This is not justice

[Ed]

This bloke deserved a much longer prison term IMHO.

Failing to stop is despicable. I think that the mags should have committed the bloke to the Crown Court for sentence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/5056804.stm

:evil: :evil: :evil:

[Speedy]

THAT IS BLOODY LUDICROUS!!!!!

What is wrong with the justice system in this country!!!!!????

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Richie]

jailed him for four months.


:evil: No way near long enough... :evil:

[rob13]

The CJS is too soft im afraid. Its the courts which dont dish out the sentences, the cops do all they can to charge them

[Spiderman]

this is really bad news. Yet another example of how bizzare the sentancing system is. And look at the case of those 2 sickos who raped that baby. They get a minimum sentance of a paltry 6yrs and when enough of the public makes a fauss to the powers that be and the case is reviewed the judges agree that the minimum was too short.

And raise it to 8yrs. :smt021


WTF goes on in this thinking process? Why are sentancing guidelines so out of touch with the crime they legislate for? Didnt one of those OAPs get a month inside for not paying her council tax.
So killing someone and attempting to evade justice is only 4x worse than not paying tax by that logic. :roll:

[sharriso74]

So Jeffrey Archer gets 18 months for telling a porky in a civil trial and you get 4 months for knocking someone of and leaving them hmmm

Ok he didn't mean to harm or kill that person but his actions resulted in the death of a person. When will people realise along with our rights also comes responsibility for our actions, There seems to be so much talk about what our rights are with no mention of our responsibilities as a citizen and for me most importantly as a human being sorry rant over

[fizzwheel]

Thats a pile of stinking donkey poo.

Apparently the police have discovered that the f*ckwit that knocked my mate over and then drove off leaving him dieing in the road was 2 1/2 times over the drink drive limit.

So he'll be getting a similarly light sentance then wont he :evil:

[Peter Henry]

So despite the cyclist being hit hard enough for him to fly 15 feet in the air and die from his injuries, all that the driver has been charged with on this occasion it would appear is the non stopping offence.

You may read the article more carefully and learn that he was already found guilty of Driving with Undue care and attention which I feel sure also carried a sentence?

Notice he was not calculated as speeding or driving dangerously? Just not paying enough attention to the road.

In summary then his total penalty is in fact more that that stated for the latest judgement. It might not be as much as one might feel suitable but there you have it.

[fizzwheel]

Well personally I think to make him fly 15ft through the air the car driver must have hit him pretty hard. What I would think has happened is that the police didnt or couldnt find enough evidence to make a charge stand that would have got the car driver a longer prison spell so the CPS went for the lesser charge that they knew they could make stick.

Its still rubbish if you ask me though.

[Peter Henry]

Fizz...I have edited my post substantially after rechecking the article in question. The height the chap was thrown was obviously that of an eye witness but how accurate their judged height was is a tough call.

The poor chap hit a sign post which if it had not been there, he might well have survived. How many other accidents that in themselves would not have been as tragic, have occurred and the consequences heightened by the presence of road furnishings,signs,lamp posts etc?

Not defending the driver in any way here. But it would seem to me that the road in question might have been a national speed limit?

[fizzwheel]

I've removed the quote from mine. Bit of a sensitive issue this kind of thing for me.

I wander what he got for Driving without due care and attention.

Your point about the sign post is a valid one though.

[quikstu]

jailed him for four months.

And he will be out in two months as per government guidelines for sentences under 5yrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mysteryjimbo]

Apparently the police have discovered that the f*ckwit that knocked my mate over and then drove off leaving him dieing in the road was 2 1/2 times over the drink drive limit.



How do you "discover" that? Either they are or they're not...

[Ed]

The whole thing stinks. Why did the driver bugger off? Well we can only guess.

This is not justice, it's a gross dereliction of duty IMHO. Even if the bloke wasn't KSI, failing to stop is a damn serious offence. It's a coward's way out, often because they've been drinking, don't have a licence, or aren't insured. As quickstu said, out in 2 months, so where's the rap?

Oh it makes me sick.

[Gnan]

people are jailed for longer for trying to get out of speed camera fines :(

[leshkin]

This really gets my blood boiling :evil:

I was hit by a cager, who ignored a give way sign, knocked me off, dragged me along the road for about 5 meters and just drove off. Police were being their usual unhelpfull selves and were more interested in seeing my tax disk at the time.

Anyway, 1 1/2 years later I'm still trying to get some kind of compensation for my injuries and the idiot who did it... nothing... got off because of "insufficient evidence", even though there were 2 witnesses pointing fingers at him.

I guess it's something to do with panic and some people can't handle this and just act like it didn't happen to them and keep going.

I think the guy in the story deserves much, much more for driving off like that. I mean if he stopped and the cyclist still died I wouldn't think that he deserved jail (depending on what happened obviously). A hefty fine and more training would be what he would've needed.

Right, I'm blabbing on :)... I just hope he meets a couple of big guys, who like other guys and I hope they make those months in jail very memorable indeed :twisted:

[falc]

What complete bull, the family of the man and his fiancee must be sick and more so at the length of penalty.

The moral of the story kids, if you plan on killing someone do it in the car as you will get only a couple of months if found out.

[Biker Biggles]

If you are stopped by plod and refuse to give a sample for suspected drink driving,you are deemed to be drunk and punished accordingly,but if you fail to stop and can't be found until later you do not face the drink driving allegation,just the less serious failing to stop charge.If this person had killed someone while drunk at the wheel he would have gone to prison for five or six years but gets away with it by running away for a few hours.Perhaps we should extend the presumption of being drunk to anyone who leaves the scene of an accident without a very very good reason?

[Tara]

Unbelievable

[Spiderman]

If you are stopped by plod and refuse to give a sample for suspected drink driving,you are deemed to be drunk and punished accordingly,but if you fail to stop and can't be found until later you do not face the drink driving allegation,just the less serious failing to stop charge.If this person had killed someone while drunk at the wheel he would have gone to prison for five or six years but gets away with it by running away for a few hours.Perhaps we should extend the presumption of being drunk to anyone who leaves the scene of an accident without a very very good reason?

See, now that just seems so sensible to me. Ipso facto, the govt will never adopt it :roll:

[Peter Henry]

Ignoring all previous comments, you have to wonder how the poor victim's family feels knowing that there loved one's life has so little value in the eyes of the law? Terribly wrong isn't it? :?

[northwind]

Perhaps we should extend the presumption of being drunk to anyone who leaves the scene of an accident without a very very good reason?

Eh, that'd be nuts. There's a big difference between refusing to give specific evidence, and just not being available to give it- there's many reasons you might leave the scene while sober, only really oen reason you'd refuse to give a breathaliser. Not sticking up for hit and run drivers, but the solution isn't to punish them for something else that you can't prove, or even strongly imply- the solution is to punish hit and run more severely.

Not really sure what I think about this one case... I would say that 4 months in prison isn't something I'd laugh off, personally. I think like's been said, they didn't think they could make vehicular manslaughter stick.

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Not really sure what I think about this one case... I would say that 4 months in prison isn't something I'd laugh off, personally. I think like's been said, they didn't think they could make vehicular manslaughter stick.

This is what I really hate about the media. More often than not in cases like this, the press whip up a sensasionalised story which results in public wrath being directed at the legal system or more specifically the judge, when really the reason for such weak convictions is either police or CPS incompetance.

Judges dont sit around thinking up ways to let scum bags off the hook, they simply apply the law, and if the prosecution presents a **** poor case then they wont secure a conviction.

Of course, justice is expensive, so the goverment just keep on changing the law to make it easier to convict people. Sure some innocent people will have their lives ruined, but never mind :roll:

[Biker Biggles]

What I'm getting at with the presumtion of drink driving is to try to make hit and run as serious an offense as DD,but it won't happen under the current system.Some people don't realise how common hit and run is,and I feel that it needs to be dealt with far more seriously.Dress it up how you like,but hit and run should carry a mandatory 12 month ban and heavy fine,and failing to stop and render aid to a casualty should be an offense as well.Try driving away from the scene in France and you could become a guest of Napoleon very quickly.

[Ed]

What I'm getting at with the presumtion of drink driving is to try to make hit and run as serious an offense as DD,but it won't happen under the current system.Some people don't realise how common hit and run is,and I feel that it needs to be dealt with far more seriously.Dress it up how you like,but hit and run should carry a mandatory 12 month ban and heavy fine,and failing to stop and render aid to a casualty should be an offense as well.Try driving away from the scene in France and you could become a guest of Napoleon very quickly.

totally agree

[Spiderman]

Perhaps we should extend the presumption of being drunk to anyone who leaves the scene of an accident without a very very good reason?

Eh, that'd be nuts. There's a big difference between refusing to give specific evidence, and just not being available to give it- there's many reasons you might leave the scene while sober, only really oen reason you'd refuse to give a breathaliser. Not sticking up for hit and run drivers, but the solution isn't to punish them for something else that you can't prove, or even strongly imply- the solution is to punish hit and run more severely.


I cant see any good reason to leave the scene of an accident where someone has been injured until cops or ambulance arrive.
Only if you think you will get in more trouble by sticking around would you leave....hence the presumption should be that you were drunk. Why else would you leave unless you were unfit to drive the car in the first place and your being unfit was what led to the accident.

I hate giving the law the authority to presume something to be the case but there seems to be so little penalty for leaving the scene that maybe this would be the way to ensure people stuck around and dealt with the consequences of their actions.

[Biker Biggles]

Here here Spidi.You and I both live in an area where hit and run is virtually normal behavior when the scroats cause their dayly carnage on the road.Have you ridden along the Edgware Way A41 Southbound towards Apex corner recently?Those massive tyre marks just by the M1 bridge were made by some idiot ploughing into a bus a couple of weeks ago.Said idiot then tried to drive off but his car was so badly damaged the front fell off and he dragged it into the Burger King and legged it.If they find him he will get done for leaving the scene.He needs to banned from driving for a long time.

[northwind]

I cant see any good reason to leave the scene of an accident where someone has been injured until cops or ambulance arrive.
Only if you think you will get in more trouble by sticking around would you leave....hence the presumption should be that you were drunk.

Hang on, you've totally lost the logic here. The main reason for leaving the scene of a crime is to try and avoid being caught at all. If you're thinking you'll get away with it, then of course you think you'll get in more trouble by sticking around, you don't have to be drunk for that to be the case.

If you think that someone's committed a crime, but that the sentence was too soft, you should be talking about raising the sentence for that crime, not randomly convicting them of something else without proof or even hearsay. When we start sending people to prison for crimes that, who knows, they might have committed, we're ****ed.

[Quedos]

I'll only say one thing

CPS - Criminal Protection Service :evil: