Hackney cyclist death: Man charged with killing woman in ‘hit-and-run’
Martin Reilly was arrested by police[1] on Saturday. A search had been launched for two people spotted leaving an overturned car following the collision at about 6.30pm last Thursday in Whiston Road, near the north side of Haggerston Park[2].
The woman cyclist, 36, who has not been named, died in hospital. She was the third woman to be killed cycling in London in recent weeks.
Reilly was charged on Monday and was remanded into custody after appearing at Thames Magistrates court. He is due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on October 23.
A second man was also arrested but police have decided to take no further reaction in relation to him.
The Met said that the family of the victim “have been and continue to be fully updated and supported by specialist officers”.
She had been rushed to hospital in a “life-threatening condition” but did not survive her injuries.
Residents complained that Whiston Road was plagued by speeding motorists and was used by drivers seeing a short-cut between Kingsland Road and Hackney Road.
In the wake of the recent cyclist deaths, the London Cycling Campaign has launched a petition calling for London mayor Sadiq Khan to do more to ensure “safe cycling for women” in the capital.
The LCC said: “The bicycle has played a significant role in liberating women in the past, and cycling could be liberating for women in London today, offering us independence, health, and affordable, climate-safe transport. But it can only do that in the right environment.
“Therefore we are calling on the mayor to make London a city where any woman can cycle safely.”
A total of five people have been killed cycling in London in 2023. None have been named.
A 27-year-old woman died at the scene of a collision with an HGV on Battersea bridge on August 10.
The second woman cyclist died in hospital on September 15 following a collision with a car in Harrow Weald.
Two men have also died cycling in London this year. A rider of a Lime e-bike died following a collision with a construction lorry in Charlotte Street in May. The other hit a lamppost in Lewisham in January.
References
- ^ police (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ Haggerston Park (www.standard.co.uk)