Driver Callum Anderson, who left an injured cyclist, blames the victim in a court outburst

RNZ News

3 days ago

By Tracy Neal, Open Justice reporter of
Callum Anderson drove off without checking on a cyclist knocked to the ground and injured after a minor collision with his vehicle.
Photo:
Akhararat _Wathanasing
A driver who left a cyclist injured on the roadside after the pair had a minor collision said it would not have happened if the cyclist could "ride a bike properly".
The volunteer worker, who the police said rode a bike as his only means of transport, was left with a broken hand and a concussion after he fell on to the road.
But Callum Oliver Anderson drove off without stopping to check on him.
The 23-year-old subcontractor said, before tossing a bundle of papers he held and storming out of court, that the cyclist was "reckless" for having "nicked the end of my wing mirror".
"It's not like I physically hit him," he argued.
"If he could ride a bike properly, this wouldn't be a problem," he said before asking if the cyclist could be prosecuted as well.
Anderson sacked his lawyer before sentencing in the Nelson District Court this week, saying he preferred to represent himself.
He had earlier admitted a charge of failing to stop to ascertain injury after the incident in Richmond, south of Nelson, on 6 January this year.
"I've got a voice and I intend to use it," Anderson said, which prompted Judge Garry Barkle to reply that so far, it had "not done him a lot of good".
Anderson was last in court in 2023, when he appeared on a wilful damage charge after he smashed the front window of a Work and Income service centre with his fist after he couldn't get help.
He was frustrated by not being able to use the social welfare agency's online app, the court heard.
On the afternoon of 6 January this year, Anderson and the cyclist were travelling in the same direction down a busy side street, near the centre of town.
As they approached an intersection, the cyclist indicated with his right arm that he planned to turn, at which point the left front of Anderson's car made contact with the cyclist's right side, the police summary of facts said.
The cyclist fell on to the road and received a concussion, a broken hand and grazes on his face.
Anderson stopped momentarily before he drove off, and left the victim "bleeding and concussed", police said.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Daryl Fenemor said the victim, who volunteered at a local conservation organisation, was angry that Anderson had driven off.
"He was really p****d off that he just drove away. If he had stopped and checked, then things might have been fine," Fenemor said.
Judge Barkle reminded an increasingly frustrated Anderson that he was not facing charges linked to his driving, but only that he had failed to stop to check on the victim.
He said that was an obligation "any reasonable human" had.
"You are required as soon as possible to stop and check if a person is injured, as a road user. That's the obligation.
"No one is saying your driving is at fault. The problem arose for you, in that you were knowingly involved and you didn't find out if the person was injured."
Judge Barkle said the summary of facts suggested that the action taken by the cyclist was in enough time for Anderson to take the appropriate action.
Anderson complained he was being blamed when in fact he was the victim, and that he had ended up in court because he was "white" and the "system was corrupt".
Judge Barkle said that was an "unfortunate attitude to have", before sentencing him to 100 hours of community work and disqualifying him from driving for a year.
The cyclist has not responded to NZME's request for comment.
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This story originally appeared in the
New Zealand Herald
.