Tormented By The State, As Much As By The Accident....

During her lengthy remarks, the judge debated whether to issue consecutive or concurrent sentences, and while she deemed the case significant enough to hand down consecutive sentences she ended up opting for concurrent sentences.

This is the Hayes crash, where three teenagers were wiped out by a drunk driver, and where the judge evidently likes the sound of her own voice so much, she muses over the possible sentences before a ghastly Jim Bowen impression. No, she doesn't want to give him that...

There's one voice she definitely doesn't want in her courtroom, though.

Harry's father, Ian Rice, similarly spoke of having to read his statement 'under duress' after late edits which saw various extracts relating to criticisms of the police investigation removed.

 We can't have the police criticised, can we?

On the night of the crash Mr Rice was forced to endure an agonising wait alongside the other boys' families, until they were finally told that the their sons were dead - five and a half hours after the incident.

However, his 13-year-old daughter found out the heart-breaking news just 10 minutes after Harry was killed, when she saw a post on Facebook.

Yes, I'm aware that the police have deliberations to make that a kid with a mobile who hears from a friend who has heard from a mate doesn't. But five hours? It was claimed that the much-vaunted 'victim support' didn't turn up, leaving it instead to a WPC to break the news.

Also, although I haven't yet found a print reference to it, Harry's father stated on the BBC News report last night that when he was delivered his son's personal effects, the phone in the bag wasn't his son's phone. It was the killer's phone.

That's utterly inexcusable, if true.