The driver in the Wimbledon school accident won't be charged?

[RiverF]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw4448xx4keo

It sounds like a unavoidable and unforeseeable medical incident led to the tragedy, but the families wanted justice.

I can't begin to imagine their pain, but this is the right decision?

You've attributed that quote to me, but I didn't write it!

But in answer to this –

Since when do medical experts employed by parents take on investigative duties that would lead to criminal charges? Since when were they appointed this role in the Justice system? Who are they? Who are they accountable to? You? Me? The public at large? Or just the parents who are paying them?

– Sorry, just deleted that chunk as I realised I'd misread it! It's different for private prosecutions. They aren't criminal charges per se. But yes, the parents could commission medical experts to study the evidence.

Absofuckinglutely.

It's different for private prosecutions. They aren't criminal charges per se. But yes, the parents could commission medical experts to study the evidence.

Have the parents said that they are planning on taking out a private prosecution? I have not read that anywhere all I have read is that they wanted and expected the CPS to charge the driver and are very unhappy that they have not done so and want to see/want their experts to see the evidence.

No, they haven't said it at all. It just came up earlier in the thread when people were saying that the parents want justice and that the CPS should change its mind. A private prosecution would be the only avenue open to them now the CPS has made its charging decision.

I am really sorry @Bookmark1111 I appear to have confused you with another poster and thought a quote was yours when reading back it clearly is not. Apologies.

No worries!

My sympathy lies with the families. Less so with a privileged white woman driving a monstrous vehicle around the streets of Wimbledon.

A privileged white woman? What has her colour got to do with anything? Racism isn't OK either ffs

I'd say the odds are pretty good that the bereaved families did plenty of driving around the streets of Wimbledon in a large vehicle.

It was her epilepsy that caused the accident, not her wealth.

Thank you.

I’ve just re- read one of the articles, and the parents say that they feel justice hasn’t be done, and possibly the investigation was poor.

I guess this isn’t the end of the story.

Sympathies to all involved, the parents and the driver.

Exactly!!!!! As someone that suddenly developed epilepsy out of the blue, I am a privileged white woman, I didn’t ask to suddenly start having tonic clonics every day.

I had my first seizure at home alone. But if I had been driving and killed 2 beautiful girls I would a) have to come to terms with the fact that I stole two innocent lives and b) live with the fact I now have epilepsy.

There is no way the woman should be prosecuted, she is going to put herself through hell. No it doesn’t bring the girls back, but she is paying more in emotion and physically having to deal with epilepsy which is a worse punishment that any prison could bring.

What the hell has her race or her wealth got to do with the fact that she had a serious medical incident behind the wheel?

My god I am so sick of the racism on this site! What is wrong with her being white? Have people forgotten that people indigenous to the uk are white. The parents of the children were not even concerned about the type of car probably because they also had similar vehicles. It was a private school that she hit after all.

Hopefully mn take the racist post down

Private prosecutions are criminal charges that are not brought by the CPS. The rules are exactly the same as the CPS have to comply with and any party can ask the CPS to take over the prosecution. Once the CPS take over the prosecution, they conduct it in the usual way including being required to discontinue (drop the charges) if they think the evidence isn’t there.

In this case, I’m sure that if the families bring a private prosecution, the defence lawyers will ask the CPS to take it over. Since the CPS have already decided the case should not be charged, they would almost inevitably discontinue it almost immediately. The families would then be no further forward (but possibly several thousand or even tens of thousands of pounds worse off if they’ve hired private lawyers).

I think the right decision was taken not to prosecute.

On a personal note I would never dream of driving such a big vehicle around London. I get that farmers need tractors, hauliers need lorries.... Nobody needs a massive 4 x 4 in central London, not even the Royal family, or Prime Minister. It's unnecessary pollution and damn right dangerous for others. She was showing off. If she'd had a smaller car the two girls might have survived.

What can she provide that the police etc haven't already found out? The bereaved parents will never get over the loss of their children but it does seem that it was an accident.

Abusing white people and especially white, rich people is totally acceptable on MN it seems.

It's all too often women drivers who aren't confident who like these ''Chelsea tractors'' as it makes them feel ''safe'' , as the vehicles are high and strongly built, {was told this by an owner of one, but to be fair she lived in a Cotswold village, but did drive into towns.

They are a ridiculous vehicle for Cities.

"Not only do the people insisting public interest and interest of the public are the same thing want to fundamentally alter when people are charged with crimes, they also want to reverse the burden of proof when those people are dragged to court "
Yep. I don't know which bit is more bonkers. Probably the second- to remove the central tenet of the justice system ie innocent until proven guilty, to pull out the keystone of the whole thing. Bonkers.

Also, a surprising number of posters saying BAN HER FOR LIFE. Why? For consistency you'd have to slap lifetime driving bans on anyone who has ever had a single seizure, ever; anyone who's ever had a heart attack or stroke or any condition that might predispose to these; anyone who has ever fainted or had a hypoglycemic episode or vertigo...a previous poster put up a link to an A-Z list of conditions that can affect driving ; there are 24 conditions listed under the letter A.

If a person with epilepsy is seizure free for the required period of time, takes any meds they need to maintain a seizure free state, gets regular checkups and is medically cleared to drive, why shouldn't they, the same as anybody with any of the other conditions? Is epilepsy different somehow? In addition to the above measures, should we also gather round with stout hazel rods and beat the evil spirits out of the witch accursèd with the falling sickness before we give her back her licence, just to be sure?

It could happen to anyone
You could be on the motorway and have a heart attack or stroke, hit the accelerator and cause a pile up and kill people
Awful, but it would be an accident

She has children as well so between that, what happened and the diagnosis she must be feeling so much guilt as well as trying to protect her children from the press

I have had seizures in the past, no clue what happened when I woke up on the floor. It's like you've not slept for a week and people are shouting your name and all you want to do is sleep, that's why people can be aggressive after them

I don’t agree with the descion not to prosecute but I’m not surprised. I think they probably would, if the accused were black and the victims white. I don’t know how the parents even begin to move forward from this, it’s them who have the life sentence and the accused gets her license back as if it never happened.

To prosecute you have to be charged with an offence. What offence do you think she has committed?