Cab driver jailed for hitting cyclist

Published on Monday 3 November 2008 23:46

A TAXI driver who knocked down a cyclist he thought had made an offensive gesture towards him was jailed for four months yesterday.

Alistair Palmer, 53, swerved towards the cyclist, Michael Martin, twice before knocking him to the ground in April this year, Glasgow Sheriff Court heard.

He carried out the attack after the 39-year-old slapped the back of his black cab and signalled that he was getting too close.

Sentencing Palmer, Sheriff Andrew Mackie told him: "The courts will always treat the use of a motor vehicle in such a way as a very serious offence.

"It may just have been luck that Mr Martin, the cyclist, was not more seriously injured."

At an earlier hearing, Palmer, of Moodiesburn, was convicted of assaulting Mr Martin with his vehicle in Lenzie near Glasgow, on 20 April. He was also found guilty of failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report it to police.

Mr Martin told the court that he was out for a Sunday morning cycle when Palmer tried to overtake him at a mini-roundabout.

He said: "Just as we approached the roundabout the taxi cut in front of me, and because of the traffic island it had to come in closer to me than was comfortable.

"It was a natural instinct to put my hand out and there was a slap as my hand made contact with the taxi.

"The driver turned round and I kind of pointed at my eye as if to say, watch where you're going."

The cyclist then rode through the roundabout before noticing that the taxi was again approaching him.

Mr Martin added: "I was aware that the vehicle was very close and there was contact between my hip and thigh and the front of the taxi.

"The impact caused me to swerve towards the kerb and I jumped up on to the kerb, still cycling. At that point I became aware that the taxi was also on the pavement and again made contact with me.

"I put my hand to the front of the taxi to try to stop it and that then knocked me off my bike and flicked me round the front of the car into the centre of the road."

The court was told that the taxi then drove off, but another driver noted the registration and called an ambulance for Mr Martin, who was cut and bruised. Palmer told the court that he thought Mr Martin had "given me the finger" and chased after him because he had hit his taxi.

He said: "I put the window down to shout at him to stop, but he just kept on going. He went to take another swipe at the taxi and I braked and he hit thin air and tumbled off his bike."

The defence lawyer, Graham Walker, said Palmer had since lost his taxi licence and that the effects of the case coming to court had been "catastrophic" for his client.

Palmer was also disqualified from driving for 18 months.