When have you ever seen a cyclist wait in the zoned area?
Last week, cyclist Jason Howard was fined £2,200 for killing 17-year-old Rhiannon Bennett, a horse management student he mowed down while cycling on the pavement.
As Howard, 36, a line painter from Buckingham, sped towards Rhiannon, he shouted, "Move, because I'm not stopping."
With no time to react, the 17-year-old was hit with the full force of the £4,750 custom-built bicycle, suffering fatal injuries as she hit her head on the pavement. Howard told the court that he could have avoided Rhiannon if he had slowed down.
The carbon fibre titanium bicycle was built to Howard's specifications. Despite its cost, the court heard it did not comply with the Highway Code because it had no reflectors on the pedals or on the back.
Howard, who has a previous conviction and is well-known in his home town as a thrill-seeker, was also ordered to pay £750 in costs.Rhiannon's father, Mick, said, "It's laughable - when we first heard about this we thought it would be manslaughter, or perhaps even murder, but this is Britain. He is an arrogant, vile little man."
Rhiannon's mother, Diana, said: "Words cannot express how broken-hearted we are as a family.
"My daughter ended up dying for him having a bike ride."
A CPS spokesman said: "A file of evidence from the police was reviewed by a senior CPS prosecutor and, based on that evidence, it was decided the charge of dangerous cycling was the most appropriate."
Appropriate for whom? Another victory for British justice. And how does a line painter (roads? football pitches?) afford nearly five grand for a pushbike?
