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.

Brilliant new thread
3107 well done!

Signed. I’m so sorry for your loss OP.

Signed

Signed. As a cyclist I know how all too often our deaths do not even result in an arrest, even when there is good evidence the driver was at fault or at least strongly contributed to the collision.

Signed and bumped as this law definitely needs changing.
It could happen to any one of us.
Condolences to all concerned.

even when there is good evidence the driver was at fault or at least strongly contributed to the collision.
That's one of the most surprising things about these cases to me as someone who is "just" a layman and doesn't understand how the legal case works in those situations. Very sad for all affected.

Signed xxx

Signed. 61 days is disgusting.

I have signed. The law as it stands is an utter disgrace.

Signed. This is shocking.

signed

3145 signatures so far

Signed. Sorry for your and his family's loss OP.

3156 now.

Bump

I've already signed, but will bump this for you. x

✔️

Bump!

Signed. 61 days is a disgrace.

Signed. I’m sharing it.

I almost think leaving a scene/doing a hit and run should carry a higher penalty than dangerous driving occasioning death where the person stays on the scene (whether by choice or not isn't relevant here, really).

That poor bloke. How devastated his family must be to feel that his life was only worth 2 months.

Terrible.

I've signed.

Signed. I so sorry about your friend.

Signed x

Delurking to sign