The moment a vigilante binman took on a naked cyclist as he rode through the streets in front of families during a ‘charity ride’ was caught on camera.
Lee Turnage, 46, was spared jail last week after assaulting the cyclist and attacking two police officers who arrived to arrest him at a pub.
Video footage now released by the Crown Prosecution Service shows the cyclist riding down a residential street in Colchester, Essex, on August 9.
Ipswich Crown Court heard Turnage had thought the men cycling in the buff were ‘perverts’.
Unbeknownst to Turnage, they were taking part in a World Naked Bike Ride event.
Turnage is seen in the footage on a motorbike, drawing level with his victim before delivering a punch that sent him clattering to the pavement before riding off without stopping.
Council worker Turnage was sentenced to a total of 14 months in prison, suspended for two years.
Steven Dyble, mitigating, said the offences were out of character for Turnage, who had no previous convictions except for traffic offences he committed in France in the 1990s.
A council binman was caught on camera punching a naked cyclist on a charity bike ride off his bike in Colchester, Essex, after mistaking him for a ‘pervert’
Lee Turnage, 46, walked free from court last week after assaulting the man while on his motorcycle and attacking two police officers who arrived to arrest him
He said: ‘He encountered a number of middle-aged men cycling in the nude.
‘That is not to the defendant’s taste, but he reacted very badly to what he thought of, to use the vernacular, as perverts cycling naked in what was a residential area.’
But prosecutor Charles Judge said Turnage, who was riding his motorbike without insurance, had turned around and rode back to commit the assault after initially passing the cyclists.
Mr Judge said: ‘Fortunately, although suffering cuts to [the victim’s] legs, grazing to his hands, arm, and hand, bearing in mind the force at which he was struck, he did not strike his head which would have caused more serious injuries.’
Turnage was also found with a knife and attacked two police officers who tried to arrest him outside The Leather Bottle pub in Colchester, Essex.
One of the officers had needed medical treatment so part of his ear could be glued back on as a result of the attack.
Another cyclist sent footage of incident to the police and officers later attended The Leather Bottle pub and found a helmet and backpack belonging to Turnage.
When the officer seized the items, Turnage approached them and said, ‘You’re not taking that’.
Turnage then attacked one of the officers, putting them in a headlock, kicking them in the abdomen, and damaging their glasses.
A second officer tried to restrain Turnage while onlookers, including children, watched on.
Mr Judge said: ‘PC Jenny Ham was taken to the floor and described being terrified for her safety and her colleague.
‘Other officers attended and saw PC Charlie Jones being attended to because his ear was torn – his ear was glued to repair that particular damage.’
In a victim impact statement read to Ipswich Crown Court the charity cyclist wrote: ‘This was a charity bike ride – nothing like this has ever happened to me when taking part in the numerous rides I have completed.
‘I have been struggling with sleep because of the pain in my leg – there is no let-up in it and it won’t go away.
‘The injuries sustained have impacted me greatly, especially in regard to my mobility.
‘I am more reliant on a stick and putting more weight through it because of the pain.
‘My leg remains swollen to this day, meaning I need to keep it elevated as pouch as possible. Some days it feels like that pain will never end.
‘Friends I do see spend time looking after me – they have become more like carers than friends.’
Turnage, from Colchester, admitted one charge each of dangerous driving, driving without insurance, criminal damage, and assaulting a police officer.
He also admitted two charges of actual bodily harm.
Recorder Jeremy Benson sentenced Turnage to a total of 14 months in prison, suspended for two years on Monday (Nov 10).
Turnage was also ordered to carry out 15 rehabilitation days, 75 hours of unpaid work and pay £2,000 in compensation to the cyclist.
He also had his licence revoked for the driving offences and was ordered to pay a further £200 fine.
Turnage, who works part-time as a binman for Colchester Council, was given a suspended jail term because of his previous good character and caring responsibilities for his grandmother.
When approached at his home in Colchester by the Daily Mail, he declined to comment.
