The widower of a mother-of-two killed by a teenage cyclist on an illegal bike has won fans with moving tweets about his late wife and life as a single dad to their two children.
Matt Briggs has written about his ‘ups and downs’ since Kim Briggs’ death on Old Street in London almost two years ago and describes how grief can suddenly ‘smack you on the a***’.
Reflecting on his second Christmas without her he tweeted on New Year’s Eve: ‘For anyone taking their first steps on the long path of grief, I can tell you with great relief that nothing is as bad as your first Christmas without your loved one. It gets better, never the same, but it does get easier. #singledad’.
The father-of-two is campaigning for a new death by dangerous cycling law after Mrs Briggs, 44, was run down and killed by Charlie Alliston as she crossed the road during her lunch break on February 12 2016.
Alliston was riding an illegal ‘fixie’ bike with no front brakes and would later try to pin the blame on his victim before his conviction using 156-year-old horse and cart legislation.
Matt is also using the @KimBriggsCampaign page about being a single dad to Isaac, 14 and Emily, 12, with a series of often moving and sometimes hilarious messages about their life together.
Matt Briggs has written about the ‘ups and downs’ of life and how grief ‘sometimes smacks you on the a***’ since Kim’s death on Old Street two years ago
The widower from South London has won fans with moving tweets about his late wife and life as a single dad to their two children
Mr Briggs told MailOnline: ‘There is only so much cycling stuff I can tweet about and so I want to also share stories about how the kids are thriving and how we are trying to build a new normal after such a dreadful tragedy.
Alliston was riding an illegal ‘fixie’ bike with no front brakes and would later try to pin the blame on his victim before his conviction using 156-year-old horse and cart legislation
‘My life and the kids’ life is about so much more as we journey through this. People were really kind about the few mentions of our personal life that I made over the summer and some very kind people said that found it uplifting – so I’m just keen to share a few of life’s ups and downs with people because my kids are funny and doing well’.
Using the hashtag #singledad he describes looking after the children, getting to grips with domestics and taking on jobs that Kim did for the family including getting ready for Christmas.
The couple would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this year.
He told followers: ‘Temptation as a widowed single parent is to try & make Christmas perfect for everyone. It’s mentally exhausting, not expected by those that love you & not possible. #widowed #singledad #bereaved’.
In another recent tweet he said: ‘Decorations all done. Kim loved Christmas & we were all quite quiet at certain moments as we each remembered her. But this year was easier than last year and I think that’s a good thing. Hold your loved ones even closer to you at this time of year’.
Describing darker days without his wife he told followers: ‘Grief is certainly not a linear journey. It would seem you can have weeks & months of good progress and then suddenly get smacked on the a*** again. Like today. #grief #bereavement’.
But in a more light-hearted take on Christmas he said in the build-up: ‘So as a single dad, there’s not much that fazes me anymore. However, following Emily’s Xmas list & shopping for pants in a shop called “Pink” has just come pretty close!’.
Mr Briggs has also tweeted more generally about life at home.
Describing interaction with his children he said: ‘Call 1: Dad, where’s the toilet roll? Call 2: Dad, where are my trousers? Call 3: Dad where’s my swimming kit?….they joys of being a single dad leaving early for work! #singledad’.
And joking how often his teenage son is in hospital with sports injuries he tweeted last month: ‘I think we have enough loyalty points at A&E to get a free coffee’.
He added his son ‘can’t play for three weeks because of the concussion…..he’s gutted but at least A&E can rest easy’.
Kim Briggs was a beloved wife and mother and she and Matt would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this year
Matt is also using the @KimBriggsCampaign page about being a single dad with a series of often moving and sometimes hilarious messages about their life together
Mr Briggs has been tweeting since the day Alliston was found guilty but it soon became a platform for a minority to blame his wife for her own death.
Some even claimed falsely that she had been crossing the road while checking her mobile and called her a ‘phone zombie’, even though this was ruled out in court.
To one critic who said she was on the phone he said: ‘Alliston admitted under oath that he had lied about Kim being on her phone. She wasn’t. Please check your facts’.
He added: ‘Twitter Translation: “Dear Matt, I am searching for something to help me Victim Blame / Victim Shame your wife to help me pass the time’.
And another cyclist then stepped in and said: ‘He has opted to do this under his wife’s name. While we sympathise it cannot be expected to remain silent because he is mourning’.
An unrepentant Alliston is spending his jail term at a young offenders institution after he was jailed in August.
Unfortunately Mr Briggs is being targeted trolls, often keen cyclists keen to blame his wife for her own death
The former apprentice barber and scaffolder was seen smirking as he arrived at court – and shook his head as he was handed an 18-month sentence after a judge said he had shown ‘no remorse’ for his actions.
The judge said Alliston repeatedly showed a callous disregard to other road users and had admitted twice shouting ‘get out of the f****** way’ at Mrs Briggs.
After the crash he wrote online that she had ‘zero respect’ for bike riders.
Mrs Briggs suffered two skull fractures and ‘catastrophic’ head injuries after the accident on Old Street in east London on February 12 last year.
Afterwards his 39-year-old mother Karan said her son had been sentenced ‘appropriately’, and offered her condolences to the Briggs family.
The law does not provide for cycling bans so Alliston will be free to ride when he is let out of jail.