A theatrical agent, who jumped a traffic queue in his Range Rover, carried a well-known cycling campaigner on the bonnet for twenty yards when challenged about his driving, a court heard yesterday.
'Cycling Mikey': Michael Van Erp
Paul Jerome Lyon-Maris, 60, was on his way to an appointment in heavy morning rush hour traffic at 8.25am when he ignored a ‘Keep Left’ sign and was blocked by Michael Van Erp, 50.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court were played video the Dutch cycling campaigner recorded on his GoPro camera in which he is heard shouting: “Why are you driving into me?”
Lyon-Maris, of Wychcombe Studios, England Lane, Hampstead can be heard shouting: “I’ve got an appointment at half past eight. Get out of the way!”
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of driving his grey two-litre Range Rover Velar dangerously on September 9, last year in Outer Circle, Regent’s Park.
Lyon-Maris has also pleaded not guilty to one count of assaulting professional carer Mr Van Erp, who has a popular YouTube channel called ‘CyclingMikey’.
Prosecutor Mr James Dean told the trial: “On the day in question the defendant was driving south down the Outer Circle and there was a line of traffic going back one hundred yards, caused by traffic lights at Marylebone Road.
“At the junction there is a traffic island, which is quite wide and as you approach there is a ‘keep left’ arrow.
“Mr Van Erp was standing at that island as he had on previous occasions and had a head strap carrying a GoPro camera and had a selfie stick , which had a camera on the end off it.
“He was there to see if anyone was going to avoid that traffic island to execute a right hand turn .
“He is a cyclist and he and other cyclists say they are inconvenienced or endangered by illegal manoeuvres there.
“He saw the Range Rover coming towards him, coming out of the line of traffic and stepped out accordingly, determined to stop him.
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| Paul Lyon-Maris (L) & lawyer Michael Epstein (R) |
“The driver, who had one male passenger, stopped and immediately began to remonstrate in a very agitated manner, which you will see on the video, shouting and telling him to get out of the way because he had an urgent doctor’s appointment.”
The prosecutor told the jury Lyon-Maris moved his Range Rover forward, causing Van Erp, who moved to the UK in 1998, to fall onto the bonnet.
“The driver continues to move forward at a walking pace and carried Mr Van Erp, who fell over the bonnet again and continued to drive on the wrong side of the road and stopped twenty yards later with Mr Van Erp still on the bonnet.”
The jury were played Van Erp’s video and he could be heard dismissing Lyon-Maris’s claim to be late for a medical appointment. “I don’t care, you’re a liar. Call 999,” he said.
“I’m calling the police, you hit me,” continued Van Erp. “You cannot be driving on me. Don’t touch me or I will smack you. Your driving is outrageous.
“Do not drive off. If you drive off that’s leaving the scene of an accident.”
A female eye-witness claimed it was the second time that morning Van Erp deliberately jumped onto car bonnets, but the cyclist objected: “I didn’t launch myself onto the bonnet. Don’t tell lies.”
Mr Dean said: “He did not fall or throw himself onto the bonnet.”
Lyon-Maris was recorded telling police at the scene: “He threw himself onto my bonnet and he would not get off. I am late for an appointment because the road is closed.”
He admitted ignoring the ‘Keep Left’ sign and was later fined for that motoring offence, telling police: “I’m so sorry. He jumped onto my bonnet.”
The police officer knew Van Erp and told him: “I’ve watched your videos. I know what you do.”
Van Erp told police: “Growing up in Zimbabwe my tolerance for risk is quite high.”
Lyon-Maris told the officers: “I apologise for ruining your morning,” insisting he was not concerned by Van Erp’s video recording. “He would have recorded me trying to avoid him.”
Mr Dean suggested Lyon-Maris simply lost his temper that busy morning.
“He could have gone back and then gone back into the queue of cars and he may have found that humiliating in front of the other queue of cars.
“He was late for a physiotherapy appointment and perhaps felt entitled to break the law.”
Van Erp told the trial he had already turned around two vehicles that morning for driving on the wrong side of the road when he saw Lyon-Maris approaching from the back of a long queue of vehicles.
“The third driver came with a bit more speed. The driver came up to me, paused briefly and then drove into me.
“The driver and passenger were screaming something about a doctor’s appointment.
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| Outside Court: Michael Van Erp |
“The first time the driver drove into me wasn’t very hard.
“I was directly in front of him. Right in front of the bonnet.
“It was a very stressful moment because of the speed he came up with.
“I am told I do not look afraid, but I can assure you I am on the inside.
“I was reasonably sure there was no emergency. People with a genuine emergency would behave quite differently.
“The passenger stuck his head out of the window and shouted: ‘We have got to go to the doctor,’ with very high energy.
“Both were moving in a hugely agitated way, as if they were upset or stressed and the driver drove forward again.”
Van Erp took one step back and told the jury the car came at him again.
“He bumped me rather harder this time. The hardness was not enough to leave injuries, but I played ice hockey and it was as hard as an average ice hockey kick to feel ‘oof’ on the inside.
“I remember leaning forward because I had no choice, grabbing the indentation of the bonnet.
“Afterwards I realised my head camera had been knocked off, my GoPro camera, from the impact of the vehicle hitting me.
“I had no choice because I was bumped with his car. Nobody should bump anyone with their car.
“Two or three tons of Range Rover doesn’t stop very easily.
“I remember lifting my feet off the ground because I was concerned abut being dragged under the car.
“He was still driving forward, not very fast, maybe going faster and slower somewhere around walking pace.
“I was looking at the driver and passenger. I remember saying: ’Stop, go back,’ and there was more gesticulating from the passenger.
“The driver carried on driving with me on the bonnet and I was aware of much noise and commotion from people around the junction.
“I remember the driver screaming at me: ‘I’m late for the doctor and pointing at his watch.’
“It looked like quite a nice watch, a goldish colour.
“The passenger got out and pleaded with me to move out of the way so they could get to the doctor.”
Van Erp heard the unknown female passer-by complain to a police officer he had already jumped onto two vehicles at the junction.
“I don’t throw myself on any vehicles. In fact I backed away from this vehicle before this gentleman hit me,” he told the trial.
There was another confrontation with Lyon-Maris’s passenger, the court heard.
“He went to push me out of the way and said something along the lines of ‘done this before’ and said: ‘Give me that.’ in relation to my 360 degree camera and I shoved him off.”
Earlier Van Erp told the jury he often visited the junction to block cars driving the wrong way down the road.
“I accept stepping out in front of drivers is a risk on my part, but I see it as taking the keys off a drunk driver.”
Trial continues………….
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