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Sat 27 Mar, 2004 03:39 pm
For some reason or another, a discussion about getting away with murder led to me telling the first part of this gruesome anecdote. I will complete it here, despite privacy laws.
On Wednesday, in a regional court, a man got away with the murder of three volleyball players-- he was fined £3,000, but received no prison sentence for these deaths. What defence could he use?
It was the shoddiest defence in the world; I can justifiably say this because I was in court for four or five of the days, after receiving a tip off about it. He says that it was a 'mistake,' he just happened to be driving a big artic truck on that day-- despite the fact that he wasn't moving house, nor was he a truck-driver. He claimed that he 'loved' to drive big artic trucks, and that he had done it before. He had done it before once, true; but this was clearly to use as an alibi if he were caught: he drove a big artic truck once before, on another day when he allegedly would have known that the volleyball players were on the road that he was driving on.
This 'accident' excuse also does not explain the fact that witnesses said that he drove back onto the victims after flattening them to death. If he were truly startled, he would turn his engine off in horror, not go back on his victims! Yet, he got away with these three deaths: it's ironic-- had he burst a pipe by mistake and people died, he would have been Caldwell reckless, and sent to prison for a considerable amount of time. In any other case, mistake would not be allowed as a defence. Because this 'accident' took place at the helm of a vehicle, it was. This certainly is not justice!
My, God, drom. I am stunned, but I'm certain that things far worse have happened here in the U.S. I just can't think of a case at the moment.
Whenever I go to watch courtcases, I always end up getting annoyed: the off-the-earth, geriatric judges are always too lenient in cases like this, and too rough in other cases.
For example, do you know that we know have sets of bully-boy teams going around our country checking to see whether people have paid their TV licenses: if they've not, they, under new legislation, can be imprisoned-- even the poorest, under 'objective' rules that ignore characteristics of the 'criminals!'
drom, I must run. My son is not good....more later......
Good-night then, Letty! I hope that everything is okay.
Coincidentally, there has been a similar trial in the South of England, about three volleyball players killed in an traffic accident.
Here, however, the driver was fined only £1,500 by the magistrate. And he drove a Rover 620i, not a lorry.
The chairman of the bench said:"In our view this offence is very serious but we are bound to apply the law which does not permit us to impose a custodial sentence."
Thanks for telling me about that one, Walter! How many deaths by driving to volleyball players are being committed in England?
If any of the volley ball players were my children, he would rue the day he ever drove that truck.
So here it is. On one thread a brain surgeon is fired for taking extra croutons during lunch, and on another thread a man kills 3 people by running over them with his truck, and only has to pay a fine?
dròm_et_rêve wrote:Thanks for telling me about that one, Walter! How many deaths by driving to volleyball players are being committed in England?
Well, 'my' accident happened last year, on Bank Holiday. It happened, when the returned from a major national volleyball event. (The deaths were mentioned in the volleyball magazines.)
The trial was on Wednesday.
In The Wizard of Oz Dorothy kills two people and never has to face trial.
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