Isle of Wight Man Avoids Prison After Pushing Cyclist Off Seawall

An idiotic Isle of Wight man has avoided immediate custody after pushing a cyclist over the side of a seawall because he "thought it would be funny".

Daniel Dickons, 39, of Avenue Road, Sandown, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he appeared at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 16th April 2026.

I tweeted about this case at the time of the first hearing.

Man pushed woman in her 60s over Isle of Wight seawall: https://t.co/59tdx1SYWD You're going to struggle to comprehend the total idiocy of Daniel Dickons, 39, of Avenue Road, Sandown, who admitted ABH at IoW Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

— Magistrates' Blog (@MagistratesBlog) April 18, 2026

Dickons was sentenced by the same court on Tuesday, 30th June 2026.

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) is an offence under section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. It has a maximum penalty of 52 weeks' custody on summary conviction; 5 years' custody on conviction on indictment.

At the first hearing Magistrates heard that Dickons assaulted the unsuspecting victim on Tuesday, 5th August 2025.

She was cycling along the seawall on Culver Parade, between Yaverland and Sandown, shortly before 3 pm that afternoon. The wall in question, which is shown at the head of this article, doubles as a walk and cycleway.

As she rode past Dickons he stuck his arm out and pushed her over the side of the seawall, causing her to fall a distance of 5 or 6 feet onto the sand below.

The woman's bicycle landed on top of her. As a result of Dickons' unprovoked assault she sustained several injuries, including a sizeable scar to her chin, a neck injury, a black eye, and an exposed kneecap.

When asked to account for his actions, Dickons replied he "thought it would be funny".

Oscar Vincent, mitigating, told the court that his client, who has six previous convictions, had been out of trouble for the previous thirteen years.

He added that Dickons was remorseful and made full and frank admissions to the police.

Magistrates were of the view that Dickons' crime was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate. However, in line with the Sentencing Act 2026, they suspended the custodial term.

Dickons was sentenced to 52 weeks' custody suspended for 2 years, with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement and up to 35 days' rehabilitation activity.

He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to the cyclist.

In the circumstances that was the most severe sentence that the court could have imposed. Immediate custody would have been entirely appropriate, had the current regime allowed it.