Fred Hill - Man of Unshakable Principle

Fred Hill died from heart failure in Pentonville prison aged 74. He was halfway through a 60 day sentence for refusing to recognise the 1973 compulsory helmet law. Fred had been jailed a staggering 30 times before for exercising what he saw as a basic right to ride his motorcycle dressed as he saw fit. Fred’s shortest sentence was just 24 hours, which the court decreed could be served in the police cells. A sympathetic desk sergeant advised Fred that he wouldn’t be even be locking his cell and recommended to his prisoner: “When no one’s looking, just bugger off Fred.’”

Other officers were less sympathetic with one burly PC bringing a ludicrous assault charge against Fred back in 1978 when Fred was 68. The case collapsed in farce with the cop blubbing in court as the issue had caused him such stress.

A haughty woman magistrate once tried to talk down to Fred, a retired maths teacher and former WW2 despatch rider by berating him for his lawlessness. Fred reminded the woman that if it hadn’t been for others of her sex breaking the law years ago she would not now be sitting where she was. That earned him another seven days in jail. One man’s stand against the 1973 helmet law spawned a whole movement.

MAG (Motorcycle Action Group) backed Fred throughout his campaign. This riders’ rights organisation has never been against voluntary helmet use it simply resents people being criminalised for exercising choice. Fred stood resolutely for the core principle of MAG which is, if people are not harming anyone then leave them alone to enjoy motorcycles without trying to protect them from themselves.

It’s worth noting that there was no reduction in fatalities following the introduction of the helmet law in this country. In the USA a federal helmet law was passed in 1967 but 31 states have now repealed helmet laws for adults.

Ian Mutch MAG President and founder member