A place to record lenient sentencing for motorvehicle....

[Hellhound]

The young lad is extremely lucky to be alive.The idiot driver will be out in a little over a year.The lad may never get over this physically or mentally.
The law needs changing drastically regarding drunk and dangerous driving.This could easily have been vehicular manslaughter.

[squeaker]

Probably the least serious offence being committed

[ratherbeintobago]

This is a bit of a bumper: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -jail.html

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Big fat liar!
Got off lightly.
Bad weather....................no excuse.

[pete75]

Not one of the lock 'em up and throw away the key brigade but this seems overly lenient to me.

https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2021/07/ban ... ice-chase/

[fastpedaller]

What's needed is a system of monitoring those who are banned to ensure they don't drive (don't know how that could be done without lots of manpower), or Immediate jail if they are caught driving whilst banned.

[thirdcrank]

In the awful case linked by pete75 enforcement did work to the extent that the disqualified driver was detected ie stopped and apparently recognised by police. It seems he decided to scarper and it was during the subsequent pursuit that the crash occurred. I think it can be assumed that the driver decided to scarper to try to escape punishment. In the event, it seems that the fact that the police officer recognised the driver was sufficient to lead to conviction when the officer abandoned the pursuit to concentrate on the casualty but that is often not sufficient.

It's possible that increasing the severity of penalties might encourage more drivers to flee from the police or fail to stop after collisions.

[ratherbeintobago]

Retired HGV driver who killed 'kind and thoughtful' cyclist in smash walks free from court

[Jdsk]

I know that's their headline, but I think that it's misleading. He has been sentenced. He isn't "free" to ignore it.

Jonathan

[ratherbeintobago]

Still a bit lenient, though?

[thirdcrank]

District Judge Begley asked Miss Bracewell [defending] how Crozier has coped, 12 months on.

She said that he “still has sleepless nights” and is concerned about Mr Eaves’ children.

“That’s how he’s been. He did not wish to drive again,” she told the judge.

After hearing statements from the family, friends, and employer of Mr Eaves, District Judge Begley said that nothing he could say could change the fact that Mr Eaves had lost his life.

“You will have to live with that, no doubt forever,” said Mr Begley, addressing the defendant.

IME, Manchester Evening News court reports are very dependable as a verbatim version. It would be easy from this to get the impression that the judge was more concerned about the defendant than the bereaved. I'm not talking about the disposal of the case with a on-custodial sentence, but the way the judge delivered it.

[Jdsk]

Still a bit lenient, though?

What purpose would be served by by what sort of more severe sentence?

I'd like to see the restoration of permission to drive being conditional on attending instruction, in-depth testing and psychological evaluation.

Across all crimes prison sentences up to six months (and probably up to one year) are more expensive and less deterrent than alternatives

I don't think that more severe sentences in cases like this would have a greater deterrent effect on others at the current level of detection and enforcement.

Jonathan

PS: Quote added to make it clearer to which post I was responding.

[thirdcrank]

Just to make it clear

I'm not talking about the disposal of the case with a on-custodial sentence, but the way the judge delivered it.

[Pete Owens]

Still a bit lenient, though?

What purpose would be served by by what sort of more severe sentence?

Justice, deterence - and at least some recogntition of the fact that a life has been lost

I'd like to see the restoration of permission to drive being conditional on attending instruction, in-depth testing and psychological evaluation.

It beggars belief that a person with one eye who has killed someone due to failure to see should ever be allowed to drive again. Especially since they claim not to want to.

Across all crimes prison sentences up to six months (and probably up to one year) are more expensive and less deterrent than alternatives

While this is true in terms of rehabilitation - and may also be the case for hardenned career criminals who regard prison as an occupational risk. The thought that bad driving might result in time inside rather than a nominal fine is self evidently more of a deterrent.

I don't think that more severe sentences in cases like this would have a greater deterrent effect on others at the current level of detection and enforcement.

Detection in cases of fatal crashes is pretty high. The problem is the authoritiies failure to take them seriously. Often failing to prosecute at all, to accept pathetic excuses such as "blinded by the sun", and even when you do get convicted all that is handed down is a slap on the wrist.

The lack of proper sentencing for bad driving gives a message from society to motorists thhat it is no something considered important.

[Jdsk]

Across all crimes prison sentences up to six months (and probably up to one year) are more expensive and less deterrent than alternatives

While this is true in terms of rehabilitation - and may also be the case for hardenned career criminals who regard prison as an occupational risk. The thought that bad driving might result in time inside rather than a nominal fine is self evidently more of a deterrent.

Is there any evidence for crimes related to driving that imprisonment is a greater deterrent than alternatives?

Or that it leads to lower subsequent reoffending?

Thanks

Jonathan