Cyclist in collision with girl urged to come forward

8:15am Thursday 24th November 2011 in News By Jane Reader

INJURED: Sienna Barnett, four, who suffered a broken leg after being knocked over by a cyclist outside the family shop in Southbourne Grove. pictured with her mum Bonnie and older sister Georgia INJURED: Sienna Barnett, four, who suffered a broken leg after being knocked over by a cyclist outside the family shop in Southbourne Grove. pictured with her mum Bonnie and older sister Georgia

THIS is the little girl left in agony when an irresponsible cyclist ploughed into her in the dark on a pavement in Bournemouth.

Sienna Barnett, who is just four years old, has been left with two breaks to her lower left leg following the hit-and-run incident in Southbourne Grove.

Now police have issued a CCTV picture of a man they would like to interview as part of their inquiry.

Sienna, a reception class pupil, has been forced to pull out of her first school nativity play and ballet classes.

Her mum Bonnie has appealed for the public’s help in tracing the cyclist, who collided with her outside the family’s shop, TD Fruits, just before 5pm closing time on Saturday.

Sienna, a pupil at St Thomas Garnet’s in Southbourne, screamed in agony when the cyclist knocked her down in front of her horrified mum.

“He came tearing down the pavement really fast and Sienna had only taken one step from the shop doorway when he hit her” said Bonnie.

“She just screamed ‘my leg, my leg’ and I knew staightaway that it was serious.”

Bonnie said the cyclist stopped briefly when he was challenged by a passer-by but said: “I am trying to say sorry, what more do you want?” before riding off.

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Sienna – who has two sisters, 18-year-old Georgia and Elly, 14 – was taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital, where a temporary cast was fitted, and went to the Poole Fracture Clinic yesterday to have a full cast put on.

Little Sienna said: “The man on the bike was in the dark and he didn’t even have any lights on or anything. My leg really hurts.”

And Bonnie told how her father was hit by a cyclist in almost the same spot two years ago.

“The pavements are quite wide in Southbourne Grove so people think they can get away with riding on them,” she added.

Sgt Sarah Jones of Dorset’s traffic unit said: “I am now able to release a picture of a man that we wish to speak with. I am appealing for this man, and anyone who recognises this man, to contact me urgently. I am also keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision and, in particular, anyone who may have challenged the cyclist following the collision.”

Police have urged any witnesses or those with information to call them on 101 quoting incident number 19:491 or the free and anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.

The offender is described as a white male, 18 to 22-years-old, with short hair, dark clothing and a dark-coloured mountain bike.

Comments(51)

kmilla says...
8:32am Thu 24 Nov 11

I had to check site to see what 'police urge rider' to do - my 'real' Echo dropped the words 'to come forward' off the edge of the front page. And the pic of 'Cyclist on CCTV' whom police are seeking, simply proves how ineffective our expensive CCTV systems actually are in enabling recognition.

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kmilla says...
8:32am Thu 24 Nov 11

I had to check site to see what 'police urge rider' to do - my 'real' Echo dropped the words 'to come forward' off the edge of the front page. And the pic of 'Cyclist on CCTV' whom police are seeking, simply proves how ineffective our expensive CCTV systems actually are in enabling recognition.

Report this post »

Grumpy Griff says...
8:47am Thu 24 Nov 11

What is the point of having CCTV if the images are so ruddy poor!!

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throatwarbler says...
9:01am Thu 24 Nov 11

somebody must know who this man is - he is lacking in facial features for starters.

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derek_acorah says...
9:12am Thu 24 Nov 11

throatwarbler wrote:
somebody must know who this man is - he is lacking in facial features for starters.
Hmmm....no facial features.....could it be Lord Voldemort?

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John on Westciff says...
9:16am Thu 24 Nov 11

The police are to blame for this little girls injures because they ignore the offences of pavement cycling that we can all see every day in our local areas and in the town centre The vast majority of us want some action but we are also ignored

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Cosmic Crusader says...
9:16am Thu 24 Nov 11

This is another case of the ongong dispute between wheels and feet. The cyclist should be ashamed of himself and accept responsibility. However, cycling is encouraged in this area of Southbourne as evidenced by the number of cycle parking facilities on the pavement. It has been mentioned in the article that the pavement is very wide and this is true. Very tempting for a cyclist, wary of the relatively narrow road with parking on both sides. Another case of the council planners not really considering the wider implications of such a scheme at the design stage.

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Bournehammer68 says...
9:25am Thu 24 Nov 11

Merry Christmas everyone.
that person is not a cyclist. he is a man on a bike. There is a huge difference, one that I wish the Echo would put across instead of perpetuating the war of words between us all.
Anyway, I hope the little girl and the little boy from the other story are both recovering well from their ordeals at the hands of stupid people that shouldn't be in charge of a box of crayons let alone a vehicle (car, bike whatever).
Goodwill to all Cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. Man this Brandy's good. ;)

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Ziggy starburst says...
9:35am Thu 24 Nov 11

Unbelievable. Ok, he shouldn't have been riding on the pavement and the poor girl was injured but this is typical overreaction from cyclist hating Bournemouth. He WAS in the wrong but if he is found he will probably be stoned to death in the square by the way people are reacting. It was an unfortunate accident. Again, he shouldn't have been on the pavement but the way this is being covered by the press and some echo readers you would have thought he was a serial killer. I bet there is a team of police assigned to this while thieves and druggies run riot through the town. I would prefer the police to concentrate on that for the time being

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ben111 says...
9:55am Thu 24 Nov 11

Before we demonise all cyclists ...... The number of deaths and injuries of cyclists is rising at a "worrying rate", a safety charity has warned.

Government figures for Britain showed a 3% rise in casualties to 17,430 in the year to September 2010, compared with the previous 12 months

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not a fatty says...
9:57am Thu 24 Nov 11

So it happened to her dad two years ago,but they still haven't taught her to look both ways as she leaves the shop.

Do most people let four year olds run around unsupervised on pavements?

If it was so dark,why wasn't she carrying a torch,and how can the cctv show the cyclist?They're not infra red cameras.

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Lobo says...
9:58am Thu 24 Nov 11

Bournehammer68 wrote:
Merry Christmas everyone.
that person is not a cyclist. he is a man on a bike. There is a huge difference, one that I wish the Echo would put across instead of perpetuating the war of words between us all.
Anyway, I hope the little girl and the little boy from the other story are both recovering well from their ordeals at the hands of stupid people that shouldn't be in charge of a box of crayons let alone a vehicle (car, bike whatever).
Goodwill to all Cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. Man this Brandy's good. ;)
From the Oxford dictionary:

Cyclist - noun - a person who rides a bicycle.

No mention of doing it every day or any other qualifiers.

Report this post »

mad git says...
9:59am Thu 24 Nov 11

Ziggy starburst wrote:
Unbelievable. Ok, he shouldn't have been riding on the pavement and the poor girl was injured but this is typical overreaction from cyclist hating Bournemouth. He WAS in the wrong but if he is found he will probably be stoned to death in the square by the way people are reacting. It was an unfortunate accident. Again, he shouldn't have been on the pavement but the way this is being covered by the press and some echo readers you would have thought he was a serial killer. I bet there is a team of police assigned to this while thieves and druggies run riot through the town. I would prefer the police to concentrate on that for the time being
really? i would rather see my children safe from ALL dangers. the druggies and thieves are only a PART of the dangers my babies face. remember this is about a FOUR YEAR OLD CHILD!! not an adult so i hope there IS a team set up.

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don elgin says...
10:02am Thu 24 Nov 11

A good clear picture, this man is probably having his collar felt as I post.
Thanking the ECHO for a job well done,
What a gorgeous looking family the Barnett's are
Happy Christmas to all the Barnett's

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Bournehammer68 says...
10:09am Thu 24 Nov 11

Lobo wrote:
Bournehammer68 wrote:
Merry Christmas everyone.
that person is not a cyclist. he is a man on a bike. There is a huge difference, one that I wish the Echo would put across instead of perpetuating the war of words between us all.
Anyway, I hope the little girl and the little boy from the other story are both recovering well from their ordeals at the hands of stupid people that shouldn't be in charge of a box of crayons let alone a vehicle (car, bike whatever).
Goodwill to all Cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. Man this Brandy's good. ;)
From the Oxford dictionary:

Cyclist - noun - a person who rides a bicycle.

No mention of doing it every day or any other qualifiers.
Could you look up pedantic for me too?

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TinyLegacy says...
10:11am Thu 24 Nov 11

not a fatty wrote:
So it happened to her dad two years ago,but they still haven't taught her to look both ways as she leaves the shop.

Do most people let four year olds run around unsupervised on pavements?

If it was so dark,why wasn't she carrying a torch,and how can the cctv show the cyclist?They're not infra red cameras.
The level of your stupidity amazes me, it must have reached a record high. I'll keep an eye out for someone shopping with a torch and hand you an award shall I?

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not a fatty says...
10:20am Thu 24 Nov 11

That's my point exactly,it's streetlit there,not pitch dark,if she'd been taught to look,she coulda seen him.

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Lobo says...
10:21am Thu 24 Nov 11

Bournehammer68 wrote:
Lobo wrote:
Bournehammer68 wrote:
Merry Christmas everyone.
that person is not a cyclist. he is a man on a bike. There is a huge difference, one that I wish the Echo would put across instead of perpetuating the war of words between us all.
Anyway, I hope the little girl and the little boy from the other story are both recovering well from their ordeals at the hands of stupid people that shouldn't be in charge of a box of crayons let alone a vehicle (car, bike whatever).
Goodwill to all Cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. Man this Brandy's good. ;)
From the Oxford dictionary:

Cyclist - noun - a person who rides a bicycle.

No mention of doing it every day or any other qualifiers.
Could you look up pedantic for me too?
Pot, kettle, black - you are the pedant by (incorrectly) trying to assert that this idiot was not a cyclist by appling a spurious definition of what constitutes one.

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anonEmouse says...
10:31am Thu 24 Nov 11

not a fatty wrote:
So it happened to her dad two years ago,but they still haven't taught her to look both ways as she leaves the shop.

Do most people let four year olds run around unsupervised on pavements?

If it was so dark,why wasn't she carrying a torch,and how can the cctv show the cyclist?They're not infra red cameras.
not a fatty are you educationally challanged? as your post is retarded.

The poor little girl is not in the wrong, she was on the pavement where she was suppossed to be.

Are you saying every pedestrian should carry a torch?

The person on the bike was clearly in the wrong, firstly because he was riding on the pavement and secondly because he had no lights on his bike.

I hope this little girl mends soon and enjoys her Christmas.

If the Police wont do anything about cyclists riding on the pavement. Maybe pedestrians should try a good well aimed kick and knock these cyclists off their bike when riding on the pavement. That would soon stop them from riding on the pavement in future. If one gets near me when i'm walking thats what I will do. As if this had been an older person god alone knows what injuries they might have sustained. Cyclists need to follow the highway code just as any other road user.

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throatwarbler says...
10:32am Thu 24 Nov 11

Ziggy starburst wrote:
Unbelievable. Ok, he shouldn't have been riding on the pavement and the poor girl was injured but this is typical overreaction from cyclist hating Bournemouth. He WAS in the wrong but if he is found he will probably be stoned to death in the square by the way people are reacting. It was an unfortunate accident. Again, he shouldn't have been on the pavement but the way this is being covered by the press and some echo readers you would have thought he was a serial killer. I bet there is a team of police assigned to this while thieves and druggies run riot through the town. I would prefer the police to concentrate on that for the time being
In no way was this an "unfortunate accident". He was deliberately riding his bike ("tearing along") on THE PAVEMENT. The pavement is where pedestrians are commonly found as they don't (generally) like to walk on the road in towns (that obviously needs pointing out to some people).

it beggars belief that anybody can attempt to justify this. Is i therefore ok to drive a car along the pavement?

I don'think he should be stoned to death (although, to fair, i haven't met him) i just believe he should be prosecuted under the terms laid out under UK law.

A pedestrian on a pavement should ot have to worry about being "accidentally" run over.

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Noel. says...
10:37am Thu 24 Nov 11

not a fatty wrote:
That's my point exactly,it's streetlit there,not pitch dark,if she'd been taught to look,she coulda seen him.
Yes, but why should a 4 year old have to look out for an adult, unsociable, idiot acting recklessly and breaking the law anyway?

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Yes Sir says...
10:49am Thu 24 Nov 11

It’s not only cyclists that cause danger it’s those four wheel scooters whose riders think they own the road, the pavement and the aisles in the supermarkets.
There will be a nasty accident one day with these untaxed and uninsured scooters.
*
I hope they catch to cyclist and make him go and apologise to the little girl personally and then throw him/her inside. I wish the little girl Sienna all the best, and hope she gets well soon.
*
I also agree that the police (or what we have left of them) should stop cyclists from breaking the law by riding on pavement and without lights at night.

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Wintonian says...
11:17am Thu 24 Nov 11

Although he shouldn't have been cycling on the pavement, surely bigger concerns are (a) that he was doing so in such a way as to break a child's leg in the event of a collision, and more so (b) that he didn't stop.

That last point is unforgivable.

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throatwarbler says...
11:23am Thu 24 Nov 11

Yes Sir wrote:
It’s not only cyclists that cause danger it’s those four wheel scooters whose riders think they own the road, the pavement and the aisles in the supermarkets. There will be a nasty accident one day with these untaxed and uninsured scooters. * I hope they catch to cyclist and make him go and apologise to the little girl personally and then throw him/her inside. I wish the little girl Sienna all the best, and hope she gets well soon. * I also agree that the police (or what we have left of them) should stop cyclists from breaking the law by riding on pavement and without lights at night.
"There will be a nasty accident one day with these untaxed and uninsured scooters".

A woman was killed by one on the Isle of Wight a couple of years ago.

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don elgin says...
11:24am Thu 24 Nov 11

Hey Up..If the council go ahead with padded lamp post's and padded wheelie bins to stop people hurting themsells Residents of Bournmouthe and Boscomb will be the laughing stock of the UK,
Idiots on here will be asking for hand-rails the length of Pool quay to stop folks falling off,

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Lord Spring says...
11:25am Thu 24 Nov 11

Has nobody noticed,
Look no hands !!!,

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don elgin says...
11:37am Thu 24 Nov 11

he must have fallen off it a lot

Look no teeth!!!,

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Ziggy starburst says...
11:38am Thu 24 Nov 11

mad git wrote:
Ziggy starburst wrote:
Unbelievable. Ok, he shouldn't have been riding on the pavement and the poor girl was injured but this is typical overreaction from cyclist hating Bournemouth. He WAS in the wrong but if he is found he will probably be stoned to death in the square by the way people are reacting. It was an unfortunate accident. Again, he shouldn't have been on the pavement but the way this is being covered by the press and some echo readers you would have thought he was a serial killer. I bet there is a team of police assigned to this while thieves and druggies run riot through the town. I would prefer the police to concentrate on that for the time being
really? i would rather see my children safe from ALL dangers. the druggies and thieves are only a PART of the dangers my babies face. remember this is about a FOUR YEAR OLD CHILD!! not an adult so i hope there IS a team set up.
? Ok, lets get that team set then. A police team to catch someone that injured 1 child. Good work.

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grazzer says...
11:59am Thu 24 Nov 11

well if this person was not a cyclist but a person riding a bike,presumably a motorist is not a motorist but a person driving a car?

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grazzer says...
12:02pm Thu 24 Nov 11

see my comment under letter headlined don't point the finger at cyclists

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The Liberal says...
12:38pm Thu 24 Nov 11

Of course, this is headline news because it's so rare (unlike children being hit by cars, even when on the pavement). Wishing the little girl a speedy recovery though.

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Azphreal says...
1:06pm Thu 24 Nov 11

I am sick of the car driver vs cyclist spat in the Echo. He hit a 4 year old with enough force to break her leg in 2 places,if it had been a car that went onto the pavement and hit her because the driver was on a mobile would the posts be different? The police need to clamp down on people riding on the pavement as what would have happened if the child hit the ground with enough force to end up with brain damage?

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rook says...
1:06pm Thu 24 Nov 11

Lord Spring wrote:
Has nobody noticed,
Look no hands !!!,
Yes - I noticed that. It kind of makes the 'tearing along' quote seem a little contradictory.

It was an accident, the guy is an idiot, there's no need to declare war on everyone who rides a bike and I hope the little girl gets well soon.

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rook says...
1:08pm Thu 24 Nov 11

P.S. I'm heading down to Ladbrokes to see what odds I can get on him coming forward.

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BarrHumbug says...
1:10pm Thu 24 Nov 11

He looks like Sloth from The Goonies? Maybe the police could launch a sting operation tempt him out of hiding with a Baby Ruth Bar or a tub of Rocky Road?

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FNS-man says...
1:22pm Thu 24 Nov 11

This is not great, and the guy should be held responsible. I hope the little girl recovers quickly, and has her cast off for Xmas.

Fact is, though, that you are still much more likely to be killed or seriously injured on a pavement by a car.

The tone of this article is also a bit hysterical. The guy is riding along with no hands with a bag over one arm. Not sure how he could be "tearing along" the pavement. If this was a car hitting a cyclist, it would have been described as a "collision", and there would not have been details of the agony the cyclist was in or what they screamed as they were knocked off.

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In Absentia says...
1:48pm Thu 24 Nov 11

Some of the comments on here are truly idiotic and the attempts to widen the debate to include bad drivers are irrelevant.

The simple fact is that a gutless coward caused serious injury to an innocent child by his negligence and lacks the basic morality to come forward and take responsibility. That's what this story is about, nothing else.

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Professor Zaroff says...
2:03pm Thu 24 Nov 11

Azphreal wrote:
I am sick of the car driver vs cyclist spat in the Echo. He hit a 4 year old with enough force to break her leg in 2 places,if it had been a car that went onto the pavement and hit her because the driver was on a mobile would the posts be different? The police need to clamp down on people riding on the pavement as what would have happened if the child hit the ground with enough force to end up with brain damage?
The answer is 'Yes'. Look at the story about the car that damaged a buggy on a pavement (the baby/toddler escaped without harm thank goodness, but beside the point for this argument). The nature and quantity of posts are very different indeed.

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don elgin says...
2:35pm Thu 24 Nov 11

image above

His face rings a bell.

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don elgin says...
2:42pm Thu 24 Nov 11

Hes got a collection box in that bag i can see it

pound to a penny its the same bloke

Whats he doing on a childs bike anyway.

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d15 says...
3:45pm Thu 24 Nov 11

Any one seen the new crossing on boundary road near the university where the pavement goes across the cycle lane.
Get mown down by cyclist trying to push a button to cross the road. Excellent design!!

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derek_acorah says...
4:07pm Thu 24 Nov 11

don elgin wrote:
image above His face rings a bell.
Lol. Shame its only his face that rings a bell, and not his thumb.

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daveoo says...
5:01pm Thu 24 Nov 11

I think that cyclist think it is legal to ride on the pavement but the pavement is for pedestrians. If a cyclist is on the pavement then they should be walking their bike.Highway Code rule 64 for cyclist states clearly that they must not ride a bike on the pavement.

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daveoo says...
5:01pm Thu 24 Nov 11

I think that cyclist think it is legal to ride on the pavement but the pavement is for pedestrians. If a cyclist is on the pavement then they should be walking their bike.Highway Code rule 64 for cyclist states clearly that they must not ride a bike on the pavement.

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ashleycross says...
5:42pm Thu 24 Nov 11

I predict that this will become more of a problem as more people are forced into riding bikes by being unable to afford cars. Obviously those who don't want to be killed by cars will be riding on the pavement. I guess we can either throw all the cyclists into prison or maybe shock horror paint cycle lanes on all the roads!!!! Outrageous waste of public money and inconvenience for car drivers I suppose, especially when you can't even ride a bike like me, but personally if it makes pavements safer for me and little girls I'm all for it.

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don elgin says...
5:46pm Thu 24 Nov 11

Looks like he was taking the empty poppy day collecting box back to tescos

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scaredypants says...
7:31pm Thu 24 Nov 11

"From the Oxford dictionary:
Cyclist - noun - a person who rides a bicycle.
No mention of doing it every day or any other qualifiers."

Exactly Lobo !
That's why other headlines are always "runner (or walker) robs shop" depending on whether they're seen arriving or leaving the scene

how about "journalist types inflammatory piece to keep page hits up" (I assume here that the author of this piece has been a journalist at some point in the past ?)

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ShuttleX says...
8:45pm Thu 24 Nov 11

not a fatty wrote:
So it happened to her dad two years ago,but they still haven't taught her to look both ways as she leaves the shop.

Do most people let four year olds run around unsupervised on pavements?

If it was so dark,why wasn't she carrying a torch,and how can the cctv show the cyclist?They're not infra red cameras.
I normally save my contempt for those cowards in the Council who rob us blind and don't have the guts to stand up to a bully. You however Sir, are a moron.
.
People like you are the same sort of scum who blame the woman for getting raped, because she was daft enough to wear a short skirt or walk home at night.
.
Go back to the sewer pit you came from.

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QPUtd says...
10:08pm Thu 24 Nov 11

There are dangerous cyclists (such as the one in this story) and good cyclists, just as there are dangerous drivers and good ones.

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Jambonick says...
1:50am Fri 25 Nov 11

don elgin wrote:
he must have fallen off it a lot

Look no teeth!!!,
bw..hahahahahahahaha
!!

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FNS-man says...
12:40pm Fri 25 Nov 11

" There are dangerous cyclists (such as the one in this story) and good cyclists, just as there are dangerous drivers and good ones."

Indeed. And the dangerous drivers kill 5 people per day, and the dangerous cyclists kill 1 person every two years. I wonder which one is the more serious problem, and to which we should direct our energies and vitriol?

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