Its one rule for them and......

[ratewhore]

That is how I read it. He was jailed for dangerous driving, not for having the accident; as it happens the first was only exposed because of the second. The judge acknowledged that the texting didn't cause the accident:

Was he jailed for dangerous driving? If so, how come the lorry driver who wiped out a whole family because he was fannying around with his laptop only got sent down for 'careless' driving?

Problem we are faced with is that the justice system is based on judges interpretation of the law, and the fact that most of them are dribbling, colostomy-bag wearing ****tards clearly doesn't help...

[Unicorn]

Was he jailed for dangerous driving? If so, how come the lorry driver who wiped out a whole family because he was fannying around with his laptop only got sent down for 'careless' driving?
...

I think that lorry driver got sent down for causing death by careless driving. It's a new offence which doesn't have the same criteria as causing death by dangerous driving which is harder to prove. The new death by careless driving has a lower maximum sentence than death by dangerous driving.

[Old Greg]

Much as I'm sure Lord Ahmed is a despicable NL stooge, I thought 12 weeks was harsh (assuming it was a 1st offence, I don't know that) for an offence that had no link to the accident. People don't go to prison as a rule (I think, happy to be contradicted) for drinking and driving 1st offences.

[Bagpuss]

What's to say he wasn't texting just before he hit the car?
I have managed to avoid stationary cars on more than 1 occasion, even in the dark. The guy obviously doesn't pay attention while driving.

[cailin maith]

What's to say he wasn't texting just before he hit the car?
I have managed to avoid stationary cars on more than 1 occasion, even in the dark. The guy obviously doesn't pay attention while driving.

I saw on the news last night that they checked his phone records and the last text he sent was 15 or 20 mins prior to the accident.

[Moscow Mule]

I saw on the news last night that they checked his phone records and the last text he sent was 15 or 20 mins prior to the accident.

According to what ever I was half watching this morning (either Breakfast or the Wright Stuff) he was two miles away when the last text was sent. On the motorway, thats a couple of minutes at most.

[sasguru]

Both deserved custodial sentences for breaking the law.
Mr. Ahmed (I can't bring myself to call him Lord) is the worst type of NL flunkey and I dislike that sort intensely. However there are clear differences in the cases:

1) One was texting as the accident happened and crashed into a car parked on the hard shoulder.
2) The other crashed into a car stopped in the fast lane (that had already been hit by another car) and that happened after the texting had occurred.

In this case the difference in sentencing is about right.

I actually felt quite sorry for the Portuguese lorry driver. There for the grace of God go I etc. Which one of us hasn't had a lapse in conecntration and probably escaped by pure luck?

[cailin maith]

According to what ever I was half watching this morning (either Breakfast or the Wright Stuff) he was two miles away when the last text was sent. On the motorway, thats a couple of minutes at most.

I thought it was BBC I saw last night, but I might be mistaken. I'd imagine there is conflicting reports about it.

[Bagpuss]

Yeah, a Zodiac would have difficulty but you managed it. A modern car with powerful headlights, ABS, disc brakes et al would easily avoid a non moving car. Just think how often traffic stops on motorways these days, yet most of the time we manage not to hit each other.

Carling, I think he demontrated that concentrating on the road ahead is not his top priority, I bet he was messing with something else, food/CD/Paperwork and I bet he was driving a big automatic merc or some such car on cruise control. You see those guys all the time swaying about.

[cailin maith]

Yeah, a Zodiac would have difficulty but you managed it. A modern car with powerful headlights, ABS, disc brakes et al would easily avoid a non moving car. Just think how often traffic stops on motorways these days, yet most of the time we manage not to hit each other.

Carling, I think he demontrated that concentrating on the road ahead is not his top priority, I bet he was messing with something else, food/CD/Paperwork and I bet he was driving a big automatic merc or some such car on cruise control. You see those guys all the time swaying about.

Probably you are right.

I wasn't defending him at all BTW, just mentioning what they'd said on the news.