Cyclist who killed mum-of-two by crashing into her on bike with no front brake ‘copied’ stunts he watched online

A DEATH crash cyclist was yesterday accused of copying a stuntman.

Charlie Alliston, 20, fatally struck Kim Briggs on his illegal brakeless track bike in busy Old Street, central London, last year.

He was yesterday quizzed in court over a tweet he made about Lucas Brunelle, who films urban stunts for the web.

Jurors were told that in February 2015, Alliston had posted on Twitter: "The time when you first take your brakes off and feeling like you are in a @lucasbrunelle movie."

Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC said  the tweet implied that he was "pleased" to have taken the front brakes off.

Alliston replied: "I didn't say it in that sort of sense. For me, it was just a case of taking off the front brake, as I was confident enough to control my speed by the pedals.

"I was never in a situation where a brake was needed for me to come to a complete halt. I have just written the tweet and sent it off. There was nothing subliminal."

When asked by Mr Penny why he was encouraging people to take their front brakes off, Alliston replied: "I wasn't encouraging anyone at all. It was just a tweet that I made."

Alliston is said to have shouted at Kim as she lay dying in the road – and later blamed her for the collision in online posts.

He wrote: “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.”

In another, he wrote: "She put not only hers, but my life in danger."

The cyclist also said: "F*** me and my health, I can heal and recover. The bike cannot. Thankfully I was going quite a slowish/moderate speed. Plus I skidded too, which slowed me down a bit.

"But unfortunately the momentum kept me going. If I were going any faster the frame would have cracked or been shattered."

But he told jurors at the Old Bailey today he was "not at all" proud of the "stupid" posts he made online.

Asked if he saw himself as "the victim" in the days following the crash, Alliston said: "Not once have I ever looked at myself as the victim, or for sympathy."

He added: "I'm not going to stand by them (the posts). At the end of the day, I accept it was not thought through and stupid."

Alliston was also quizzed on comments he made on an Evening Standard article about the collision later that day, in which he claimed the crash was not his fault.

He told the court: "The whole comment if I am honest with you, it wasn't thought over, it wasn't drafted. It was just spur of the moment.

"It was just a case of I am getting heat left, right and centre. And I am sitting there innocently thinking of giving people the heads up?"

Alliston is currently on trial at the Old Bailey after denying manslaughter and causing bodily harm to Kim by "wanton or furious driving".

Expert tests conducted afterwards 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.

Alliston was riding a fixed wheel track bike with no front brake, which is not legal on the road, when he crashed into Kim.

But he claims 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."

Turning to safety, Alliston said: "I was never in a situation where I felt like I need a helmet.

"In regards to enjoying taking safety risks, no. I didn't at no time enjoy it.

"I didn't get a kick or enjoyment out of being unsafe."

Alliston said he had worked as a courier for three different companies based in central London for around six to eight months from mid-2015.

He told jurors he used the same Cinelli brand fixed-gear road/track bike, which was not fitted with a front brake when he bought it, making around 20 deliveries a day.

He said he did put a front brake on the £700 cycle "at times", but was never made aware of the legal requirement for it.

His barrister, Mark Wyeth QC, asked: "Were you aware at any point in your life up to the collision on February 12, 2016 that there was this regulation that 'fixies' had to have a front brake?"

"No," said Alliston.

Jurors were previously told the cyclist "clattered" onto the road while Kim fell to the ground, and her mobile phone ended up in the middle of the road.

She died from her ";catastrophic" injuries a week later, having suffered two skull fractures.

He has denied he was "daydreaming" or on his phone and added: "People are always going to blame the cyclists."

The cyclist told cops after he was arrested: "I have slowed down enough for her to get past me", jurors were told.

Alliston, now 20, was on his way to get food for himself and his girlfriend at the time of the crash.

The court was told he had shouted twice after spotting Kim to "make her aware of his presence".

He said he directed a second shout towards the pedestrian and slowed down as he approached her - manoeuvring his bike to avoid her.
Alliston said: "After the collision I just jumped straight back up to my feet, turned around, saw what happened and then went blank."

The trial continues.

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