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Dave Sherry says lorry driver who hit him left the country and won't face justice

Police said it was ‘not possible’ to establish how the collision occurred based on the footage and conflicting accounts

In January, well-known helmet cam cyclist Dave Sherry was knocked off his bike by a lorry driver. While police later pulled over the driver and took his details, he has since left the country and Sherry says he will not be charged.

Sherry has uploaded hundreds of videos to his YouTube channel and evidence he has gathered has resulted in dozens of convictions for motoring offences. However, he has also attained a certain notoriety in some quarters for the gusto with which he pursues his task.

He has previously been featured on the BBC’s Inside Out East programme and once appeared on ITV’s This Morning in a segment entitled ‘Shaming Britain’s drivers – cycling vigilante’. The Daily Mail once branded him ‘Britain’s most hated cyclist’ because, you know… The Mail…

Sherry filmed the moment the lorry driver cut in on him as he cycled home through Epping. He told The Sun: "I was just on my way home from work as a London bus driver so I know how much room you need to give a cyclist to pass.

"The oncoming car was sounding its horn and flashing its lights so the lorry pulled back and narrowly missed that head on.

"I heard it revving its engine again so I gestured for it to stay back because I could see the oncoming traffic, but it overtook me regardless.

"As it moved back over to the left it knocked me off my bike. I honestly thought I was going to die."

Essex Police got the licence plate of the lorry and passed it on to Kent Police who pulled the Romanian driver over.

According to Sherry: "The police didn't ask the right questions and he can't be interviewed again for the same crime now so they've made a farce of it.

“Luckily they managed to identify him before he got to the port at Dover. He told police he didn't see me and left the country. These foreign drivers can get away with murder."

A spokesman for Kent Police said: “On Friday 12 January 2018 officers from Kent Police stopped a lorry on behalf of Essex Police in relation to a collision the previous day.

“They took the driver’s personal details and interviewed him based on the requests made of them by Essex Police officers, who were provided with a record of the interview in order to assist with their enquiries.”

A spokeswoman from Essex Police said: “We were contacted about a collision in which a lorry overtook a cyclist and clipped the rider.

“The lorry was located using automatic number plate recognition technology and stopped the following day in Kent. The driver was interviewed and denied any knowledge of the collision.

“Officers reviewed camera footage, which showed there had been a collision. But it was not possible to establish how it occurred based on the footage and conflicting accounts.

“We will investigate any incidents, regardless of where drivers are from, and take action to deal with any criminal offences when there is sufficient evidence to do so.”

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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19 comments

Avatar
WilliamNB | 6 years ago
0 likes

There is a way to deal with police who botch reports from cyclists: http://willcycle.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/when-police-fail-you.html

 

Avatar
SculturaD | 6 years ago
1 like

Sounds like they couldn't be bothered. They could at least revoke his right to come back into the UK.

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Paul_C | 6 years ago
4 likes

"he can't be interviewed again for the same crime now so they've made a farce of it"

 

rubbish... he hasn't been charged... doesn't stop them from dragging him in again for further interviews

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Grahamd | 6 years ago
5 likes

Don’t we have a European Arrest Warrant? 

 

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brooksby replied to Grahamd | 6 years ago
0 likes

Grahamd wrote:

Don’t we have a European Arrest Warrant? 

At the moment, yup.

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Biggus-Dickkus | 6 years ago
5 likes

The only difference between the police and criminals is a uniform.

Its about time we (the public) started to question what the Police actually do for the money we pay them.

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Pudsey Pedaller | 6 years ago
8 likes

The police can't get their story straight. They claim the driver was interviewed and that he denied any knowledge of the collision. Denying knowledge of something is no the same as denying it happened. Given the relative mass of the lorry compared to the cyclist, I'd be very surprised if he'd have felt anything even in a head-on collision, let alone having clipped struck the cyclist with the rear of his vehicle. Of course, any safe competent driver would have been using his mirrors during the overtake and so would have been in a position to see what happened, but then a safe and competent driver wouldn't have attempted the manoeuvre in the first place.

Yet the police go on to say that it wasn't possible to establish how the collision occurred based on the footage and conflicting accounts. Firstly the video shows how the collision occurred. Secondly, if the driver didn't even know he had clipped hit the cyclist, how could he offer a conflicting account of how he clipped hit the cyclist?

 

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Bob's Bikes | 6 years ago
6 likes

Please explain how the police cannot see the elephant in the room.

Quote, The driver was interviewed and denied any knowledge of the collision.

“Officers reviewed camera footage, which showed there had been a collision. But it was not possible to establish how it occurred based on the footage and conflicting accounts.

Driver had no knowledge of incident but gave a conflicting statement!!!!

Avatar
Hirsute | 6 years ago
4 likes

And you can drive on the M6 with no brakes and not get arrested.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-43427247

Why is there such disparity between police forces approach to these dangerous drivers?

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Hirsute | 6 years ago
3 likes

Obviously the cyclist moved right and hit the lorry. It's the only explanation!

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brooksby | 6 years ago
8 likes

"clipped the rider" with a forty tonne HGV... You're right, Mr Police Spokesperson: what harm could *possibly* come of that?

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john1967 | 6 years ago
6 likes

what does clipped mean ???? please someone enlighten me. 

is it legal to clip a cyclist.I think it might be.

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BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
6 likes

So the police yet again bend the application of the law/don't apply the law, it's basically we'll only do it when we can be bothered and ignore what it actually says in LAW and instatute.

Bunch of fucking cretinous cunts, I hope DS makes a complaint to IPCC

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HoarseMann | 6 years ago
5 likes

Looks fairly clear what happened to me, what more do they need?

Perhaps this is one instance where a stated minimum safe passing distance would have helped bring a prosecution, as surely that can be determined from the footage.

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iandusud replied to HoarseMann | 6 years ago
0 likes

HoarseMann wrote:

Looks fairly clear what happened to me, what more do they need?

Perhaps this is one instance where a stated minimum safe passing distance would have helped bring a prosecution, as surely that can be determined from the footage.

Exactly!

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Zjtm231 | 6 years ago
3 likes

Literally unbelievable....

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ktache | 6 years ago
8 likes

"knocked me off my bike. I honestly thought I was going to die" Quote from the cyclist.

"clipped the rider" Quote from the spokesperson representing the Essex police.

????????????????????????

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet replied to ktache | 6 years ago
6 likes
ktache wrote:

"knocked me off my bike. I honestly thought I was going to die" Quote from the cyclist.

"clipped the rider" Quote from the spokesperson representing the Essex police.

????????????????????????

The police have obviously been watching too much Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Only a flesh wound.

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Internet Pawn | 6 years ago
10 likes

“Officers reviewed camera footage, which showed there had been a collision. But it was not possible to establish how it occurred based on the footage and conflicting accounts."

I'm baffled.  There is nothing at all unclear about what happened or how.  

http://metro.co.uk/2018/02/07/cyclist-catches-moment-lorry-driver-knocke...

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