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Police step in after Bristol man tweets that he hit cyclist Police step in after Bristol man tweets that he hit cyclist
(35 minutes later)
Police are investigating after a man tweeted that he failed to stop after hitting a cyclist while driving as he was late for work.
The man, named as Rayhan Qadar, reportedly posted the tweet on Monday at 8.30am. Police are investigating after a stockbroker tweeted that he failed to stop after hitting a cyclist while driving because he was late for work.
Under the Twitter name Ray Pew, he wrote: “Think I just hit a cyclist. But I’m late for work so had to drive off lol.” Rayhan Qadar, 21, posted the tweet on Tuesday morning under the Twitter handle Ray Pew, writing: “Think I just hit a cyclist. But I’m late for work so had to drive off lol.”
The tweet drew widespread criticism online, and within hours he was sacked from his job in the stockbroking department of Bristol investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown.The tweet drew widespread criticism online, and within hours he was sacked from his job in the stockbroking department of Bristol investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown.
Twitter users slated his apparent boast, but only after re-tweeting it and sharing it hundreds of times. Astronomer Adam Whittaker was among those who criticised the posts. He wrote: “You know what’s dumber than leaving the scene? Tweeting it for the world to see. I’ll be following your case”, while a man tweeting as Joff wrote: “Hope he was only joking about running a cyclist over or he’s in bother!”
Astronomer Adam Whittaker wrote: “You know what’s dumber than leaving the scene? Tweeting it for the world to see. I’ll be following your case”, while a man tweeting as Joff wrote: “Not a good day for @RayQ18 - hope he was only joking about running a cyclist over or he’s in bother!” Avon and Somerset police said they would be investigating the claim, saying: “We are aware of a tweet regarding a collision between a car and a bike. We are looking into this now. Any witnesses call 101. If you’ve been involved in a collision please report it at your nearest police station.”
Avon and Somerset police also said that it would be investigating the claim, saying: “We are aware of a tweet regarding a collision between a car and a bike. We are looking into this now. Any witnesses call 101. Greater Manchester police also urged him to come forward, saying: “If you hit a cyclist, you are obliged to stop. I suggest you call 101 as soon as possible, I will forward the details on.”
“If you’ve been involved in a collision please report it at your nearest police station.” Qadar, a former Cardiff University student, later apologised on Twitter for what he said was a bad taste joke. He tweeted: “My previous tweet about the cyclist was not true.” He said he had never hit a cyclist and in another tweet said that 99% of what he posted on the social network site was nonsense.
Greater Manchester Police also urged him to come forward, saying: “If you hit a cyclist, you are obliged to stop. I suggest you call 101 as soon as possible, I will forward the details on.” But the apology was not sufficient to save his job. Hargreaves Lansdown said: “One of our employees has failed to conduct themselves to the standards we expect of our staff.
Qadar, a former Cardiff University student, has since apologised for what he said was a “bad taste joke”.
But the apology was not sufficient to save his job.
Hargreaves Lansdown said: “One of our employees has failed to conduct themselves to the standards we expect of our staff.
“We find these online comments totally unacceptable. Upon becoming aware of this issue we have terminated this person’s employment with immediate effect.”“We find these online comments totally unacceptable. Upon becoming aware of this issue we have terminated this person’s employment with immediate effect.”
Qadar’s Twitter account has now been altered so that only his 1,323 confirmed followers can access his tweets. Qadar’s Twitter account was altered so that only his 1,323 confirmed followers can access his tweets. Speaking on Tuesday from his home in Bristol, Qadar again apologised. He said: “I am 100% sorry. It was a joke gone bad. I understand now that I can’t say things like that. If I did have an accident I would not drive away.
“I was literally late to work – that’s the only true bit – and I tweet a lot of nonsense. Obviously it’s not true. The only true bit is I was late for work.
“I say a lot of things like that on Twitter. People that follow me for a few years they know I talk a lot of nonsense really. That’s all it was. It was a really dumb thing to say and now I’ve lost my job. I had no idea it would blow up like that.
“Obviously I regret it and I’m so sorry to anyone who thought I might have hit someone. I wouldn’t ever drive away if I did. I’m in a bit of shock at the moment. I know it’s foolish. I wouldn’t do it again.”