Who is Charlie Alliston? Cyclist sentenced to 18 months in prison over death of Kim Briggs

A CYCLIST who knocked down and killed a mum-of-two after he crashed into her on a bike without a front brake was found guilty of wanton and furious driving in a landmark case.

Charlie Alliston was 18 years old when he rode into Kim Briggs as she crossed Old Street, east London, on February 12 2016. We reveal all...

Who is Charlie Alliston?

Alliston, 20, was charged with manslaughter and causing bodily harm by wanton and furious driving after he fatally crashed into Kim Briggs, 44, as she crossed Old Street in East London on 12 February 2016.

Then aged 18, Alliston was said to have been travelling at nearly 20mph when he mowed down the mum-of-two during her lunch break.

Alliston was riding a fixed-gear track bicycle with no front brake, which is illegal to take on the road without modification.

Hours after the crash, he posted a comment online after seeing a newspaper report about the incident.

He wrote: “It was her fault, but no she did not deserve it. Hopefully it is a lesson to be learned on her behalf."

He went on to claim Briggs had been on her mobile phone: “I refuse to accept any responsibility in this whatsoever… It’s not my fault people think they are invincible or just have zero respect for cyclists.

“What makes it worse is that, even when people were helping her, her phone was going off continuously with texts showing she was on it at the time. If you value your phone more than your life maybe this is the type of wake up call you need.”

What happened to Kim Briggs?

The 44-year-old mum-of two was on her lunch break when she was knocked down while crossing the road.

Alliston allegedly shouted at Mrs Briggs to “get out of the way” twice before their heads smashed together.

She suffered catastrophic head injuries in the collision and died a week later in hospital.

Mrs Briggs had just started a new job as head of HR at a company close to where she was knocked down.

What is a Planet X fixed-wheel bike?

Alliston was riding a Planet X carbon-frame fixed-gear cycle - a type of bike used in velodrome racing.

They can only legally be taken on to the streets if fitted with a front brake.

The Old Bailey heard Alliston say he had ridden track bikes since 2014.

In 2015 he tweeted about taking the brakes off a previous bike as like being “in a Lucas Brunelle movie”, referring to an American stunt rider.

He bought his black Planet X fixed-wheel track bike for £470 - just a month before the crash.

Investigators concluded that Alliston could have stopped in time if he had a front brake, the court heard.

But he claimed he had no idea it was a legal requirement for a front brake – and insisted it would not have made any difference when he saw Kim come into the road.

“I tried to go around,” he said.

“Having a brake, I wouldn’t have had enough time to pull it.

“It was a few split seconds prior to the impact, which caused the impact, so a brake at the time wouldn’t have made a difference.”

What has Charlie Alliston been convicted of?

On August 23 2017, the cyclist was was cleared of manslaughter but found guilty of “wanton and furious driving” in the groundbreaking case.

He had denied both charges.

Prosecutors took the unprecedented step of bringing a manslaughter charge due to the unusually grave circumstances of the case.

On 18 September, Alliston was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 18 months in prison.