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Cyclist who punched and killed pensioner during pavement cycling row, before “cowardly” trying to flee scene, jailed for five years

Cyclist Nathan Piling angrily confronted Michael Dawson after the 78-year-old spoke to him about riding his bike on the footpath

A cyclist has been sentenced to five years and four months in prison for punching and killing a pensioner who confronted him over riding his bike on the pavement.

The tragic altercation took place on the night of Thursday 24 August 2023 on Market Street in Bury, as 78-year-old retired engineer Michael Dawson left The Bank pub, where he had spent an evening singing karaoke.

As Dawson left the pub, 24-year-old Nathan Piling cycled by on the pavement, prompting the 78-year-old to call out to the cyclist and reprimand him for riding on the footpath.

The Bank, Bury (Google Maps)

Market Street, Bury

According to Greater Manchester Police, Piling was “clearly angered” by Dawson’s interjection, and cycled over to the pensioner, placing his bike against some railings before confronting him.

A brief exchange of words took place, before Piling suddenly punched Mr Dawson in the head with such force that the 78-year-old had, the police said, “no opportunity to defend himself or break his fall before hitting the pavement and striking his head”.

Mr Dawson suffered serious head injuries and was taken to hospital in a critical state. Sadly, he failed to recover and died 11 days later on Monday 4 September.

In the immediate aftermath of the fatal punch, Greater Manchester Police said Piling “cowardly” attempted to flee the scene on his bike, but was chased by members of the public and ultimately intercepted by officers and arrested.

Nathan Piling (Credit: Greater Manchester Police)

Nathan Piling (Credit: Greater Manchester Police)

In police interviews, Piling refused to take responsibility for his actions, suggesting to officers that Mr Dawson struck him first and that he was only acting in self-defence.

However, CCTV footage and witness statements proved otherwise, and Piling was ultimately charged with manslaughter, before being found guilty at Minshull Street Crown Court and sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

> Remove conflict between cyclists and pedestrians, urge campaigners in wake of manslaughter case

“This was a completely unprovoked attack which sadly took the life of a gentleman who was just enjoying a night out,” Greater Manchester Police’s senior investigating officer Phillip Reade said in a statement following Piling’s sentencing.

“I am extremely grateful to those members of the public who came to Michael’s aid and helped to detain Pilling.

“It is very clear that Michael was a much-loved family man and very popular who will be missed by so many. We have zero tolerance against violence and will do everything we can to make sure the instigators are taken off the streets and placed before the courts.”

> Councillor slams cyclists riding “at breakneck speed” on pavement, as police officers increase patrols targeting people on bikes during road closures

In a tribute to the retired engineer, his family paid tribute to a “loving great grandad” and “charismatic and kind man”, and said they have been left “devastated by the horrifying attack”.

“Michael Dawson, a Great Grandfather at 78 years of age was tragically taken from his loving family in August 2023,” his family said. “He was attacked by a 24-year-old when walking back to the tram to go home after a night out in Bury town centre where he had been doing karaoke. He suffered a severe trauma to the head and was rushed to hospital.

“When his family were first made aware of this incident the following morning they rushed to visit him at Salford Royal. Having been told that Michael had been attacked and had a severe injury to the brain, they never saw him wake up. He spent a number of days in critical care kept alive by machines but sadly never recovered. His friends and family are devastated.

“Mike was a loving great grandad and the head of his family. He was a charismatic, kind man who always put others first. His family were left devastated by the horrifying attack.

“His family said Michael would give the shirt off his back to a stranger in need, no questions asked. Michael was loved by his family, friends and neighbours, a keen walker, a member of several walking groups, and a keen karaoke singer travelling around with lists of songs to bring joy to people wherever he went.

“He will be sadly missed by his loving family and friends. People in the community continue to be saddened by the tragic news.”

Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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25 comments

Avatar
Homebaker | 6 days ago
1 like

Sympathies to Michael's family and friends this terrible think should not have happened.

I think it's reasonable for road.cc to report it as a cyclist as that is now the rest of the media will refer to him. It will be used as a case of cyclist bad actions by people trying to construct a narrative.

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Rapha Nadal | 1 week ago
0 likes

Has this found it's way onto Road.cc purely because the story mentions a bicycle?  Slow news day was it?

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Zjtm231 | 1 week ago
0 likes

Is everyone who has ever been on a bike a cyclist?

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hawkinspeter replied to Zjtm231 | 1 week ago
4 likes

Zjtm231 wrote:

Is everyone who has ever been on a bike a cyclist?

Yes, for a time at least. Cyclist means "A person who rides a cycle, especially a bicycle, or who habitually engages in cycling", so if you ride a bike for five minutes, you're temporarily a cyclist.

Avatar
dcddcd | 1 week ago
5 likes

This twat is not a cyclist any more than pedestrians are hikers.

He's just a twat

I just wish the prison they will send him to would teach him how to be a thoughtful human. But it will do the opposite because the powers that be haven't worked out that education is what matters

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brooksby replied to dcddcd | 1 week ago
3 likes

dcddcd wrote:

This twat is not a cyclist any more than pedestrians are hikers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman

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mattw | 1 week ago
6 likes

To me this sentence seems quite light, and I'm surprised there is not the usual excellent road.cc practice of a link to a media report (was this missed? or have i missed it?).

As I see it an unprovoked attack against an elderly man resulting in death is vicious, and deserves a more lengthy sentence. Though TBF we do not know the manner of the interchange - which should be irrelevant as the attack was separate and deliberate.

Market Street Bury is one way - was that why he was on the footway, or is it actually shared at that point? Asking because I don't know, and can't see easily.

It's also worth a note that there are plans for infra improvement on that street, including CYCLOPS junctions.

For Road.cc, can I ask that we avoid overuse of "tragic", as imo this has become hackneyed as a word used in motor deaths to deflect from responsibility.

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Owd Big 'Ead | 1 week ago
9 likes

Ffs!
How is that not murder?
He took the time to lean his bike up against railings before confronting the deceased.
It wasn't an impulsive decision to throw a punch.
Utterly tragic.
My condolences to Michael, his family and friends.

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mattw replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 1 week ago
3 likes

Presumably intention to kill cannot be proven.

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Tom_77 replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 1 week ago
0 likes

CPS Guidelines - murder requires intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm.

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john_smith replied to Tom_77 | 1 week ago
3 likes

Does punching a 78-year old in the head not indicate intent to cause grievous bodily harm?

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Capt Sisko replied to john_smith | 1 week ago
1 like

100% Intent so why not murder

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biking59boomer | 1 week ago
6 likes

Well, I've got no sympathy with this thug. He could have simply ignored him and rode on. Instead he killed him. Looking at the evidence I'd say he's lucky not to have faced a murder charge.

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ktache | 1 week ago
2 likes

My thoughts are with the family and friends of Michael.

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lesterama | 1 week ago
17 likes

Don't call him a cyclist, call him a person on a bike. Or a sh1t on a bike.

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PRSboy replied to lesterama | 1 week ago
8 likes

Agreed.  This article has nothing at all to do with cycling and has no place in these pages.

 

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john_smith replied to PRSboy | 1 week ago
5 likes

If he hadn't been cycling the argument wouldn't have happened. The story's got as much to with cycling as many on this site.

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cycleofaddiction replied to john_smith | 1 week ago
1 like

I think he was trying to make the point that someone who identifies as a cyclist probably cares about what that means to the wider public. Whilst not everyone who rides a bike gives a shit about cycling and what that means. ie just someone who happens to be riding a bike!

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JLasTSR replied to lesterama | 1 week ago
2 likes

Well said. Definitely a dispicable person. 

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bobbinogs replied to lesterama | 1 week ago
12 likes

TBF, we don't make any distinction when a driver does something crap...actually though, thinking about it, it's the car that's usually blamed.

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miffed replied to bobbinogs | 1 week ago
1 like

I came here to say that 'person on a bicycle' should be the phrase used for people not actively engaged with the wider cycling culture. 
I'm also not super happy that these stories are covered by cycling media but you cover them better than the tabloids do, give fair and balanced criticism and I'm sure it drives traffic and ad revenue so understand why they're run

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Car Delenda Est replied to lesterama | 1 week ago
4 likes

so I'm not a cyclist because i don't own any lycra?

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miffed replied to Car Delenda Est | 1 week ago
0 likes

I think the clothes you wear dont matter, the way you think about yourself and your relationship with cycling. 

Posting on road.cc gives an idea you care more about cycling than just using a bike a utilitarian tool for a to b. 

It's not just gatekeeping, theres a degree of showing that being a cyclist is more than just riding a bike and on the other hand not only Cyclist can use bike infrastructure 

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chrisonabike replied to miffed | 1 week ago
1 like
miffed wrote:

Posting on road.cc gives an idea you care more about cycling than just using a bike a utilitarian tool for a to b. 

It's not just gatekeeping, theres a degree of showing that being a cyclist is more than just riding a bike and on the other hand not only Cyclist can use bike infrastructure 

I think a (very) small minority of people in many places consider themselves "cyclists" - whether particularly interested in the sport side, exploration or transport (often associated with "activism" eg. how to make it easier for ourselves and normally others to accomplish tasks by cycling).

... it's just that in the UK the vast majority of the population don't ride a bike after they're kids, so there are few "non-comittal" bike riders.

By contrast in places with "mass cycling" - NL the prime example - the majority of people do at some point. It's like walking in the UK but probably more journeys are "walked using a bike" than are walked in the UK (cycling is easier and more efficient)!

There is even a Dutch word for "cyclist" - "fietser" - just meaning "person on a bike" without connotations of identity, devotion to cycling etc.

As Chris Boardman says in his video on cycling in NL "I haven't seen a single 'cyclist' ". I think that's not a bad explanation for UK viewers. Although not quite exact as people are not *entirely* agnostic about choice of transport mode - metal (or carbon fibre) horses for courses.

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john_smith replied to lesterama | 1 week ago
1 like

As is always the case with words, the meaning depends on the context. I was amused to be asked on the channel ferry recently whether I was a "driver". As it turned out, I wasn't, even though I had driven onto the boat and very much hoped to drive off it.

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