Bad affair all round,Trouble is a lot of the `green laners`and lads on crossers where I live take no notice of private land or livestock in fields and I think this is common in most areas,The idiots have even ridden in my wifes fields with her horses in them and two decided it would be funny to do doughnuts around her when she was `schooling` a horse in the field we own,luckily she managed to stay on a rearing and bucking extremely frightened horse ,real mature and responsible bikers I dont think. I see the issue from both sides as I own a couple of Cr`s and enjoy hacking round the pits near me,but if I went on private land as was seen I would expect to be chased and possibly have the s!$% kicked out of me,All actions have consequences and some are tragic
From some of the above responses you'd think the farmer meant to kill the poor sod. This country is getting smaller and smaller for those that want to escape their urban confines and share it with those that work the land. I'm not sure there is a happy medium anymore or what the answer is; what are the rules/regs/laws regarding off road riding?
j p: Was it the farmers land? Is it marked no trespassing? If yes, IMHO. He has every right to fill their asses full of rock Salt or buck shot!!!!!!
Very different situation in the UK fortunately....you can't shoot someone just because they happen to stray onto your land.
IMHO it's manslaughter. The farmer could have just stopped and shown them the ewrror of his ways rather than using his vehicle as a weapon and pursuing them aggressively......based on what's known of course.
This sorta reads like the guys were mature trail riders intending to follow legal routes. It is easy to lose a path and stray, I've done it myself, and had farmers shouting at me, which is stressful. Sounds like the farmer must have seen red mist and lost it.
Its usually the kids who ride illegally, with no insurance, tax and often no helmets round by us.
I think all farmers are c!$%s with no exception what so ever.
I live amongst them and they are the most arrogant, self serving and obnoxious human beings I have ever met. Basically they think they own all the land and we all owe them a living, apart from the £100.000 they get off the government for doing nowt. I hate them so much I would gladly stick one in a starving of bunch pigs.
They drive around the roads from the fields distributing so much mud on the roads it is lethal for bikes. By law they actually supposed to put signs up saying "beware mud on road" Do they f!$%.
I hate them all with no exception and I hope they all die in farm machinary accidents or better still become mutilated.
Obee Wan: From some of the above responses you'd think the farmer meant to kill the poor sod. This country is getting smaller and smaller for those that want to escape their urban confines and share it with those that work the land. I'm not sure there is a happy medium anymore or what the answer is; what are the rules/regs/laws regarding off road riding?
j p: Was it the farmers land? Is it marked no trespassing? If yes, IMHO. He has every right to fill their asses full of rock Salt or buck shot!!!!!!
Very different situation in the UK fortunately....you can't shoot someone just because they happen to stray onto your land.
IMHO it's manslaughter. The farmer could have just stopped and shown them the ewrror of his ways rather than using his vehicle as a weapon and pursuing them aggressively......based on what's known of course.
Second incident in a week of somebody throwing their vehicle at somebody else ... one more of these and we'll all have to have a licen .... oh yeah
From personal experience of just walking on marked, unobstructed paths quite a few farmers treat other peoples safety with complete contempt and fail to envisage the consequences of their actions
My pet hate is farmers who insist on driving around in s!$% chariots with 3 miles of traffic stuck behind them, leaving s!$%, mud and crap all over the road and refusing to pull over.
My fervent wish in these cases is that the fire engine that might be stuck at the end of these queues is on it's way to the farmers house
If you were a farmer, whose most frequent contact with Joe Public was in the form of illegal use of 4x4's, or groups of motocrossers, and you regularly had to repair broken fences or move other folks rubbish that was dumped in your ditches, you might not be so accomodating
just have a bit of consideration thats all...slow up for walkers dogs,horses turn off if they are looking a bit wild no big deal but twats do ruin it for most!!!! as in everthing we do on bikes
Aye ... I think that is is far from black and white. If the farmer had had youths on crossers, or whatever, on his land previously then it's no wonder he got rather cross. You must remember that most farmers are rather dim and couldn't tell a legal trail iron from a Chinese idiot machine ...
Exackerly TQ - My son and his friends like to ride their motocrossers at weekends, but are not too bothered about actually competing. Hence they got in touch with a local farmer they know and asked if he could help them. He obliged by giving them permission to ride on some set aside
Another farmer they know whose kids were into bikes has actually built a dirt track in one of his fields, annd for a small fee of around £10/day they can take the bikes up there and have a whale of a time, and no one is upset.
It's all about local knowledge and engaging with the right people whose every day lives and livlelyhoods involves the cuontryside. Show them some respect and don't abuse their trust and good nature and lots of times you'd bge suprised how helpful they can turn out to be
Obee Wan: what are the rules/regs/laws regarding off road riding?
To legally ride on a byway (Green Lane) the bike must be taxed, insured & MOT'd (if applicable)
Byway's (despite their often unmetalled surface) are roads and the same rules apply
Koro: This sorta reads like the guys were mature trail riders intending to follow legal routes. It is easy to lose a path and stray, I've done it myself, and had farmers shouting at me, which is stressful. Sounds like the farmer must have seen red mist and lost it.
Its usually the kids who ride illegally, with no insurance, tax and often no helmets round by us.
Totally agree
I've been persued on several occassions by irate land owners. On one occassion I was nearly rammed off my DRZ by a guy in an Izusu Trooper so I stopped and had words. I was riding legally but he had just had a confrontation with a group of guys on illegal M/X bikes and he thought I was with them. We chatted and I produced an OS map that clearly defined the route I was riding as being legal. He backed down and I wished him luck in resolving his off road issue
The farmer in the article however sounds like a complete c!$% but as I wasn't there and don't know what lanes they were riding it's open to interpretation
"We chatted and I produced an OS map that clearly defined the route I was riding as being legal. He backed down and I wished him luck in resolving his off road issue"
Judge had nothing to do with it Jury trial 12 men and true. There will now be a civil action that will cost his insurance £100,000's that one he can't escape.
Big AL: Not read through the whole Thread on here , but have followed the story on Trail Bike Forum . Didnt know the guy, but sounds like Farmer was a bit OTT
Here is a reply from the chaps wife to some of the rather unfair comments shown by members of pistonheads . Quite moving !!
Originally Posted by Riders Wife on PistonHeads Right here you go guys, you want the FACTS. Then you can have them.
On the 30th October 2010 my Husband of 17 years, my husband who spent 23 years serving in Her Majesty's Royal Navy, my husband who had no criminal convictions, who worked every day of his life since the age of 16, paid his taxes,respected people, lived his life quietly and made every single person he met laugh and love him. My husband went out for a ride with his friends, one a bank manager, one a construction director, one a company director and one a mental health worker (not a bunch of imbosiles as some of you sick heartless individuals seem to assume)
He never came home! He never came home because he was killed. The facts are:- Yes they did get lost, they took a wrong turn into an open field. A stubble field. No crops, no anmimals no gates. They drove around the edge of this stinking feild looking for an exit, when they realised there wasn't one they turned their bikes around to leave. At that point they saw a 4X4 tearing towards them. Not liking the speed at which this vehicle was approaching they continued to leave the field.
The vehicle continued at high speed and chased after them, it chased them and chased them pushing them off this persons land and back onto it. In the dock he admitted driving into my husband. He may not have got up that morning with the intent to kill someone but the moment he continued driving at them that was his intention. He was asked the question "why didn't you stop when they left the field" his answer "they were on my land"
His actions killed my husband, but because this individual is of "good character" they find him not guilty. Well in my book the law just said - you get lost, you take a wrong turn onto someone's land you get your loaded gun or 4X4 and you go ahead and wipe that person out. The law now says it's fine to do that so go ahead Farmer Giles - fill your boots.
All the true and honest people are the ones who can see just what that man did that day, all the people who seem to think the actions of that farmer are justified should be ashamed of yourselves. How dare you even think you can make a judgement or comment on something so serious in such a blaze manner. Come knock on my door and I'll show you just what he did, I'll show you just what he took away.
FYI, Not at any time in the past 16 months has that man shown one single bit of remorse, Not one single apologetic word has come from his mouth. So if this was an accident would'nt you be sorry, wouldn't you be mortified that your accidental actions took a life. He's not, and never has been sorry so how the hell was it ever an accident. I'll tell you the type of person him and his friends are:- They are this so called group of upstanding pillars of the community they not only tried to intimidate me in court on a daily basis, they looked at my family with smug grins across their faces when the verdict was read out. When two of the riders walked past the farmer in court he in turn looked directly at them and smiled. What did any of us ever do? My husband didnt deserve to die in such a violent and painful manner, no one deserves that. I don't deserve to spend the rest of my life without him and to be frank and honest with you all I don't want to. I'd give my last breath away right now to someone in this world fighting to live if it meant I could be with my husband.
Where's the justice in any of that. The law stinks and so do those who stand here and justify the actions of a man who has deliberatley taken a life and got off scott free
My Wife has met him, she works with his daughter....apparently he is a bit of a nasty piece of work and doesn't take any crap from anybody!......says it all really. He got away with it though
This country is getting smaller and smaller for those that want to escape their urban confines and share it with those that work the land. I'm not sure there is a happy medium anymore or what the answer is; what are the rules/regs/laws regarding off road riding?
no big deal
but twats do ruin it for most!!!! as in everthing we do on bikes
, but sounds like Farmer was a bit OTT 
