Island Games cyclists victims of road rage

The driver, Ryan Woodhouse, 27, of 2, Braye Cottages, Braye Road, Vale, was found guilty of four offences and will be sentenced next month once a probation report has been prepared.

He had denied dangerous driving, using threatening behaviour towards Mr Serafin and damaging his bicycle.

He also denied driving without reasonable consideration for other road users in the incident involving Mr Colver.

His defence was one of identification and his advocate, Samuel Steel, expressed concerns about trial by social media as Woodhouse’s car had been pointed out to the cyclists on Facebook.

The incidents happened in April 2019, between about 5.30 and 6pm.

Mr Serafin told the court he had turned off L’Ancresse Road into Les Amarreurs Road when he heard a car being revved up behind him.

After overtaking him, a Honda Civic came to a halt so close in front of him that he was forced to ride on the grass. When he asked the driver what he was playing at, he replied that if he carried on like that he would run him over.

Mr Serafin cycled off in front of the car but when he heard its wheels spinning he rode back on to the grass so he could wait for it to pass.

The driver got out of the car, removed his cap and T-shirt, and was ‘in his face’ saying that if the cyclist did it again he would find him and his family.

Mr Serafin said he had not known what he was supposed to have done.

The driver then kicked a wheel on his bicycle, causing it to buckle, before getting back in his car and driving off.

He noted the registration number of the vehicle.

He said he felt quite intimidated by the incident.

A work colleague, who was a car enthusiast, showed him a photo of a red Honda Civic on Facebook the next day.

Separately, Mr Colver and a friend were riding along La Route de L’Islet, towards L’Islet crossroads, when they heard a car engine revving heavily behind them as the driver waited to overtake.

The car was wheel-spinning through the gears as it went past them and the driver stuck his middle finger up to the riders out of the window.

Mr Colver said the driver was very angry, wound up, and abusive towards them and they expected confrontation when they rolled up behind him at the yellow line at the crossroads.

The driver was abusive towards them and Mr Colver noticed he did not have a top on.

He made them wait at the yellow line and said he had all day, before he drove off.

In the following days Mr Colver saw what he believed to be the same vehicle for sale on Facebook which had enabled him to identify the driver.

He said he was a good friend of Mr Serafin.

They had spoken about their experiences soon after they happened in terms of the type of car involved but not identification of the driver.

Woodhouse was arrested on 7 May 2019 when he gave no comment responses to questions in police interview.

On 19 May, the cyclists went to the police station separately to take part in a photographic ID parade. Mr Colver picked out the defendant with absolute certainty while Mr Serafin picked him too, but said he could only be 65% sure.

Both told police what they had seen on Facebook but were not asked to provide any further information.

Advocate Samuel Steel asked the court to exclude evidence from the identification procedure as both witnesses had already seen his client on Facebook.

‘Those Facebook pictures were not disclosed to the defence so it is unfair [for the court] to rely on the formal ID process,’ he said.

He was concerned about trial by social media and said both witnesses had identified his client in circumstances that were prejudicial to his case.

Judge Russell Finch ruled that while the formal identification process affected the weight of the evidence it was not so prejudicial in light of totality to demand exclusion.

Mr Serafin had noted the car’s registration number at the time of the incident. It had been registered to the defendant and that had not been contested.

But he said police should go further in their investigations when social media comes into play.