Man was pushed in canal amid cycling row

A 50-YEAR-OLD woman pushed a businessman into a canal after a row about rights of way for cyclists on a narrow aquaduct path.

Cyclists Katherina Mika and Brian Wiley argued over who should let who through when they approached the crossing on the Union Canal in Edinburgh.

As the row escalated Mika pushed Mr Wiley, a banking business analyst, and he and his bike ended up in the water.

Mika, of Edinburgh, was found guilty after a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court of assaulting Mr Wiley, 59, and was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work by Sheriff Peter Braid.

Mr Wiley, who uses the cycle path on a daily basis, said that on the day of the incident – July 1 2013 – he was on the narrow path on the aqueduct when he saw another cyclist coming in the opposite direction.

He said: “I usually stop to let other people pass. There is usually a signal to communicate who is going to stop and who is going to pass.”

Mr Wiley said he was on the left-hand side of the path. “I stopped to let them pass,” he said. “The person indicated they were unwilling to stay on their left-hand side.”

Mr Wiley said he had his foot on the ground at the time and the other cyclist was pushing their bike. “The other person put up their arm and hand and pushed me into the canal with my bike.”

He said he had been in.the water for two to three C minutes before cyclists pulled him and the bike out of the water.

When Fiscal Depute, Jenny Hamilton, asked if the canal was deep at that point, Mr Wiley replied “I am six foot two and the water was up to my nose.”

He said he had to replace his mobile phone which cost £100 and have his bike serviced, which cost £60.