To think this is unreasonable and this judge knowingly scentenced this man to death

[Sootyandsweep2019]

Just read a heartbreaking story in the paper about an 87 year old man, who given a 27 month prison sentence after he killed someone in a car accident. The judge was warned at the time by the man's doctors that this was highly likely to lead to his death; but went ahead and did it anyway. As predicted, he died nine days later. This was not murder, this was not malicious; it was a complete, tragic accident.

By all means ban him from driving if he was a danger, look at tightening the driving regulations around older drivers.

But our obsession with "making people pay," for genuine accidents has led to this utter tragedy .

The poor man must have been terrified. I really think this particular judge/ case needs urgent investigation; and we need a wider look at whether prison is always an appropriate response to car accident s like this.

Sadly I don't expect the judge/ CPS/ solicitors etc. Feel guilty at all.

At what age do we stop applying the law, if it was a 30 year old you would expect a prison term, even if it was an accident, the same laws should be applied to everyone, no matter the age.

He should not have been driving. He liked someone.

Killed not liked

My brother and I have taken my dad’s car keys away. His drivers licence expired about 10 months ago shortly after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia and he fell over a wall and broke 3 bones in his neck.

He needs glasses to drive but ‘forgets’ to wear them. His spatial awareness is not good, he has scraped his small car all around. He drives too fast or too slow, 40MPH in a 30, 40MPH on a motorway. He cannot rotate his head properly due to the bones fusing incorrectly (he kept removing the brace at the beginning as the pain relief they were giving made him terribly confused and didn’t know why it was there (even though we had told them countless times that he couldn’t tolerate that pain relief, I think they gave it to him to keep him docile and he slept a lot whilst in hospital.))

We are currently buying a wheelchair accessible vehicle as my mum has Motor Neurone Disease and is losing her last bit of mobility which means she struggles to get in to the car, dad is quite excited and keeps saying that he can take her here, there and everywhere, he will not have access to the keys!

If my dad (73) got behind the wheel of a car and killed someone, I would absolutely think he should go to jail and I think that he himself would think he should too. If I did nothing to stop him getting behind the wheel then I feel I should be sent to jail for aiding and abetting a murderer.

He did wrong, he got punished. Get over it.

many people at this age have to move into new environments in the shape of hospitals or care homes.

From what I've read here, I don't particularly think the judge was being unreasonable, but it is well known that moving very elderly people can shorten their lives, including moving them into care homes and hospitals so the GP was correct to warn the judge that a prison sentence could prove fatal.

If you can't do the time ....

Elderly people are sentenced to jail for historical offences committed decades ago
and for current offences

Would you feel differently if this adult who chose to drive a vehicle killed your child?

Rolf Harris in his 80s rightly received a sentence of more than 5 years for historical offences committed during the 1960s-1980s

There was no suggestion that he be spared jail because of his age, or because he was very unlikely to be capable of reoffending

My grandad is 82, has cataracts, can hardly see and can hardly feel his legs.

We "lost" the keys to his car. No chance in hell were we all letting him drive again after a hospital admittance and him reversing I to his shed.

And this is a man who was a proud long distance lorry driver for over 30years.

As his family WE are just as responsible for his actions as he is. We will not see anyone killed through his dodgy driving.

*into

My sister is very lucky to be alive after an 84 year old man, who died from cancer shortly afterwards, drove straight through a red light into the front drivers door of her car. He refused to go to hospital after the crash. I suspect he was on very strong painkillers such as morphine and should not have been driving. My sister had broken ribs, whiplash and soft tissue damage. She has had steroid injections twice and will probably need them in the future too. If she had been in a car that wasn't as strong as the one she was driving it could have been even more serious.

Many years ago I was the driver of a car that killed a 19 year old. I was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and sentenced to 3.5 years.

I was driving home from work at 4am following a night shift, mainly empty roads. I was due to get home to my 5yo before my estranged husband had to leave for work at 5am. I drove through a set of traffic lights that were on green and hit a cyclist. I was speeding 8mph over the limit. It was dark, he had no helmet, hi vis clothing, lights or reflective strips on his bike.

I have never gone a day when I don't think about him, in the days that passed I attempted suicide on a couple of occasions, I just couldn't live with guilt of the part I played. I had a lot of therapy and eventually I've managed to get my life back on track. My child was raised by my elderly parents as my ex didn't turn up to the house to pick her up the day i went to prison, they didn't hear from him for over 3 weeks. My child lost both parents that day. I lost my house and I lost my job/business. I have not been able to secure a job since my release as a result of my conviction.

He and his family however lost everything, he lost his life in unbearable circumstances and their whole family was torn apart. I cannot even begin to image the pain they face every day as a result of my actions. The missed milestones and occasions, it's honestly so harrowing for me to think about. It must be a million times worse for them.

I can't turn back time, I can't undo what I did. But I can make sure I'm a better person for it. I work with the police and other services educating young people on the dangers of driving. I give talks and go to schools. It will never come close to making up for what I did, but I can hopefully use my experience to deter others from making the same inexcusable mistake I did.

But my final thing to say is honestly I don't feel prison is the answer. I have never been in trouble with the police before or after, and the guilt I battle every day is far far worse than any prison time. All prison did for me was allow me to mix with some very dangerous people and the amount of criminal activity that goes on in prison can be worse than on the streets. If I was impressionable it would of been very easy for my life to go down the wrong path in prison and I thank god I was strong enough to resist the drugs that were so easily available to me. But if prison is the answer then I think the sentences are a joke where a death is involved. It's an insult to the victim and their family.

brokensouls76 you are very brave to post that on here. I hope that you have rebuilt a relationship with your family.

Well, this guy didn't feel any remorse. He hit a bollard due to his impaired ability and instead got back in the car angrily and dragged 2 people under it for 100ft.

I went out with a guy who killed a 17-year-old in his car when he was 21. He went to trial and got acquitted. I had no idea, being younger and having been brought up in another country, but the way he told the story, all of it was about him, what he went through, how it was the worst night of his life. That told me all I needed to know about him. His selfishness and lack of remorse were an instant dump. He had the nerve to be surprised, 'I just unburdened myself to you.' Not a word about that girl or her family. What a selfish mother fucker.

He recently tried to contact me again after nearly 20 years, still the same twat he always was.

Prison would have been just right for that vile POS. First offence, too.

Come to find out later, he'd been banned for speeding several times. Types like this feel entitled no matter how old they get.

My most recent car is an automatic due to my arthritis. I went into town shopping and, because of this thread, was thinking about the accident when in the car park at Asda. My speed when reversing in the car park was around 5mph or less while watching around me and in the mirrors - 19mph in reverse is a frightening and uncontrolled speed, I wouldn't do that even on a wide and clear road. I also thought about the pedals. The accelerator is slightly to the right of my body; to use the brake, I have to bring my right foot across to the centre of my body and it feels very clear to me that I'm crossing my leg to the left IYSWIM. I think that you would really have to be confused in the first place to get them mixed up. I don't see that he had any excuse for his murderous behaviour.

Brokensouls quite a post, as others I’ve been on the other side, as a friend from school was killed on a bike, as a wife who’s husband survived being hit at speed by a car during a cycle event, last January a family member being hit inside a car & her life has been shattered she’s no longer able to walk, will never have children and has 5 -10 years recovery. If your work can help prevent this happening to others, that’s a good thing.

Something needs to be addressed as presently drivers are becoming more dangerous, points on licensing isn’t working. I still believe the short sharp shock and total inconvenience of not being able to drive for a month instead of 3 points would jolt many into not repeating their crimes

Death by dangerous driving. He rightly received a prison sentence

The OP has a vested interest in this case.

OP your comments illustrate your woeful grasp of the law. A ' lapse in concentration' and death by dangerous driving are poles apart. Are you too dumb to get that? Your comments on Anne Sacoolas are bordering on lunacy. And archly ironic, given that you're bleating on about compassion and such.
That man deserved to go to prison. Who gives a stuff about his age?

Haven't bothered to read everyone's comments due to the fact that today is the anniversary of my sisters death. Caused by a very elderly man who fell asleep at the wheel and ploughed into her car.
He literally walked away, didn't even have to attend court.
Fucking twat.
My niece has grown up without her mother. We have lost a massive part of our family. And he gets no punishment what so ever

@123rd

Our child has permanent brain injury due to distracted drivers. (More than one accident, fully legal, not their fault.). One person apologised.

Life is a terrible, unfair mess. My only thought abt the old man is did he have remorse?

I am a Christian who believes that judgement comes after death. Some people need to be locked up bc they endanger society. Sometimes, a person makes a horrible, soul destroying mistake.

Our dc had a friend (18yo) who left a party, hit a tree and whose body was found burned to death as he was trying to break the rear window.

Our ds now makes small window breakers for rearview mirrors so you can pull, it off and break your window if you can't pull out your headrest. He regularly checks to make sure we have it in place.

The person who is remorseful about our child, I am grateful for the honest answers. The other? I feel many things and none that are kind.

People can be selfish, nasty evil turds.

I don't have any answers. Just profound sorrow. Please do not think you will "be alright." NOTHING ON A DEVICE IS WORTH A LIFE.

It sounds like the man couldn't control his car. I think elderly drivers should responsible for their actions and they should at least be strongly advised not to drive over 80 and take a new test. On a couple of occasions an elderly driver has driven through a shop window in our town because they have mistaken the accelerator for the brake.

I have been on the receiving end of this type of driver who refuses to stop driving despite obvious risks to other road and pavement users, and I had young dc in my car at the time.

I had stopped and the other elderly driver with admitted leg control issues simply ploughed head on into us at speed. We all shot forward in the car, as the car got shunted back. My legs and body were thrown forward onto the dash and steering wheel. I could see that the driver wasn't taking any avoiding action and I had no way of escaping our lane so had to just stop and wait for the inevitable impact, it was horrific. My babies were all screaming and I didn't know if they were badly hurt or suffering whiplash.

I don't see what leg OP has to stand on frankly and I think has a vested interest given the flagrant disregard for those women dragged under his car in his anger.

Its really very offensive to read. YABVVU

Thats also very sobering reading from pp about doing 3.5 years in prison (which often only serves to destroy instead of rehabilitate people) especially where the cyclist is putting their own life and those of others at risk by cycling in such a dangerous manner themselves. Now that to me sounds like a miscarriage of justice. Yes, speeding when going through lights that could change at any moment may have been the deciding factor on that cyclists life, but I am sick to death myself of cyclists and their unpredictable dangerous behaviour on busy roads. Noone wants to hit anyone and its very traumatising, but sometimes it is the fault of cyclists going at ridiculous speeds, ignoring traffic lights and without any kind of lighting or visibility themselves.

I am sorry you got prison for that.

Our systems are pretty fucked up. I have known someone get prison for killing someone as a result of their dangerous driving, and they deserved it because of the risks they took.

He did kill a person, so he deserved to be punished. He showed little remorse, he didn’t apologise. He already caused incidents with his car before killing a person. His age shouldn’t be brought in to it. What if he was 18 ect? Would your opinion change then?