INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightDominic Lipinski/PAImage caption
Thomas Hanlon was cleared of casuing death by careless driving on while
riding his e-bike
A cyclist has been cleared of killing a pedestrian while riding a modified e-bike in Hackney, east
London.Thomas Hanlon, 32, was accused of "going way too quickly" when he hit Sakine Cihan in Kingsland High Street in Dalston, on 28 August
2018.He was acquitted of causing death by careless driving and driving without a licence at the Old Bailey.Jurors took just over an hour to
reach their verdicts in what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind.Image copyright@SJAhmed_Image caption
Sakine Cihan was crossing Kingsland High Street in Dalston when she was struck
The court heard Mr Hanlon's modified e-bike
was travelling at more than 10mph over the 20mph speed limit.In law, e-bikes which are fitted with an electric motor can only be driven
without a licence or insurance if their power is limited, and the motor automatically switches off at speeds above 15.5mph
Image copyrightMatt Donald/PAImage caption
The court was told Mr Hanlon left the scene despite a passer-by trying to
stop him
The court heard Mr Hanlon's bike was capable of going double that speed and as such should have been categorised
Prosecutor Nathan Rasiah read out a statement by cyclist Raymond Murphy, a witness to the 28 August crash, who said he was "struck" that Mr
Hanlon's bike was "going way too quickly for a normal electric bicycle".But, Mr Hanlon's defence barrister Claire Howell argued that Ms
Cihan "ran out in front of him"
She added: "He is going straight along a straight road on a sunny clear day when he has got the right of way and he can see the lights have
changed to green and he's just moving through
"His reactions were quicker than many confident and careful drivers in the time it took him to react to her stepping out, which suggests he
was keeping a good look out."For more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
