Cyclist who hit pedestrian 'shouted at her as she lay on the ground dying'

A cyclist accused of killing a woman after crashing into her on his racing bike shouted at her as she lay injured on the ground, a court has heard.

Charlie Alliston, 20, collided with HR consultant Kim Briggs, 44, at nearly 20mph in OId Street, central London in February last year.

The former courier, who was 18 at the time, later posted to Facebook to say that people have “zero respect” for cyclists, jurors were told.

Alliston was riding a Planet X “fixie” — a fixed-gear track bicycle with no front brake, which is not legal on the road without modification.

Expert tests found that if the bike had a front brake, he would have been able to stop and avoid the collision on February 12 last year, the Old Bailey was told.

Edward Small, a forensic collision investigator with the Met Police, said: “The tests show that using a fixed wheel cycle with a front brake cuts the stopping distance.”

“He would have been able to stop at the available distance and avoid the collision in time,” he added.

Mother-of-two Briggs died from her “catastrophic” injuries a week after the collision, having suffered two skull fractures.

In a statement, witness David Callan said he was waiting at a pedestrian crossing on the north side of Old Street, to the west of the intersection with Charlotte Road, at about 12.15pm.

He said: “I had my head down looking at something on my phone, when I heard a shout.

“I couldn’t tell what was shouted but it made me look up immediately, just in time to see a collision between a cyclist and a pedestrian.

“The pedestrian wasn’t using the pedestrian crossing, and the collision occurred approximately 30 or so feet after the crossing.

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“The cyclist flew though the air as the pedestrian fell at the point of impact.

“The cyclist clattered to the ground further down the road, but quickly sprang to their feet, shouting something at the pedestrian as they took a step towards the pedestrian, who lay on the ground.

“It sounded like the same voice I heard immediately prior to the collision.”

He went on: “The cyclist froze after taking that initial step, seeing the pedestrian was still lying on the ground.

“At this point I became aware of two men who appeared to be loading or unloading from a van parked near to the collision on the same south side of Old Street.

“They walked towards the pedestrian but they and the cyclist kept a few feet away from the pedestrian, who remained on the ground.

“One of the two men started to use his phone, which I assumed was to call an ambulance. And he also told the other man to retrieve the pedestrian’s phone from the middle of the road.”

PC Small said Alliston was cycling at an average speed of 18mph along Old Street, and was between 6.5 and 9.5m from Mrs Briggs.

He had slowed down to between ten and 14mph before the collision, but was unable to stop in time, jurors were told.

In one set of tests, investigators found a conventional bike with brakes could be stopped at about 3m, the court heard.

He is said to have written: “I feel bad due to the seriousness of her injuries but I can put my hand up and say this is not my fault.

“People either think they are invincible or have zero respect for cyclists.”

Alliston, of Bermondsey, south east London, denies manslaughter, and causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving.

The trial continues.