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Court told road rage cyclist tried to rip door off Merc (he failed, but did rip off a wing mirror) after being beeped by driver

60-year-old former Olympic athlete and special forces soldier turned celebrity fitness coach Bernie Shrosbree admits causing £3,700 worth of damage to vehicle

A former Olympic athlete and Royal Marine turned celebrity fitness coach has been ordered to pay £3,700 in compensation after he tried to rip off the door of a Mercedes in a road rage incident while he was out for a bike ride.

Bernie Shrosbree, whose celebrity clients include F1 racing driver Jenson Button and socialite Pippa Middleton, and who has coached some of Great Britain’s top Olympic athletes, was also ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work as a result of the incident last September, reports the Bournemouth Echo.

The 60-year-old, who served for 10 years in the elite Special Boat Service and represented Great Britain in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, appeared on Monday at Poole Magistrates’ Court, was charged with causing criminal damage and using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour.

He changed his plea to guilty on both those counts as the trial began, and while he also faced a charge of assault, the prosecution offered no evidence on that count.

The court heard that Shrosbree and a friend with whom he was cycling had disembarked from the Sandbanks ferry near Poole when they came across Howard Harvey, who was driving his Mercedes.

David Finney, prosecuting, said a female driver had tooted her horn at the pair of cyclists, and a verbal exchange ensued.

Mr Harvey was driving behind that vehicle and also used his horn as he drew alongside Shrosbree and his friend, who were riding two abreast.

"Swear words were exchanged and there was contact between the vehicle and the bike," said Mr Finney.

Shrosbree then ripped the wing mirror from the car and kicked its bodywork, as well as allegedly assaulting Mr Harvey.

Mr Finney said that he “threw blows towards the victim. The victim did not throw blows back.

"The defendant reached inside, took the keys and threw them into a nearby overgrown front garden. They could not be found.

"He attempted to pull the car door off its hinges and also damaged seats and upholstery."

Shrosbree rode off afterwards, but later returned to the scene where he was arrested, telling police that he had been "absolutely livid" and had "lost his head."

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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29 comments

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georgee | 5 years ago
2 likes

Is there a crowd funding page to try and help pay his fine?

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Rick_Rude | 5 years ago
0 likes

Sounds like a typical squaddie to me. I lived most of my life near a base and they were a constant pain the arse at weekends, always causing shit and never getting it, as if they were 'allowed' to do it to let off steam and didn't have to answer to the police. One time in a club they even stabbed each other after an inter-regimental argument.

 

 

 

 

 

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brooksby replied to Rick_Rude | 5 years ago
0 likes

Rick_Rude wrote:

Sounds like a typical squaddie to me. I lived most of my life near a base and they were a constant pain the arse at weekends, always causing shit and never getting it, as if they were 'allowed' to do it to let off steam and didn't have to answer to the police. One time in a club they even stabbed each other after an inter-regimental argument.

Was that some sort of weird ritual thing? 

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Hirsute replied to Rick_Rude | 5 years ago
8 likes
Rick_Rude wrote:

Sounds like a typical squaddie to me. I

Typical squaddies do not make the SBS though.

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armb replied to Hirsute | 5 years ago
4 likes

hirsute wrote:

Typical squaddies do not make the SBS though.

Nor become Olympic athletes.

He's got a longer Facebook post up with his side of the story - unsurprisingly "there was contact between the vehicle and the bike" seems to something be of an understatement, he says the driver deliberately drove at him and knocked him off:
https://www.facebook.com/bernie.shrosbree/posts/10155696137601735

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JeevesBath | 5 years ago
5 likes

In the Telegraph, the headline says "...assaulted Mercedes driver after blocking him with bike..".

Talk about a biased headline.

What about "sixty year old cyclist fights back against thug who tried to run him off the road"?

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PRSboy | 5 years ago
9 likes

I am putting together a shortlist for my cabinet when I am Prime Minister;

 

Chris Boardman - Minister for Transport

Bernie Shrosbree - Minister for Justice

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burtthebike | 5 years ago
5 likes

From Bernie's fb page

"Intro
A good Bloke who won't work with Arseholes"

"He’ll maybe think the next time he rams a cyclists off his bike with his car especially me"

A bit more to this than was reported in the media.

 

 

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Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
1 like

Amazing how many people who presumably have only the details of a reported story to go by, haven't spoken to any of the parties involved and didn't attend the court hearing where evidence and defence were presented are able to piece together a narrative for the events and come to a very different judgement on the matter.

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brooksby replied to Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
3 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

Amazing how many people who presumably have only the details of a reported story to go by, haven't spoken to any of the parties involved and didn't attend the court hearing where evidence and defence were presented are able to piece together a narrative for the events and come to a very different judgement on the matter.

Yes, but 

"Swear words were exchanged and there was contact between the vehicle and the bike," said Mr Finney.

...and then the ex-SBS bruiser goes postal and tries to dismantle Mr Harvey's car by hand.

I would venture that it takes a lot to make most people lose it so very badly 

(And the court wouldn't have looked into any of it too deeply because he pleaded guilty).

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Christopher TR1 | 5 years ago
2 likes

Well done Bernie, good job. Please can we be riding buddies?!

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Bill H | 5 years ago
2 likes

Presumably the damage to the seats was linked to the left on file claim for a new pair of underwear and trousers by Mr Harvey!

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burtthebike | 5 years ago
8 likes

£3.700 and 100 hours community service?  How many car drivers did he kill?  Must be double figures at least, unless;

OMG, was he a cyclist?

In that case, lucky to get away with such a trifling punishment; if it had been a proper court he'd have been locked up and the key thrown away.  Such a shame capital punishment has been abolished; bloody liberals.

If only he'd been a driver; £100 fine and a good wigging from the judge.  There's a good fellow and try not to do it again.  While anyone's watching of course.

Sorry, but I think I might be moving to Holland.  Where they hang drivers like that from the nearest lampost.

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LastBoyScout | 5 years ago
6 likes

Having nearly been run off my bike 3 times today alone, Bernie has my complete sympathy.

All on camera - all going to the local police - for what good that will do!

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BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
7 likes

I'll swing a massive hammer at your head/body your honour and expect you not to react in the slightest, because that's exactloy what has happened. Add into which the constant attacks every single day by motorists and the lack of protection by the police, government and 'justice' system and this is the end result.

Humans can only take so much and then they snap, hence why some who have killed their partners after years of abuse and being found not guilty.

Except we know that that will never happen with a cyclist being in the dock, we already get rules/laws applied differently to everyone else, it's not  just a disgrace it's unlawful but it happens all the time and the system keeps on pounding those that are treated like shit by the general public, msm and threats/hate crimes aplenty, no wonder cycling has not increased in any signiicant way, it's massively unattractive in too many ways!

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Grahamd | 5 years ago
5 likes

I think this fine is more than that paid by than every car driver who has ever assaulted a cyclist featured on this site.

However am certain that the long term cost for Mr Harvey will be significantly more when he feels the need to move home after a some uncomfortable visits by some totally unconnected individuals who have some remarkable skills.

 

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Legs_Eleven_Wor... | 5 years ago
1 like

Dozy cyclist's biggest mistake was leaving a witness. 

(yes - I'm joking)

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EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
13 likes

He's got worse punishment than a large proportion of killer drivers.

He shouldn't have owned up. 'British justice' punishes cyclists when they are victims and comes down far harder on them when they are the perpetrators.

No way in a million years did those car drivers not deserve some sort of punishment, we've all had this argument haven't we? People losing their shit over a few seconds delay, threatening blue murder and literally using their car as a weapon...

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brooksby replied to EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
4 likes

StoopidUserName wrote:

He's got worse punishment than a large proportion of killer drivers.

This.  Very much, this. surprise

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mikewood | 5 years ago
11 likes

This all stems from the wrong assumption that cyclists can't ride side by side. If it's the road I think it is, theres no room to pass a single cyclist safely without using the opposite side of the road. All they've done effectively is take the Primary.....

I knew Bernie 20 years ago and he's pretty cool in very difficult situations so he must have felt his life was being threatened!

 

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check12 | 5 years ago
12 likes

Special Bike Service

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STiG911 replied to check12 | 5 years ago
3 likes

check12 wrote:

Special Bike Service

 

^Underrated comment 

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notwelshyet | 5 years ago
8 likes

Well done to Bernie, in fact i'm more than happy to chip in to help pay his fine... more of the same i say..

Clearly the driver was a dick and was acting poorly, otherwise why would Bernie feel he had to interupt his leisure time to serve retribution.. but this case just highlights the disparity in views re: drivers' behaviours.

it's time asshole drivers either start to show respect or be scared of being taught some respect. I ride everyday and pretty much everyday i have a driver threaten my life by poor driving or bad behaviour. In fact two days ago i passed a cyclist (way more than 2m space on the pass) and the twat in an audi SUV following didn't give the cyclist any space, unfortunately for them i had the opportunity at the next set of reds to give him my opinion on the matter - he was suprised that a bloke in a van gave a shit - his words...

I am sick of it, i can totally get Bernie's reaction - maybe it is time for more positive intervention from us.. this appalling gov't is doing nothing and no matter how many celebrity cyclists call for better driving, etc. it just gets worse - we should declare ourselves a religion and every close pass is a hate crime...

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StuInNorway | 5 years ago
7 likes

Did the driver receive any for of punishment for unlawful use of his horn (get out my way is not a legal use for it), or for the collision he admits ? If words were exchanged, that was a 2 way thing, so you cannot prosecute only one party for that.
Sure ripping the mirror off and damaging the car was a stupid thing to do, but as the courts are so reluctant to stand up to bad drivers, it's not a surprise that some cyclists feel it is the only was to exact some justice. (That's NOT be condoning damaging someone's car however)

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ChrisB200SX | 5 years ago
19 likes

I would have thought someone who was SBS would be fairly difficult to rile to the point that they go full Hulk. But... you know, dangerous drivers can do whatever they like with their 2-ton weapons and you're not allowed to fight back.
Car hits person... no problem, everything is normal.
Person hits car... crime of the century.

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Griff500 | 5 years ago
7 likes

Is it just me, or is something missing from this account. We are told the car drew alongside, but surely an attempt to rip the door off, and reaching inside to get the keys would require the car to be stationary? There is more went on here than we have been told.

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peted76 | 5 years ago
6 likes

Sounds like old Bernie is a force to be reckoned with, I bet Howard might reconsider honking his horn and driving into a cyclist in future!

 

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EK Spinner | 5 years ago
20 likes

"Mr Harvey was driving behind that vehicle and also used his horn as he drew alongside Shrosbree and his friend, who were riding two abreast"

"Swear words were exchanged and there was contact between the vehicle and the bike"

 

Mmmm, sounds to me like he my have "lost his head." after being bullied, harrassed and assaulted with a car

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racyrich | 5 years ago
23 likes

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable self-defence response to being threatened by a jerk armed with a 2 ton weapon.

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