What Does it Take to Get 7 years for Killing Someone?

[John the Monkey]

It takes hitting someone with a car whilst never having held a UK license and being off your tits on booze and crack, apparently.

The court heard that Filgate, who had never held a licence or passed a test, was up to three times over the drink-drive limit and had taken crack cocaine.
According to the Southern Daily Echo, Filgate was doing at least 40mph in a 30mph limit as he drove a Peugeot with six passengers to a nightclub. He lost control of the car as he overtook a taxi in the face of an oncoming vehicle, which he missed by about 18 inches.


He over-corrected, skidded and smashed into the bridge wall before rebounding across the road to hit two cyclists.

Killed one cyclist, put another in a wheelchair for 5 months - that gentleman still can't walk without sticks.

7 years hardly seems enough, to say the least.

(Story from road.cc)

 

[ufkacbln]

BUT he is also banned from driving................... so that's alright then?

 

[Scoosh]

I've posted something along these lines elsewhere but it bears repeating.

When I was learning to drive, at my first lesson, my Father said to me that I was starting to learn how to handle probably the most dangerous weapon I would ever be licensed to use.

I have never forgotten that (and passed it on to my own daughter a month ago ). The most important point is that a car is a weapon, which must be controlled responsibly; it has become accepted as a 'convenient form of personal transport' - all nice and safe. If used incorrectly, then, just like a gun/knife etc, it will kill - and the law should reflect this.

I would love to see changes in the law of the land to reflect the "dangerous weapon" aspect of motor vehicles.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Once again, pathetically lenient sentencing from out of touch judiciary.

It's time for a revolution.

 

[Tynan]

why?

what was he charged with and what's the setence for that?

'causing death by dangerous driving and causing death when not having a driving licence and insurance.'

given manslaughter is about 10 years, 7 seems about right, 7 years prison is a hefty whack

 

[2Loose]

But you know 7 years sentence is actually only about 3 in prison right? hardly hefty in my eyes.

 

[Amanda P]

If used incorrectly, then, just like a gun/knife etc, it [a car] will kill - and the law should reflect this.

Couldn't agree more. We make people get training and pass a test to demonstrate that they can handle a vehicle safely.

Then, when they demonstrate that they cannot handle it safely by causing an accident, we let them off with a slap on the wrist.

If I killed or injured someone with a shotgun, how likely is it that I would ever be allowed to own or use one ever again?

And yet lifetime driving bans for driving offences are very rare.