Driver sacked for tweet about hitting a cyclist

Rayhan Qadar, a graduate at Hargreaves Lansdown who goes by the handle @RayQ18, demonstrated how to lose your job in less than 140 characters.

It received an enormous backlash online, from cyclists and drivers alike, and managed to reach his employers. A spokesman for the investment company declared that they had terminated his contract with immediate effect, and that his comments were “totally unacceptable”.

Mr Qadar’s worries don’t end there. If you hit a cyclist, you are legally obliged to stop. Twitter users managed to alert Greater Manchester Police, who are investigating and urging him to come forward.

The 21 year old did issue an apology, claiming he had not hit a cyclist, and it was simply a “joke gone bad”.

This isn’t the first time tweets about hitting cyclists have landed somebody in hot water. Trainee accountant Emma Way lost her job last summer due to a similarly infamous tweet.

If you think Qadar isn’t likely to face a court for his online behaviour, think again. Emma Way was found guilty of failing to stop and failure to report, receiving seven penalty points and a fine.

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