AIBU to think that 61 days in prison for killing someone is an insult?

[Steaksauce]

In December 2016, a friend of mine, Andy Lindup was run over and left to die in the road by the man who hit him. He was 36.

The person responsible hid his van with its broken windscreen caused when he hit my friend and kept it to himself for a fortnight until he was traced by police.

Because he left the scene, that's all he could be charged with as other evidence (drinking for example) couldn't be proven.
As a result, he was given 4 months in prison and served only 61 days. For taking a life.

Andy's family are campaigning to get the law changed so that leaving the scene carries the same sentence as death by dangerous driving. The way the law is at the moment, there is almost an incentive to drive away.

The petition is here petition.parliament.uk/petitions/208008

And some more detail about the case and the campaign from Andy's dad here: eveshamobserver.co.uk/news/hit-and-run-family-in-sentence-review-call/

Please sign the petition, this crime is tragically so common and devastates so many lives and the sentences given out are a joke and an insult to grieving families.
It's not the judges and the police at fault, the man who killed Andy was given the maximum sentence for that charge, it's the law that's wrong.

Thank you for reading and for signing and feel free to share on Facebook/Twitter/anywhere else to help raise the profile of this campaign.

4173

more than one charity helping relatives in this situation, worth trying them all.

4175

4178

Signed

Thanks seagal

4181

Thanks for continuing to bump and sign this everyone. We're still aiming for 10,000!so still a long way to go!

If only people got as worked up about hit-and-run drivers as they are getting about their right to sugar in their fizzy drinks, this petition would be going before Parliament.

Exactly coaltit

I would have liked a petition about increasing the sentence for all hit and run drivers - but cant understand why anyone doesnt sign. It's not like you get a mass of emails later - you dont. One to confirm you want to sign, one later to tell you what happens.

Signed. I never met Andy, but we shared a number of mutual friends who were just devastated by his death.

So sorry for your loss.

I agree coal and already

4183

going to keep bumping when I can

really want to see this get to at least 10000!

4185. Please keep signing and sharing on your social media

Signed

4186 - come on mumsnet, you can do better than this

signed

thank you new signers

4189

Signed 💐

4191

There are a few MPs supporting this campaign and they've also signed this petition. Andy's family are working really hard to raise the profile of this petition so that others don't have to go through what they did (and I mean the lack of justice for a loved one).

Please remember that Andy's case is just one of the catalysts of this campaign. They aren't and can't seek to overturn of increase the sentence in their case, they just want to make this situation (that tragically will happen again) less horrific for other families and victims in the future.

Good to hear it has the support of some MPs. I think it is really important the sentencing Is revisited to send a strong message that it is not acceptable to flee the scene.