Tfl 'refuse to release CCTV footage' of MoD chief cycle crash because he did not die

 
Mark Beverstock, 51, was catapulted through the air and fractured his shoulder in the collision at Vauxhall Cross

A military chief who was knocked unconscious in a hit-and-run collision as he cycled to work today claimed he was denied CCTV footage of the incident because it was not serious enough.

Rear Admiral Mark Beverstock, 51, was catapulted through the air and fractured his shoulder as he tried to negotiate Vauxhall Cross, one of the capital’s most dangerous junctions. He was dragged to safety by another cyclist.

He reported the incident to the Met police but was “staggered” to be told a week later that it had closed the case as he had been unable to provide the van’s registration number.

When he tried to obtain CCTV footage of the collision, just after 7am on July 3, he found Transport for London only released footage to the police if a cyclist had been killed.

He also learned most of the footage gathered by TfL traffic cameras at junctions such as Vauxhall Cross was only a “live feed” and is not routinely recorded unless it was viewed by a camera operator.

Mr Beverstock has now written to Boris Johnson, as chairman of TfL, urging him to ensure CCTV footage is routinely recorded and made available in all cases when cyclists suffer serious injuries.

He said this was essential to reduce the increasing number of hit-and-run collisions in London and “woeful” prosecution rate. In his letter to the Mayor, Mr Beverstock said the seriousness of his injuries merited a charge of dangerous driving.

He wrote: “I subsequently contacted the police and asked why they were not tracking down the offender using CCTV camera coverage of this junction… but they informed that, as a matter of policy, London Transport do not release camera data unless there has been a fatality.”

Last month the Standard revealed that 1,014 cyclists and 1,212 pedestrians were injured by drivers who failed to stop — including two cyclists and four pedestrians killed.

Mr Beverstock said TfL would not give him the CCTV footage he asked for

Mr Beverstock, an assistant chief of the defence staff and ex-president of the Royal Navy cycling association, had been riding to work in Whitehall.

“The next thing I knew, I had been hit from behind by some sort of van and was waking up on the road. Luckily a passing cyclist dragged me to the side of the road.”

He had to admit himself to A&E at St Thomas’ hospital. He was angry when the police case was dropped. “I rang them up and said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t provide the registration number, but as I was laying on the road after getting knocked unconscious the chances of getting it were pretty slim’.”

He told the Standard: “The bottom line is there is someone out there who has got away with it. There is no deterrent at all for these drivers if they are not going to be brought to justice.”

A TfL spokesman said: “When the police and other law enforcement agencies request CCTV footage from TfL, we will always help where we can and share footage and data.

“We do not have any plans for TfL’s traffic monitoring cameras, used to keep London’s roads moving, to record footage on a continuous basis. However, CCTV footage from buses, at Tube stations and other locations on the transport network are recorded and provided to assist the police if required for investigating incidents on the network, including traffic collisions.”

A Met spokesman said: “The Metropolitan Police Service is currently looking into this incident to ensure a full and proportionate investigation is undertaken in relation to this serious personal injury collision.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in