Drunken pair ‘came off worse’ in cyclist dispute (From Craven Herald)

Drunken pair ‘came off worse’ in cyclist dispute

11:39am Thursday 16th August 2012 in News

A cyclist knocked off his bike by a drunk outside Skipton Railway Station punched him and his friend, a court heard.

The cyclist, who had been riding along Broughton Road at around 6pm on September 13 last year, came up against Robert Kingdon and Benjamin Green, Skipton magistrates heard last Wednesday.

Kingdon, 26, and Green, 24, had been staggering along the road in a drunken stupor and had already been involved in an incident with a group of teenagers, the court heard.

Kingdon had asked one of the group for a cigarette and when he had been turned down pinned the young man up against a wall and punched him.

He then shouted abuse at other female members of the group when they told him to stop, the court heard.

It was shortly afterwards that Green either fell into the path of the cyclist or deliberately kicked out at him.

The cyclist rode off, leaving both men lying in the road and Green needing hospital treatment for a broken ankle.

Both Kingdon, of Church Street, Skipton, and Green, of Guardhouse Road, Keighley, admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

In mitigation, Julian White, said both men had been drinking and were unable to remember the full facts.

He accepted it had been an unsavoury incident that had been witnessed by passers-by and people at the railway station.

He said Kingdon had asked for a cigarette and accepted he had punched the teenager after being refused.

But he added in Green’s telling of the event, he had fallen into the path of the cyclist and had not kicked out at him.

He did however accept that he had wrongly “squared up” to the cyclist after both of them got to their feet.

“The cyclist hit Green and knocked him down and when Kingdon intervened, he was also struck by the cyclist and knocked down,” said Mr White.

Mr White said while Green was lying in the road, he was kicked and had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance.

“The cyclist jumped on his bike and pedalled off, no doubt chuckling that he had left the two men lying in the road in a semi-conscious state,” said Mr White.

“Green had been abusive to the cyclist, but he certainly came off worse.”

The court heard that the cyclist had made no complaint to police and his identity was not known.

Green was given a 12-month community order with supervision and ordered to attend a alcohol treatment programme and ordered to pay £200 costs.

Kingdon was also given a 12-month community order with supervision and ordered to carry out 40 hours’ unpaid work.

He was also given a 12-week curfew restricting him to his home from 7pm to 7am every day and ordered to pay £200 costs.