Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Cyclist punched from a car and husband pelted with eggs on Sunday morning ride

Attack in Essex has left couple afraid to go out

A group of men in a car punched a cyclist and pelted her husband with eggs, leaving them both afraid to go out on their weekend rides.

Fiona and Stephen Collopy were cycling near Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex at the beginning of the month when four "screaming" youths in a burgundy Nissan Navara approached, and one leant out and punched Fiona, 39, in the side.

She told the Essex Chronicle: "He just leant out of the window of the car and punched me really hard. I was screaming and crying and he was just laughing at me.

"They punched me so hard I had the guy's signet ring printed in my stomach. It pushed me so far forward that my foot stopped the bike, but luckily I didn't fall off."

They said another of the men stood out of the sunroof and began pelting Stephen, 44, with eggs.

"He had a good aim and hit Stephen all down his back, I even took a photo after because I couldn't believe it. I feel so angry because I'm sure these guys were deliberately out to cause trouble.

"It all happened so fast. They were driving erratically and screaming into the distance and I didn't manage to get their registration number."

Fiona said that she was afraid the men might be waiting for her next time she went for a ride.

She added: "I was wearing a bright pink cycling top and pink and black shorts and I have a long brown pony tail all down my back, so there is no mistaking that I am a woman.

"It upsets me more because they must have known I was a woman as well. All I can think is that they might do it again."

Essex Police have urged anyone who witnessed the car or the incident on Sunday, August 4, to call 101.

We've regularly reported in recent months on cyclists facing attack from passing cars. Earlier this month we reported that Leicester police are investigating a possible link between three recent incidents in which cyclists were knocked off their bikes by the driver of a silver BMW and his passenger, reports the Leicester Mercury.

In the most recent incident, on Saturday July 6, 55-year-old lorry driver Andy Limb sustained a broken collarbone after being forced off the road into a ditch.

 

Add new comment

20 comments

Avatar
lukea-d | 10 years ago
0 likes

I've had few instances of people leaning out of their car window and shouting just to give me a fright. It's worked every time but I've always (just about) managed to stay upright. I asked the CTC's legal expert whether what these people are doing is illegal and the response I got was as follows:

"There is no specific road traffic offence for deliberately distracting another road user, so this would probably come under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, which covers intimidating, threatening or abusive behaviour."

Might be worth mentioning that to the police if any of you are unfortunate enough to have to report an incident of this nature.

Avatar
tarquin_foxglove | 10 years ago
0 likes

Having looked at the original story, I think it is possible that the attack was carried out by serious roadies that weren't convinced Stephen Collopy had earned the right to wear the jersey.

Avatar
cisgil23 | 10 years ago
0 likes

When I was out for a ride recently, someone mentioned the CRC, i.e. "Cyclists' Revenge Club".
I mentioned this "club" in a post a few days ago, as if it was my idea, hoping I'd get some replies, but had no one commenting on it.
Does anyone know anything about it ?
The revenge wouldn't of course consist of physical revenge. That would be illegal.  3

Avatar
Fixie Girl | 10 years ago
0 likes

This happened 3 weeks ago.. Why is this today's news?

I have ridden 20 times since this happened and have neither been pelted with eggs or punched.. Over here people carry guns and I have not been shot at either…

DOes anyone else think road.cc like to distort the news.. I posted this on another similar thread..

“If you see lots of shark attacks in the news, you think, 'Gosh, sharks are out of control.' What you should think is 'Gosh, the news loves to cover shark attacks.”

--David McRaney, You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself

FG

Avatar
Mart | 10 years ago
0 likes

It is very unfortunate that road crime is seen as minor in the UK. Attacking someone , anyone, should be viewed as a jailable event. Its shameful that swearing at the police can get you arrested, but attacking someone one a bike is often ignored even with vidio footage.

Avatar
seven | 10 years ago
0 likes

"I'm sure these guys were deliberately out to cause trouble."

Understatement of the decade.

Avatar
Ghedebrav | 10 years ago
0 likes

While I never advocate actual violence, reading stories like this makes my blood boil (and fantasise about chucking my heavy duty d-lock through the miscreants' windscreen).

Not sure about custodial sentences, but a life ban for the driver would be just.

Avatar
Belaroo | 10 years ago
0 likes

It really does make cycling with a fake machine gun strapped to your back sound quite appealing, even a massive water pistol. Trouble is, you just know that the police would be down on you like a black man in 1950's America. Way to scary to think that cyclists might want to defend themselves.
Cyclists are the new 'racial' target, it's the only group that people that way inclined can pick on without fear of any real consequence.

Avatar
Gazphillips | 10 years ago
0 likes

Try the camera from Decathlon , G-Eye 720p £80 and is great quality.

Here's one of mine so you can see the quality of video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG4Mv55FCfs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Avatar
tired old fart | 10 years ago
0 likes

I previously posted the name and address of someone who has been punished by the law for this behavior (which has not changed) and told not to post names and addresses I would love to put it up here and have is stay we ought to be able to at least put registrations up.

Avatar
wheelsucker replied to tired old fart | 10 years ago
0 likes
tired old fart wrote:

I previously posted the name and address of someone who has been punished by the law for this behavior (which has not changed) and told not to post names and addresses I would love to put it up here and have is stay we ought to be able to at least put registrations up.

Who told you and why?
I only ask because some nutter has just posted 5000 leaflets round the area of a friends business defaming them and saying they aren't fit to trade etc linking to a 3 page "hate site" but we have been advised there is nothing we can do about it???

Avatar
tired old fart replied to wheelsucker | 10 years ago
0 likes

I received an email from the website I am now unable to edit my own posts. I have been told I am not allowed to name people at all. I say the information I posted was relevant on this website. I say it was in line with the story, as it was about someone who assaults cyclists as a matter of course. This has been proven in a court of law.

Avatar
wheelsucker replied to tired old fart | 10 years ago
0 likes

OK Thanks for that, I appreciate it. We potentially stand a chance to get the site taken down via the hosting company then. I shall persue that avenue as well.

Avatar
4ChordsNoNet | 10 years ago
0 likes

I recently had a waterbomb thrown at me from a passing car, all caught on camera in full HD, including a very clear shot of the Reg plate and the fact that the driver threw it at me. I reported this via 101 and was interviewed at home by two PCs. The case was closed off as a non-crime. The driver wasn't interviewed our even had a letter sent to him.

I've written to the Borough Commander, and copied in my MP, but I'm not optimistic of a response.

Avatar
rich22222 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Maybe cyclists need to take a cbt in taking number plates, seeing too many instances of "didn't get the plate" - it's not difficult

Avatar
shay cycles replied to rich22222 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Experience, including an incident a couple of weeks ago where a driver in a 4x4 tried to force me off the road and eventually jumped out looking for a fight (which I avoided by a very brief illegal move across the pavement), shows that sometimes you can be too busy staying alive to take the number. The sad thing is that there are often many witnesses to such incidents, including other drivers, but they not get involved.

Avatar
Critchio | 10 years ago
0 likes

I'm saving up for a helmet cam, not because of things like this, but to capture fun moments when I'm out with me buddies and because of a hit an run last year. But it certainly makes you wonder about getting one for the sole reason of hate incidents like this.

Avatar
cidermart | 10 years ago
0 likes

I doubt that anything would happen to them if they did get caught. Vermin.

Avatar
Cantab replied to cidermart | 10 years ago
0 likes
cidermart wrote:

I doubt that anything would happen to them if they did get caught. Vermin.

It seems the frequent penalty is a year's driving ban, usually for miscreants who don't even have driving license in the first place!

Avatar
Al__S | 10 years ago
0 likes

I was nearly driven off the road twice in about a minute yesterday, whilst cycling in a "full time" bus lane- the vehicles legally shouldn't have even been there. One seemed upset that I kicked his headlight (no damage- I was wearing street shoes, not ones equipped with cleats).

Latest Comments