Snazy

Some might remember my thread about my friend who was sadly killed almost a year ago by a woman driving a Lexus 4x4 while talking on the phone. Knocking him from his bike and killing him.

Well I say its good news, its still poor, but by British Justice standards its good.

She has been sentanced to 1 year in prison and a 2 year driving ban.

Im just SO glad this didn't end like most cases do, with points and a pathetic fine.

She is 61 years old, so I cant see the term being too pleasent for her even though she will only serve half and all that.

Just thought I would share that.
Certainly puts my life in perspective.

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

No comfort for your mate or his family but small glimmer that there is justice in this country (what's the maximum she could/should have received?)

MattW

She'll serve 1/4 then another 1/4 tagged. But she'll have Xmas inside.

Snazy

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/di...59587238#views

Snazy

Maximum goes up next year, but was honestly not expecting her to get a custodial sentance, with her age, and the ****e sentancing in this country. But by all accounts the judge was openly disgusted at her attitude to the whole thing, and she had lied to the court, as accident investigators totally discounted her story by the road markings.

Its no replacement, but nice to know SOMETHING has been done. Still a shocking waste of a wonderful mans life.

Annoyed at some of the comments on the newspaper story, but each to their own eh.

As for 1/4 in 1/4 tagged, like you say Xmas inside @ 61 years old. Hopefully she will never drive again as she has a 2 year ban, and im guessing or hoping a retest too.

Snazy

I like this quote, nice to see some emotion from a judge.

BBC NEWS | England | Lincolnshire | Driver jailed for killing biker

andythejock01wrx

Stupid comment by a member of public under the newspaper column.

"Isn't it enough that this poor woman will have to live with this for the rest of her life ?"

No it pigging isn't ! Least she's inside for bit to spend a bit more time thinking about what she has done.

Snazy

Totally agree mate, a few comments like that. She gets to LIVE the rest of her life, Kevin sadly does NOT!
She was 61, he was a could of years in front of me, so just over half her age.

Robbed of his life and everyone is showing remorse for the ****** that did it! WTF is that all about.

Scooby Soon!

A close friend of mine killed three people in a collision, he was sentanced to 1 year jail but was released after 3 or 4 days inside, subject to appeal which he won. I would of thought the same will happen again.

Its far worse to have the death on your conciense for the rest of your life than any jail sentance..

andythejock01wrx

It's a pretty sad story mate. Tis true, you only hear about the drunks and nutters that cause fatal accidents, but we also need to be wary of incompetent bafoons !

Snazy

Personally I think thats a hard comparison to draw up mate.
Some people can sob and weep and have NO concience or remorse for something at all.
For the benefit of families of the victims, and to be sure remorse IS shown a jail sentance for something like this IS important.

Im somewhat shocked at the turnaround your friend had, and would be devastated if the same happens to this woman too.

Having not killed someone, nor done time, it would be hard for me to say whats worse, but its not about whats worse, its about whats RIGHT.

Snazy

Oops, also just realised I posted in the wrong forum, can an admin pop it into Non Scoob related ?

Snazy

Jesus, talk about the OAP brigade out in force!
Have a look at some of the responses on this.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/di...2&page=1#views

Have never seen so many people think taking a life is ok, and should not be punishable.

daz_don1

my brother was killed by a drunk driver on his phone a couple of years back at the inquest he was cleared of any wrong doing (long story)
so fully understand how you feel glad she got what she deserves but a year is nothing compared to a life.

GC8WRX

******* idiots in the link above, if it was a member of vickis family would she feel the same??????

Firstly, most lexus drivers think they own the road, espescially the 4x4 one!

Secondly, fairly well off old biddies are the worst drivers in history, totally oblivious to the world around them, paying all their attention to either terry wogan on bbc2, or the yappy little scotty that has free reign to jump around on the parcel shelf!!

Thirdly, why do women who couldnt drive a mini without pi55ing everyone else off, insist on driving something that weighs over two tonnes, and has the breaking distance and cornering ability of the Jahre Viking!!!!!

I live near prestbury, and its full of old codgers who cant blatantly have poor eyesight, driving audi qx's, Range 4.6's and x5's, bouncing of other cars while they attempt to manouver!!

They should be in smaller cars!!!!!!!!!! or get a taxi

The day i drive like that is the day i get a push iron!!!!

My thoughts are with you mate!!!!!!

Snazy

Sorry to hear of your loss mate, a horrific way to go, and certainly a life stolen by a selfish individual. There IS no punishment for taking a life that will ever help people feel better. But to have sorrow on the person who carried out the offence is sick making to me.

The outcome of the case you mention is similar to what I was expecting, thinking the judge may take pity with the whole old woman thing.... Im so glad he didnt.

Storys like Kevin's annoy me at the best of times, but to be personally involved has NOT changed or tarnished my opinion of the potential outcome.

Accident, misjudged, error, mistake....... all = loss of life. I personally would accept a jail sentance for killing someone in this way.

Snazy

Cheers mate, I have to agree. While people campaign that young people should not drive high powered cars, what about the old ones. She has proven that she was not paying enough attention, so its certainly questionable if she should be driving full stop.

All the bull about her looking into his eyes, how would she have felt if she WAS looking into her dead sons eyes, just after someone had done what SHE did to Kevin? Im pretty sure she would want them in jail.

Age is not an excuse to get let off with things, but it seems some people think it is!

The details of the injuries and way he died are gruesome, but it was not a nice way to go. To think that you should be let off with that is just ignorant.

To make matters worse, she lied to the courts about her actions, usage of the mobile phone etc, and people STILL think she should be let off! Grrrr is all I can say

Snazy

Just added my little verse to the responses on the news website.

Thanks to everyone for their honest opinions and kind words.

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

A comment from the website

So so sad. Those making a mockery out of women drivers should firstly get a life! Secondly how can anyone justify giving an OAP who has never been in trouble with the law a year in prison with "REAL" criminals! Yes, she took someones life with a silly mistake, however, I have no doubt that this lady has a conscience, of which will plague her for the rest of her life! If she had been drink driving, YES lock her up, IF she had been speeding YES lock her up. BUT WERE FORGETTING SHE DIDNT, THERE WAS NO MALICIOUS INTENT. SURELY A LENGTHY DRIVING BAN WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFIENT IN THIS CASE! THIS WOMEN WILL HAVE A LIFE TIME OF GUILT TO CONTEND WITH. This just puts into perspective our MESSED UP CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, who seems to favour serious criminals who actively commit crimes, than those who make one off mistakes!
Vicki, notts


So killing someone isn't a crime now?
****wit

Deano_P1

Another comment from the site

i think this old lady should not recived a prison sentence if this happend to the judge family they would get awy with itthere is some very bad men drivers not to mention taxi drives it will live with this old lady for the rest of her life i feel sorry for her husband now xmas is nearly on us it goes for to many men bad drivers
colin, bulwell

I cannot believe this bloke is feeling sorry for her and her husband???

What about the friends and relatives of the guy who got killed!!??

I really do not understand the way some people think out there....they need to be locked up too!!

nooobyscooby

No one who sits behind the wheel of a motor vehicle sets out to kill anybody.

But the sad fact of the matter is that through negligence to a lesser or greater degree of some kind, roughly 10 people die every day. Sometimes it is their own fault, sometimes it is not, but we all have a duty of care the moment we start the engine and a sobering story like this should stay with us. Cars - and bikes - can be great fun, but a spell "inside" is most certainly not.

In the case of this woman, I don't know the details, but driving a 4x4, even if it was a Lexus, is not a crime in itself!

But driving it badly and whilst distracted by the telephone is, and only getting one year after all the publicity about not using your phone whilst driving, is not enough when she could have gone down for 10 years.

IMO, 5 years would have been about right.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

I'm not clear from this whether she was using the mobile at the time of the accident. It would seem that she pulled over to make the call and then, having finished the conversation, made a illegal U turn which resulted in the fatal collision.

So, what we have here is someone doing that most human of things, a mistake, which had consequences that I'm sure she would never have envisaged. A young man is dead and now an old wonan is in jail! No such thing as a happy ending in this instance.

I think a light jail sentence and a driving ban is appropriate. Ultimately she did a silly thing, broke a rule that was there to try and prevent these types of incidents from happening and her carelessness cost an innocent party their life. I think some people are arguing it's unfair as there have been examples where 17 year old Johnny Mc Chav has wiped out a family whilst doing 80mph in town center, no licence, insurance etc.. and has gotten away with a suspended sentence. However, it's not a valid argument to use one inadequate sentence to try and portray another as too harsh.

We all make mistakes, I'm sure we've all transgressed from the rules from time to time and none of us would have thought that our little transgressions could have such tragic consequences.

The lesson here is that they can, and if they do, you have to face up to the punishment.

Very sad for all concerned.
Ns04

Snazy

Ns04...
Just for the record (not having a pop) She denies being on the phone at the time, but apparently according to the courts WAS indeed on the phone.
She claims she had got lost trying to avoid traffic, and was calling her husband, upset trying to find her way back on track. The radio announced the road was back open, so she turned around, or started to. In the process, closing another road.
The investigators believe the timing of the 999 call and her last call etc indicate she WAS on the phone at time of impact. Hand held.

A serious thank you to those being human about this and seeing how frustrating, and unrelated some of the comments that have been posted on the site are, taxi drivers, ill husband........ errm hello, my friend is dead!

As I have put on my comment, the taking of ANY life in ANY way (medical slightly different) should be punishable by removal of freedom for "a period".

To suggest that taking £500 off someone (who can afford a new Lexus) and telling them they are not allowed to drive for 2 years is NO punishment for the taking of anothers life through sheer stupidity.

Its been a long year, but with silence falling over the trial, and the jail door slamming shut, I can finally say........ Kevin, Rest in Peace mate. Miss you

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

No problem at all mate; I didn't think you were having a pop (and even if you were under the circumstances I wouldn't hold it against you) . I know that what is reported in the media is often not what was concluded in a trail. That's the problem with press accounts of coutroom activity, they can often distort important details.

I can't really add much to what I've already said, it's a very sad case in which no-one really "wins". There is a lesson here for us all, unfortunately, as is often the way with Joe Public, few are paying attention.....

Only this morning on the way to work, I saw two people driving whilst using their mobile phones!

Condolences for the loss of your mate.

Ns04

Myles

iTrader: (40)

This p1sses me off something rotten. She would have been wiping her brow if she got off, with not much remorse I would imagine. Possibly some psychiatric help paid for by the taxpayer as well. It is about time that people who continue to use their phones whilst driving find out what should happen to them. I am sure the law would have my *** for breakfast if I drove one handed round a roundabout with my eyes closed. In effect, that is what these people do. RANT OVER

Shark Man

Nice result. I don't think a longer sentence will be of any further benefit. Unless she has already been in prison before. For a first timer that will be enough to shock them into realising what the dire consequences are of not engaging brain before engaging gear of a lethal weapon.

Killing someone by knowingly/ignorantly putting other road users at risk deserves such an outcome. If that weapon wasn't a car, it would be involuntary manslaughter (or corporate manslaughter if it was at work) The mind set of UK drivers is increasingly worrying as many don't comprehend what damage their vehicles can do - even at very low speed, and thus don't drive them in such a manner that reflects a responsible driver. It is manslaughter via gross negligence.

Pity a freind of mine didn't get such juctice for her son: He was mown down by a drunk driver whilst riding his push bike. Who then drove off and left him for dead.

To add insult, they found the driver and the car and the evidence was pretty conclusive. Unfortunately the CPS in their pure ineptitude reduced the charge from dangerous driving to careless driving - their excuse was to guarantee a conviction. The result was that a custodial sentance was now not possible. Consequentally, this man walked free with just a driving ban and fine for killing a boy whilst driving a car drunk, with no insurance nor tax.

If the subject ever pops in conversation with the boy's mother, she still wells up with tears. They say time heels, not in this case.

austinwrx

well I'm a cyclist, all year, all weathers- cycled to work in fact today.

I'm sick of drivers going I didn't see you etc as you roll over their bonnet.

she got off lightly. I'd have given her 20 years inside and banned her for life.

simple as.

cycle on a busy main road and tell me otherwise about how well mannered "cagers" in their boxes are. and I don't care how fast/expensive your 4 x 4 mpv pile of poo is, we'll always catch you at the lights and set you right about your driving abilities.

Probein

I can't comment too much because I don't know the conditions surrounding the accident.

But, I think it's safe to say it was just that, an accident. It isn't like the woman jumped in her car thinking 'right, i'm going to kill someone today!'.. Sure, speaking on the phone is stupid and she may indeed have been to blame, but I'm pretty sure whatever it was it wasn't intentional and was an *accident*.

I'm not saying a year in prison is the wrong thing, it's probably a good thing to hopefully desuade other drivers from behaving similarly in the future. She clearly isn't a safe driver either which is why the ban is equally suitable.

I feel sorry for the motorcyclist and his family/friends, but I also feel sorry for the woman whose life will undoubtedly never be the same again, because of a fatal mistake/accident.

Just my 2c!

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

It seems the courts found enough contributing evidence to send her to jail in my opinion.

If she'd simply had a lapse in concentration when pulling out of a junction that resulted in an accident, I would have thought the custodial sentance was maybe not required - it was a simple mistake, which would need punishment - if I happend to have the misfortune to ever have something like that happen to me, I'd hope I wouldn't get sent to Jail; and I'd probably never get behind the wheel again anyhow; but *if* she didn't look properly, was talking on the phone, and doing a U-turn (always a dodgy manouver at the best of times.. ) - sounds like she got what she deserved.

All it needs now is for the 17yo's who steal a car, run from the police, do 100+ mph and *then* kill someone to get put away for life and we'd be getting somewhere.

Scooby Soon!

In my opinion if they made community service a much tougher prospect we wouldnt need to send these people to jail. Shes obviously not going to do it again, surely giving her 1000 hours of community service over the next 5 years would be much more benificial ( as long as it was like the stuff they do in the US! not the current namby pamby stuff we have at the moment.