Bricklayer, 32, riding illegally modified e-bike capable of twice legal speed hit and killed woman, 56, at 30mph then raced from scene because he ‘just wanted his mum’, court hears
- Thomas Hanlon, 32, hit and killed pedestrian Sakine Cihan, 56, in August 2018
- Specialized bike was modified to make it go faster, the Old Bailey heard today
- Hanlon denies death by careless driving and being unlicensed and uninsured
A bricklayer riding an E-bike that had allegedly been illegally modified fled after fatally crashing into a woman because he ‘just wanted his mum’, the Old Bailey heard today.
Thomas Hanlon, 32, smashed into Sakine Cihan, 56, when he was said to be 10mph above the 20mph speed limit as she crossed Kingsland Road in Dalston, east London in August 2018.
The bike was a red ‘Hardrock’ mountain model from cycle company Specialized that had, the prosecution claim, been fitted with a highly-powered battery motor capable of travelling at double the legal 15.5mph speed limit for E-bikes. This would make it technically a motorbike, requiring a licence and insurance, it is alleged.
Bricklayer Thomas Hanlon, 32, (pictured today) smashed into Sakine Cihan, 56, when he was allegedly 10mph above the 20mph speed limit as she crossed Kingsland Road in Dalston, east London in August 2018
Mrs Cihan collapsed bleeding and had suffered multiple fractured ribs in the crash. She died in hospital the next day as a result of a ‘catastrophic’ head injury, in what is believed to be the first death of a pedestrian after a collision with an E-bike in the UK.
Hanlon told police on arrest that he knew he had crashed into Mrs Cihan but left without checking on the victim, the court heard today.
He claimed he bought the bike a year earlier on Gumtree for £850 and had recently fitted it with hydraulic brakes which worked ‘as good as gold.’
A full transcript of the police interview was read to jurors today in which Hanlon said: ‘I just wanted to go home, I was confused…I just wanted to sleep, I just wanted my mum…’
Mrs Cihan collapsed bleeding and had suffered multiple fractured ribs in the crash. She died in hospital the next day as a result of a ‘catastrophic’ head injury
The interviewing police officer asked: ‘How [do] the brakes work?’
‘Good as gold. I changed the front brakes to a hydraulic brake which is in now,’ Hanlon said.
‘The lights were green so you carried on – did you try and apply the brakes at all?’ the officer asked.
‘I did but it was just way too late,’ Hanlon said. ‘She just went out into the road. I tried to pull both brakes, no time to swerve or nothing she didn’t even look at me.’
Hanlon (pictured earlier in the trial) told police a witness had asked him to stay at the scene but he was ‘in no fit state’ to check on the wellbeing of Mrs Cihan
The officer asked: ‘Were you aware that you hit her?’
‘Yeah,’ Hanlon said.
He told police a witness had asked him to stay at the scene but he was ‘in no fit state’ to check on the wellbeing of Mrs Cihan.
According to Hanlon, the witness said: ‘There’s a cut above your head, you should stay, you should get checked out.’
‘Had you checked on the woman?’ the officer asked Hanlon.
‘No I was in no fit state,’ he replied. ‘There were loads of people there.’
Hanlon said when he got home he told his mother he had fallen off his bike but ‘was getting sick and just went to bed’ and mentioned nothing about the victim.
He was urged to contact police after his mother learnt about the crash on the news, the court heard.
Hanlon, of Hackney, told officers: ‘I was just getting sick, I just went into bed. That’s when she saw the news and she asked what was going on.’
He denies one count of causing death by careless driving, one of causing death while uninsured and one of causing death while unlicensed.
The trial continues.