GUILTY

[addictfreak]

Lets hope the sentence fits the crime:

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/crime/death-crash-driver-had-no-licence-1-4527886

 

[Dave Davenport]

I'll be (pleasently) surprised if it does.

 

[ohnovino]

For pleading guilty he'll get a suspended sentence and an ironic driving ban.

 

[atbman]

But please note, even tho' he pleaded guilty, the story still describes the victim as being in a collision with... not as being hit by...

 

[Matthew_T]

There was a story in todays local paper (Rhyl Journal).

There had been an attempted robbery at a convenience store. The storekeepers had locked the doors to the shop when two drunk men came in and tried to rob the place.
As the men were locked inside, the shop owners had time to ring the police.

Apparently the police attempted to calm the men down and make them give up. This only wound the men up more, and one of them had a knife and threatened to stab any officer who came near him. Eventually riot police came with sheilds and took the men down.
I can only imagine that it went something like this:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM77yWQVHVg


In the end, the knife weilding robber got 5 1/2 years in jail, and his accomplice (who found out he had a knife but still carried on with the robbery) got 4 1/2 years.


Is the sentence suffice to the crime?

 

[addictfreak]

http://m.sunderlandecho.com/news/crime/death-crash-driver-escapes-jail-term-1-4546020

Well it another one gets off virtually scot free. It seems the main point was that the cyclist 'may' not have had a rear light. The fact that the driver never passed a test seems secondary.

 

[derrick]

That sounds about right for our courts. Complete joke.

 

[Red Light]

Another SWiSS (Single Witness Suicide Swerve). I was reading the Times leader the other day on the Rochdale sex abuse scandal and the the police officers yawning while the girls were being interviewed. It reminded me in many ways of the police attitude to cyclists. I wonder if it too will ever come to be seen as unacceptable.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/leaders/article3408523.ece

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

That second link says that he was insured. Insured to drive unlicensed? How on earth does that work? I would have thought the policy would have been automatically voided for driving unlicenced. Can anyone who understands motor insurance explain?

 

[srw]

That's "virtualy scot free" as in "5 years driving ban, 6-months suspended sentence and 100 hours community service" for an incident the judge said he had no opportunity to avoid, and wouldn't have been prosecuted for if he hadn't been driving illegallyon a provisional licence.

 

[srw]

That second link says that he was insured. Insured to drive unlicensed? How on earth does that work? I would have thought the policy would have been automatically voided for driving unlicenced. Can anyone who understands motor insurance explain?

Roughly speaking (it's not my area of expertise), if you breach the terms of your insurance you're still covered for the absolute minimum legal cover.

 

[addictfreak]

That's "virtualy scot free" as in "5 years driving ban, 6-months suspended sentence and 100 hours community service" for an incident the judge said he had no opportunity to avoid, and wouldn't have been prosecuted for if he hadn't been driving illegallyon a provisional licence.

Clearly the driving ban is a nonsense, as he did'nt have a license to start with and he has flouted the law in that respect for years. Community service is widely regarded as a joke. And the suspended sentence, well either keep your nose clean for 12 months or just hope you dont get caught!

 

[Blurb]

Unbelievable!
So unqualified operator of heavy machinery is involved in crash and kills someone. Slapped wrists sentence!!

Maybe there is a reason he was unqualified i.e. he was incapable of controlling 1.5 tonnes of machinery at speed on public roads. Therefore, manslaughter for knowingly using said machinery.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Roughly speaking (it's not my area of expertise), if you breach the terms of your insurance you're still covered for the absolute minimum legal cover.

Thanks srw, informative but highly unsettling...

 

[srw]

Thanks srw, informative but highly unsettling...

Au contraire. Highly settling. It maximises the chances of claiming off an individual insurance policy rather than out of the MIB (which is funded by a levy on all motor insurance policies).