How poor a sentence is this?

[Kestevan]

FFS!

It's about time the courts woke up and started handing out meaningful sentences.

 

[benb]

[QUOTE 2437021, member: 45"]He might be right. Whatever our view on helmets, let's keep things in perspective.[/quote]

Well he should surely be relying on expert testimony from the coroner rather than his own gut feeling to make such a statement. Did he? We don't know.

He may be right, but it's irrelevant, and shouldn't excuse the perpetrator in any way.
Would he also hold that a gunshot victim's failure to wear a kevlar vest similarly contributed to their death?

 

[benb]

Duplicate threads with this one.
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/gary-mccourt-sentenced-for-cyclist-death-crash-in-edinburgh.129557/

Maybe a mod can merge.

 

[glenn forger]

Helmets for car passengers would save more lives. I've never heard helmets being mentioned by coroners in those circumstances, nor neck braces to avoid whiplash.

 

[Melonfish]

i dunno, she died two days after, if it was from concussion then yeah perhaps a helmet would have helped, perhaps not. for the sake of sanity lets not do the helmet argument shall we?
however, for the judge to say that was a contributing factor is wrong because there just isn't enough solid data on helmet safety.

community service for this honestly seems lenient imo ptsd or no.

 

[theclaud]

[QUOTE 2437095, member: 45"]That's how judges speak.[/quote]

They ought to stop it.

 

[theclaud]

[QUOTE 2437119, member: 45"]I meant, that's the language they use.[/quote]
I know. And they ought to stop it.

 

[davefb]

[QUOTE 2437095, member: 45"]That's how judges speak. You're right, we don't know anything about what went on in court and what was heard so it's pointless making assumptions and reacting to them. He might have had medical evidence, he might not have.

Yes, failure to wear a bullet-proof vest would have contributed to the death of a shooting victim.[/quote]
has that *ever* been mentioned in a court case ?

"well, to be fair, the victim wasn't wearing a bullet proof vest"

I mean, once is an "accident", twice is not. how come he had jail in the first mur.. death ?

 

[benb]

It's despicable victim-blaming if you ask me.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Pathetic.

I have no words printable for the killer or the sheriff.

GC

 

[shouldbeinbed]

The helmet thing rankles, but the thing that really sticks in my craw was the Sherriff saying there were no contributory factors on the drivers behalf.

Apart for the rather significant one that this was the second dead cyclist he had hit.

If he was a multiple rapist or had attacked people with gun or knife on more than one occasion he'd have got a far harsher second tarriff not an apparent frequent killers discount.

 

[snorri]

At least BBC Scotland has recognised the controversial nature of the helmet comment and has interviewed a rep from Spokes the local cycle campaigning group.

 

[Pale Rider]

It would have been the easiest thing in the world for the judge to hand down a sentence of a couple of years.

The judge will know the sentence he passed will attract criticism, so he is to be praised for having the courage to do what he thinks is the right thing.

 

[edindave]

This this tweet sums it up...

(@EyeEdinburgh):​

Gary McCourt kills two people, judge says in five years it's OK for him to use same weapon again ​

At least the Crown Office are looking into it according to the latest BBC update.

 

[snorri]

At least the Crown Office are looking into it according to the latest BBC update.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-22397918