Film agent cleared of dangerous driving after incident with cycling activist

A theatrical agent who drove for 65ft (20m) with a cycling activist on the bonnet of his car has been cleared of assault and dangerous driving.

Paul Lyon-Maris, who has represented actors including Colin Firth and Sir Ian McKellen, told a jury the YouTuber Michael Van Erp "jumped" on his car.

Mr Van Erp tried to stop Mr Lyon-Maris driving on the wrong side of the road.

The agent had pulled out of a queue near Regent's Park in central London because he was running late.

Prosecution lawyer James Dean told Southwark Crown Court that Mr Lyon-Maris, 60, used his Range Rover "as a weapon" in an act of "road rage" during rush hour in September 2021.

Mr Van Erp - who is known for catching motorists, including ex-boxer Chris Eubank and film director Guy Ritchie, breaking road laws - filmed the incident using a head camera and a selfie stick.

The 50-year-old road safety activist, told jurors Mr Lyon-Maris drove at him and he fell on to the vehicle "like a crash test dummy".

But the jury acquitted Mr Lyon-Maris, from Belsize Park in north-west London, of dangerous driving and common assault.

He had previously pleaded guilty to a traffic offence for ignoring a "keep left" sign to make a right turn and was fined at the magistrates' court.

The judge, Recorder Jonathan Bellamy, said: "I wish Mr Lyon-Maris luck in his profession and elsewhere."

Mr Van Erp, who works as a carer, told how he gained "notoriety" after broadcaster Jeremy Vine retweeted one of his videos of him on the bonnet of a silver Mercedes on the same stretch of road.

He claims to have been responsible for hundreds of prosecutions against motorists.

He told the jury he accepted stepping out in front of vehicles was "risky" but added: "I look at it in the same way as taking the keys off a drink-driver - I want to stop the immediate harm."

Giving evidence, Mr Lyon-Maris said he did not know who Mr Van Erp was or what he was doing when he stepped out in front of him, telling jurors: "I did not move forward. He jumped on to the bonnet, moved back and jumped on again."

He said he was "surprised and a little intimidated" during the incident and insisted: "I'm not a person who becomes enraged."