Rider who injured Nicky Campbell’s daughter in hit-and-run ‘was showing off on bulky, souped-up illegal e-bike’ – and fled when an ambulance arrived

Broadcaster Nicky Campbell has revealed her daughter was seriously injured in a hit-and-run with an e-bike.

The Long Lost Family presenter, 65, said Lilla was with her two sisters and a friend in Peckham, south-east London, when she was hit by the speeding bike on Friday night. He was left on the ground covered in blood.

The unidentified driver, who was seen riding his bicycle unbalanced before the collision, fled the scene after the ambulance arrived and the surrounding people gathered.

The Mail on Sunday has long been campaigning against the scourge of illegal e-bikes. Some can travel at speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can be purchased without a license or insurance.

Lilla, 26, who works in advertising, was taken to King’s College Hospital with facial injuries as well as various other injuries.

Footage seen by this newspaper shows him lying on a stretcher as paramedics treat him. His arms and face are covered in blood and he has bandages around his head. It turned out that he lost consciousness on the way to the hospital.

Describing it as a ‘long and emotional night’, Mr Campbell wrote on social media that his family were ‘incredibly lucky’ as the incident could have been ‘much worse’.

He added that Lilla is now recovering at home.

Campbell was photographed with her daughter in 2021. He lost consciousness on the way to the hospital

The unidentified driver, who was seen riding his bicycle unbalanced before the collision, fled the scene after the ambulance arrived and the surrounding people gathered.

Mr Campbell, who hosts a phone-in show on BBC Radio 5 Live and has four daughters, told his 181,000 followers on X: ‘My daughter Lilla was hit by an e-bike in Peckham last night – hope there’s CCTV.’

In a post on his Instagram account, Mr Campbell said: ‘When he saw the ambulance arriving and the crowd gathering he ran away. His sisters Kirsty and Isla were also with him.’

A source close to the Campbells said the attacker was on one of ‘those bulky, souped-up illegal bikes’ and suggested this may have been the reason they escaped.

‘He was showing off his bike on the road before the accident,’ they added. ‘Lilla’s friend saw the cyclist coming down the road in a frenzied manner, swerving at high speed.’

The source said yesterday that Lilla had difficulty ‘moving one side of her body’ as well as facial injuries, but ‘luckily no bones were broken’.

Mr Campbell, who is married to former Virgin Radio journalist Tina Ritchie, told X how a man walked into an A&E ward and exposed himself to Lilla, her sisters and friends.

He was later arrested. ‘The police were amazing,’ he wrote. ‘I spoke to them when I arrived at 03.15 and he is now in custody.

‘We all want to say a huge thank you to our fantastic police and the wonderful staff, nurses and doctors at King’s College Hospital. From the depths of our hearts. ‘They were all amazing.’

He accompanied his message with a photo of a banner that read ‘Thank you’.

Messages of support filled the comments sections; many wish their daughter a speedy recovery and others are scolding the e-bike scourge.

When The Mail on Sunday visited the crash site yesterday, dried blood was still visible on the road near bars and restaurants in the area.

Food delivery driver Ali Hamza said he saw the cyclist who hit Lilla and identified him as Afro-Caribbean.

‘I was shocked when I saw what happened. I felt really bad,” said Mr. Hamza, who is originally from Pakistan.

Scotland Yard did not comment, but an official said those involved did not suffer life-changing or life-threatening injuries.