The law is basically an ass then.
Bills committed a horrendous series of crimes including killing a cyclist, gets 40 months and is forgiven. He will probably be eventually allowed back on the road despite demonstrating that he's completely unsuited for the privilege of being allowed to be responsible for driving a motor vehicle on the roads.
The jailed cyclist Alliston, on the other hand, happened to collide with a pedestrian who stepped out in front of him without looking – that was an accident. However, high profile media coverage and a well connected and funded husband of the victim spun a negative campaign against Alliston (for example, "a fan of “dangerous” bike racing videos"). An old and obscure piece of law from history was found in order to have something to prosecute Alliston on and so he was convicted at the highest court in the land of “wanton and furious driving” for 18 months.
As consequence of the Briggs v Alliston trial, there was a rise in anti-cycling sentiment, coverage and calls, lead by Mr Briggs, for cyclists to be legislated against.
