In court today, a YouTube cycling campaigner was charged with purposefully climbing onto the bonnet of a celebrity agent’s vehicle to make the agent seem like he had run into him.
CyclingMikey, also known as Michael Van Erp, was compelled to deny that he would jump into moving vehicles if they failed to stop for him.
An accusation of “a pre-determined choreographed move” about the event was made at one time against Mr. Van Erp, 50, who has reported Chris Eubank, Guy Ritchie, and Frank Lampard to police.
He is testifying in the trial of Paul Jerome Lyon-Maris, 60, who is accused of assaulting him on September 9 of last year while driving recklessly.
According to testimony presented before Southwark Crown Court, Mr. Van Erp obstructed Lyon-Maris’ way while recording while he was driving his gray, two-liter Range Rover Velar on the wrong side of the road in Regent’s Park’s Outer Circle.
In 2019, the cyclist reported 358 motor vehicle accidents to the police, with an 80% conviction rate.
At 8.25 a.m., incident occurred as Lyon-Maris, who has worked with Oscar-winner Colin Firth and actor Sir Ian McKellen, was racing to a physiotherapy appointment.
He asserts that after he allegedly disregarded a “Keep Left” arrow, Van Erp purposefully leapt onto the bonnet of his car and was carried for about twenty yards around a right-hand bend.
The Dutch professional caregiver was heard yelling, “Why are you driving into me?” in a video that was given to the jury.
Michael Epstein, the defense attorney, cross-examined him today and said, “This is what you do, isn’t it? This is your fallback position, if automobiles don’t follow your instructions, isn’t it?
“Your default stance is to climb up onto the bonnets of cars and accuse them of running into you.”
You’ve decided to act as the roads’ police force, don’t you? You keep an eye on traffic.
“I am preventing the imminent threat these drivers offer to other road users,” Mr. Van Erp said.
He was standing on a major pedestrian island with two cameras. He said before the court, “I stepped off at danger to myself.”
Van Erp dismissed the idea that he hurled himself into the agent’s car on purpose and said, “That’s a normal thing a driver may say.”
He jumped up onto my bonnet.
“I haven’t climbed up onto his car’s hood,” he said. He hit me with his car.
“I didn’t think this was a true emergency,” the person said. At that intersection, I’ve never really had an emergency.
It didn’t seem like a true emergency at the time. It had an impatient feeling.
Van Erp’s video footage of the event was shown to the jury, although the complainant seldom ever watched it. Before presenting his testimony, he claimed, “I considered it to be quite unpleasant,” and after seeing it, he said, “I was left panting.”
The video, according to Mr. Epstein, demonstrated Van Erp’s true goal of achieving internet “notoriety.” ‘ I think it was deliberate on your side to climb up on his car’s hood.
“Grabbing and holding onto that bonnet was a pre-planned, orchestrated motion,” the witness said.
Van Erp denied planning his acts. He deliberately ran into me twice. Mr. Lyon-Maris struck me after driving up to me.
“You’re attempting to imply that I’m the bad guy here,”
I am, the defense attorney retorted.
I thought he was appalled that someone would obstruct him there.
In our nation, there seems to be a little cultural war between motorists and bikers. As a Dutchman, I don’t believe the general people in Britain is aware of how horrible things are out there, and bicycles are even despised.
The jury had already seen the confrontation’s footage. I have an appointment at half past eight, Lyon-Maris can be heard yelling. Please move aside.
“On the day in question, the defendant was driving south along the Outer Circle and there was a queue of traffic running back one hundred yards, created by traffic lights at Marylebone Road,” prosecutor Mr. James Dean said during his opening statement.
The intersection has a big traffic island, and as you approach it, there is a ‘stay left’ arrow.
Mr. Van Erp was there, as he had been on prior occasions, and was holding a selfie stick with a camera on the end and a GoPro camera strapped to his head.
He was there to see if anybody intended to make a right turn around the traffic island.
He is a cyclist, and he claims that there are unlawful maneuvers that bother or endanger him and other riders.
He stepped out in response to seeing the Range Rover approaching from the other direction of the flow of traffic, intending to stop him.
You can see the driver, who was driving with one male passenger, get quite irritated and start yelling at the other motorist to move over since he had an urgent doctor’s appointment in the video.
According to the prosecutor, Van Erp, who immigrated to the UK in 1998, fell onto the Range Rover’s bonnet as Lyon-Maris pushed the vehicle forward.
The driver proceeded to drive on the wrong side of the road while carrying Mr. Van Erp, who fell over the bonnet once again. The driver eventually stopped 20 yards away with Mr. Van Erp still on the bonnet.
When Van Erp’s video was shown to the jury, it was clear that he was criticizing Lyon-Maris for being late for a doctor’s visit. You’re a liar, I don’t care. Dial 999,” he said.
You struck me, I’m contacting the cops, continued Van Erp. “You can’t drive on me,” I said. I’ll slap you if you touch me. You drive inexcusably.
Do not start your car. Driving away from the site of an accident is leaving the scene.
The cyclist disputed the claim that Van Erp intentionally jumped onto car bonnets for the second time that morning, saying, “I didn’t launch myself onto the bonnet.” Don’t make up things.
He did not stumble or hurl himself upon the bonnet, according to Mr. Dean.
At the scene, Lyon-Maris was overheard by police saying, “He flung himself across my bonnet and he would not get off.” Given that the route is blocked, I will be late for my appointment.
He acknowledged disobeying the “Keep Left” sign and expressed his regret to the police after being punished for the traffic infraction. On my bonnet, he leaped.
Knowing Van Erp, the policeman said, “I’ve seen your films. I am aware of what you do.
Van Erp admitted to authorities that he had a high tolerance for danger due to his upbringing in Zimbabwe.
Lyon-Maris apologized for “ruining your morning” and insisted that he was unconcerned by Van Erp’s videotaping. “He would have caught me attempting to get away from him.”
Mr. Dean proposed that Lyon-Maris had just lost his cool that hectic morning.
He could have turned around and reentered the line of automobiles, which he could have found embarrassing in front of the opposing line of cars.
He may have felt justified in breaking the law since he was running late for a physiotherapy session.
All of the accusations are refuted by Lyon-Maris. The trial goes on.