the limited time they have to make contact with you is smack your behind?

No, they can also try to push you off - see Swift Police Responce

They might try to push you off which may well result in serious injury or death, but this does not have a sexual element to the assault. I am just curious as to what some one could have inflicted on them that can be classed as a "serious" sexual assault whilst they are riding their bike? From my experience as a cyclist having one's behind smacked as a vehicle passes by must be an awful shock and very unnerving but it is still only indecent assault. The shock of being struck on one's behind might cause one to lose balance and control possibly crashing, but unlikely. I just think of the times cars have got a little too close to me, but in every case I have 1) already heard and looked back toward them several times so they tend to pass giving me space. If a vehicle is intent on passing close and the occupants look like they have malevolent intent I generally sit up and look round straight at them. I always know what or who is around me. The only times I have been caught out is 1) when it's very windy, a strong cross wind where you cannot hear vehicles approaching from behind because of wind noise and 2) when it's dark, the combination of which means that you can be taken completely by surprise.

Would the OP have been wearing head phones by any chance in this incident so he mightn't have been aware of the vehicle approaching him?

Ivor Tingting wrote:Would the OP have been wearing head phones by any chance in this incident so he mightn't have been aware of the vehicle approaching him?

Relevance?

They could also have prevented the incident completely by riding a recumbent and a recumbent trike would have ensured they could not have reached the OP at all!

Cunobelin wrote: ... They could also have prevented the incident completely by riding a recumbent ...

Just lay back (and think of England. ) ( Sorry, not a joking matter. )

Just lay back (and think of England. )

Why do you think 'bentanaughts always wear a grin on their faces?

B.

Alan D wrote:... the passenger in a passing car reached out and touched me in a highly inappropriate manner. This sort of thing has never happened to me before, not exactly the sort of thing you expect to happen when you are a middle-aged man and as you can imagine, it was quite a shock to me. ...I feel revolted and violated by this assault ... Alan

Alan D, I'm sorry to hear that another cyclist has been subjected to this sort of attack.

Fellow forum users, some of the comments on here are in very poor taste. They are at best unsympathetic, and at worst may make Alan D feel worse about it, rather than better.

I expect Alan D has shared as much as he wants to, and we don't need to speculate or satisfy curiosity about what might have happened.

Support you all the way Allen - stick with it and don't be disappointed if the offender only gets told off. Hopefully it might just sink into his/her brain the offensive and dangerous act they committed.
Should they be placed on the Sex Offenders Register - I think so. It doesn't matter if some here think it was trivial - Allen is clearly distressed by it and that is enough for it to be treated as a sexual assault.

Thanks for the support. Apparently, this low-life has done this before and he has a bit of a 'history' of other activities too. I am expecting the Officer to get back to me any day now.
By the way, the name's spelt Alan.

Oops sorry Alan - so many ways to spell names these days get confused

Ivor - stop blaming the victim! Just because he's male doesnt stop it being sexual. And its not just backsides being slapped, I have read of parts being touched where the driver will slow right down for it.

Well done Alan for reporting it!

You could also stress that there is a lot of evidence that minor sex offenders escalate to more serious offences unless the matter is dealt with at an early stage.

Alan D wrote:he was absolutely delighted at seeing my video because the person concerned is known to them and have a record. They are most interested in this person.

Excellent work.

Hi all,
here's the latest on this to bring it up to date.
The police officer handling this case recently informed me that it turned out not to be the person he originally thought, but it was another person from the same group. It also turned out that he was the only one without a criminal record.
Well the Officer applied something called a restitorive something or other, the upshot of which it was the next one up from just a warning. He went to see the young man and gave him a jolly good telling off by the sound of it. The young man was appropriately apologetic and I think that he has learned his lesson.
I did ask if this was a case of playing up to his mates, to which I was told ,No, and that in fact after the event a friend who was also in the car told him what a prize plonker he was for doing it.
So, as far as I am concerned, the matter is closed.

Well at least the incident was followed through properly, you sound as if you're reasonably happy with the result?

Anyone see the Sunday times article about cyclists using cameras and how the police think its a good idea?

very well written and not the usual out to get cyclists that the media normally spew out.

CyberKnight wrote:Anyone see the Sunday times article about cyclists using cameras and how the police think its a good idea?

very well written and not the usual out to get cyclists that the media normally spew out.

If only the police did think it was a good idea... Seems to me there's disparity between what they say and what they do.
I contacted them with regards one piece of video footage and all I've had is the odd email as it bounces around from one department to another. Any chance of them actually doing something regards the driver have long since departed.