A barrister accused of cycling no-handed through central London told police they should be catching ‘robbers’ instead of fining him.
Paul Powlesland posted a video of the encounter with the City of London officer after he was accused of ‘careless and inconsiderate cycling’.
In the clip, she said he was riding with ‘his arms stretched out wide and off the handlebars during rush hour’ on March 5.
He then approached the officer on April 2 in Queen Victoria Street and filmed the video, before posting the footage on Thursday.
(Picture: X / @paulpowlesland)
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
In the clip, the barrister slammed the officer’s decision, claiming that riding no-handed was not an offence.
He said: ‘So anyone cycling no-handed in rush hour is going to get ticketed?’
The officer replied: ‘If I see them, yes.’
Paul then accused the officer of wasting police resources and claimed bike theft was ‘endemic’, adding: ‘You don’t even investigate most bike theft. There’s phone snatching going on – you could be getting robbers.
‘You’re letting phone snatchers and bike thieves go to ticket law-abiding citizens cycling no-handed.
‘Do you honestly think that’s a good use of City of London Police time?’
The officer said: ‘Cycling with no hands on the handlebars places others at risk and contravenes Article 2 of the Human Rights Act,’ adding: ‘It endangers people on the road.’
A spokesperson for City of London Police told Metro that during the ‘small clip of a longer interaction…the Human Rights Act was mentioned’ but that Paul was penalised under Section 29 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, for ‘careless and inconsiderate cycling’.
They said that a ticket was processed on May 19, adding: ‘Should the cyclist contest the ticket, officers will attend court and present any relevant evidence that we have obtained.’
Metro has approached Paul Powlesland for comment.
The City of London has launched a crackdown on cyclists skipping red lights – which they do at a rate ten times more than motorists.
Since the beginning of 2025, 284 cyclists in the Square Mile have been fined for failing to stop at traffic lights, compared to just 25 motorists penalised for the same offence.
Meanwhile, analysis from the Clean Cities Campaign shows that on average, 20,000 bikes are reported stolen every year across London at a rate of over 50 every day.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
