A grandmother was knocked down and killed by a speeding police car whose driver was racing back after delivering a birthday card to his sister while he was on duty. Sandy Simpson, 61, was only yards away from her home when she was run down by the unnamed officer travelling at nearly twice the speed limit and using his blue lights.
He had been given permission to leave the station to deliver a card to his sister.
It was on the way back, where a mobile data terminal recovered from his car showed that he was doing 57mph on a 30mph road when he hit Mrs Simpson in Bromley, Kent.
At one point on his drive from his home in Swanley, Kent back to the station he topped speeds of 100mph.
So much for the 'urban myth' that police on blues and sirens are just racing to the fish and chip shop. Sometimes it isn't even
that.
Legal sources say he could be charged with causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years, or manslaughter charges, which can lead to life behind bars.
'Could' be....?
Could be.
ReplyDeleteBut won't be.
Or if he is, he'll be acquitted.
Or if he's not acquitted, he'll get off with no sanctions or punishment whatever.
Remember that police dude who was doing 135Mph or something and claimed he was "testing the car"?
No penalties. None at all.
You may be right. But sometimes, the offence is so egregious, even the police can't sweep it under the carpet:"Hayley Adamson, 16, was crossing a road with a group of friends when she was hit by a marked patrol car in Newcastle upon Tyne four months ago.
ReplyDeleteThe Crown Prosecution Service has announced that PC John Dougal, 40, an experienced officer with Northumbria Police, has been charged in relation to the incident."
Let's hope justice prevails in this case too...
Well yes.
ReplyDeleteThe guy who was testing the car at 150mph on a public road was charged, too.
In fact, he went to court and was found guilty.
And what happened to him?
Nothing. It was deemed that "he had already suffered enough".
I was nearly whacked by a police van a year ago. Had just set off to uni to hand in the final work for my degree. 10 minute walk, 1 road to cross.
ReplyDeleteThe van screeched round a junction the wrong way (the filter lane for left turns wasn't obvious enough, I guess) and over the pedestrian crossing I was on, green man and all. I'm a philosophical sort, but it still chills me to think that if I hadn't leapt the fuck out of the way = game over.
I hope the killer in your story is fired and jailed. Such a radical idea as actually punishing recklessness might help deter it in future. You live in hope...
"Such a radical idea as actually punishing recklessness might help deter it in future."
ReplyDeleteIt's been tried before. Worked well, too, as I recall.
Probably why it fell out of favour..