I'm sorry to raise another example, and I know this topic has been raised before, but this story was run in our local paper (Hull) today....
>An uninsured driver with no licence was fined just £350, despite being in a crash which killed an East Yorkshire paramedic.
And Linda Abey, whose husband Graham died in the smash, has called on the Government to jail motorists who flout the law.
She felt "bitter and angry" after Darren Verrall, 23, was fined at Sleaford Magistrates' Court after he pleaded guilty to careless driving, and driving without insurance or a licence.
He was ordered to pay £175 compensation and £65 court costs.
Mrs Abey accepted the fine was "all he could get" under existing sentencing laws.
But she said: "It is not what we wanted but there's nothing the courts can do until the law is changed.
"There must be a prison sentence."
Mrs Abey and her daughters Laura, 16, and Rebecca, 14, were all seriously injured in the crash on March 1.
The Rover 414 which Verrall had borrowed from his boss careered into them head-on.
In court, prosecutor Karen Walker said debris and skid marks on the A17 near Asgarby, Lincolnshire, indicated Verrall had lost control and veered onto the wrong side of the road.
Mr Abey, 43, who was a paramedic based at Preston Ambulance Station, died at the scene.
Bill Miller, in mitigation, said his client was in a wheelchair for three months after the incident, and had also subsequently taken an overdose.
Mr Miller said: "He will have to face the consequences for the rest of his life.
Mrs Abey said :
"At the moment, the fine is cheaper than insurance or passing a driving test, so people are going to keep on doing it if they don't change the law."<
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The legislature and enforcement branches once more stick two fingers up at legal drivers.
If he'd been in a legal vehicle, licensed taxed and insured, but instead of killing someone chosen to do 140mph he'd get a year inside.
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Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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If he'd been in a legal vehicle, licensed taxed and insured, but instead of killing someone chosen to do 140mph he'd get a year inside.
TOTH,
Is that comment "with an implied smiley" or are you being serious??
Can you get a custodial sentence for speeding??
Chad.R
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Is that comment "with an implied smiley" or are you being serious??
It's perhaps a more extreme view than you'd get face to face with the man behind Toad IYKWIM but the logic is fair enough.
Speeding is taken seriously, killing someone isn't.
"Performance bikes" magazine studies 10 sentences for speeding and 10 for people who caused deaths. The speeding offences were more heavily proscecuted.
We see it evey day though. A mate drove into the back of someone and was *not* prosecuted. I was given 3 points for 47 in a 30 on a desterted, non residential 'a' road. The rozzers *really* do prefer you to crash/drive dangerously than speed.
Which is fair enough since they beleive speed kills. WHereas I beleive impact kills.
Can you get a custodial sentence for speeding??
Yes. I know of three custodial sentences for speeding.
One in Wales; one in Warwickshire. I forget where the other one was.
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Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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Jesus H!
Reports like this make me quake with rage.
Like the morons (recently) who were involved in a smash, yet neither would admit to driving, so both got off...
"pleaded guilty to careless driving, and driving without insurance or a licence." - in this country, with our stupid p*ss-on-your-civil-rights laws (see my rants re human rights on previous threads) that counts as culpable homicide. You get stuck inside our marvellous prisons for a few years, acting nicely for Bubba...
"...his client was in a wheelchair for three months after the incident, and had also subsequently taken an overdose."
As opposed to "in a coffin for eternity"?
And took an overdose? Well, let me just commit a few crimes, whack down a few pills afterwards, and get a slap on the wrist ...
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yep motorcyclist got locked up for doing more than 100 on the motorway while causing no accident recently
little old dear can pull into path of a bike in a residential area being driven slowly, kill the motorcyclist, say "sorry didnt see him", and quite often not even get prosecuted
justice it isnt
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I find myself defending the Cops once more !
Just for your information about 7 years ago the CPS made available to the Police their criteria for prosecuting accident related offences. What this did was save time for the Police. That is, it became pointless to investigate (in any depth) your routine bump unless the criteria were met. I can tell you that there is a double figure percentage rate where accidents are investigated in accordance with the criteria that never get beyond process stage.... I ain't even going there but what you have are Drivers who are reported for offences but are left dangling for months sometimes before finding out that their summonses were quashed long ago.
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