.... for twelve lousy weeks?
Labour life peer Lord Ahmed was jailed for 12 weeks today for dangerous driving by a judge who heard he sent and received a series of text messages from his car on a motorway. Sheffield Crown Court was told Lord Ahmed was involved in an accident which left a man dead on the M1 near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Christmas Day 2007. But the judge made clear the text messaging had finished before the accident took place and was not connected to the fatal incident.
I tell you, there's one rule for us ...
Virtuous can-kicking
27 minutes ago
7 comments:
It's very disappointing, but at least he got something.
No, this is in line with the sentencing guidelines - the court found that his texting several minutes before the accident had no bearing on his driving at the time of the accident.
The 'dangerous driving' charge covered Ahmed's prior texting, whereas there was no evidence that he was driving dangerously when he crashed. Gombar's death was relevant to Ahmed's dangerous driving conviction *solely* because the police wouldn't have bothered investigating his phone records otherwise.
If everyone who ever drove dangerously got 12 weeks inside, then the roads would be a hell of a lot safer than they are now. And half the population would have seen the inside of a jail...
I read about a woman who was jailed for a year for a similar offence just the other day!
PS Will Lord Ahmed now be kicked out of the Lords!?!
No, she was jailed for "causing death by careless driving" (which carries a maximum 5-year stretch, whereas "dangerous driving" carries a maximum 2-year stretch when it doesn't kill or injure anyone, as in this case).
& no, not under current rules, rightly. Unless you're a professional driver, why the hell should 'driving like an idiot' cause you to lose your job?
I'm with John B on this, having heard the court reports. He wans't texting anytime near the accident, the guy he killed was upside down in his car on the carriageway after a prior accident, and may have been drunk.
However foul Lord Ahmed may be, and I have slagged him off for his mobilization comments myself, in this instance, the sentence was proportionate.
John B said...
" this is in line with the sentencing guidelines..."
Chap on Radio 4 yesterday says this was the first such case, ie text-driving of itself being 'dangerous driving' so it was not ' in line with guidlines'; it IS the guidline which is presumably why the mags. sent it to the higher court.
While New Lag Ahmed will not be let out at half-time ( 12+ months for that ) will he benefit from the current overcrowding sorter whereby " all " inmates get released 2 weeks early ?
"Chap on Radio 4 yesterday says this was the first such case, ie text-driving of itself being 'dangerous driving' so it was not ' in line with guidlines'; it IS the guidline which is presumably why the mags. sent it to the higher court."
The sentencing guidelines *for dangerous driving*, not the sentencing guidelines *for texting while driving*.
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