‘Unduly Lenient’ killer driver case

[Thor]

This case keeps resurfacing in my local news, apparently due to campaigning by one individual.  I wonder if he's a cyclist.

Mr Lush was killed when his bike was struck as he cycled home to his family on the A414 from Hatfield to Ware a year ago.

Kelly, 38, of Tubbs Croft, was given a suspended 24-week prison sentence.

At the time of sentencing, she was 34 weeks’ pregnant and the trial judge made it clear the only reason he was not sending her to jail was to spare her the “indignity” of giving birth in custody.

“The only message the sentence provides is that a woman can kill someone and avoid prison by becoming pregnant,” Mr Lally-Randall says in his complaint to the Ministry of Justice.

[spindrift]

When I saw the headline I thought it was this case:

Mob try to grab triple death driver in court after verdict causes uproar | News

Uninsured. Swerving. Speeding. Killed three people.

[clarion]

Nasty.  Just what do you have to do to make your driving 'dangerous'?

[Torslanda]

Yebbut when he was, like, doin' it on Gran' Feft Orto yer just hit the reset button and started again . . .

I don't think I would want to breed from that bloodline.

[Tourist Tony]

I think his parents may have known each other from an early age. Perhaps from the womb....

[Gattopardo]

I try and give a motorists point of view but can agree that this is lenient.

Are you all effecting my opinion or is this soooooo wrong.  A life was taken and worrying about the stigma of being born in prison is pathetic.

[Gasman]

"Are you all effecting my opinion ..."

Don't know but we could be affecting it.

Yours,
 A Pedant

[mattc]

Is it possible that we're overreacting to these sort of sentences?

Given the zillions of variables, and the variety of judges, I would assume that other offences (e.g. burglary) will show a variation in sentences. You could pick the highest or lowest to make some sort of point.

Perhaps driving offences ARE fairly penalised, but we get upset at the lenient outliers?

[mattc]

< ... watches tumbleweed ... >

[Thor]

You can argue that since such stories are "news", they are by definition unusual.

As, thankfully, is the incidence of cyclists being mown down by inattentive car drivers.

But when someone is seen to escape the consequences of her actions,  by subsequently getting pregnant, I think it's worth some attention and perhaps discussion.

[mattc]

But when someone is seen to escape the consequences of her actions,  by subsequently getting pregnant, I think it's worth some attention and perhaps discussion.

Yes, fair point. No statistical view can excuse her actions!

[clarion]

Is it possible that we're overreacting to these sort of sentences?

Given the zillions of variables, and the variety of judges, I would assume that other offences (e.g. burglary) will show a variation in sentences. You could pick the highest or lowest to make some sort of point.

Perhaps driving offences ARE fairly penalised, but we get upset at the lenient outliers?

Fair enough.  But show me hte outliers where motorists are harshly punished, and we can have a discussion.

[mattc]

The trouble is that I simply don't have the data.

(It may even be that all offences have the odd lenient outliers, but no excessive sentences, cos the guilty would always appeal them.)

I'm probably in the same situation as you, Clarion - my perception is based on stories I read, which are susceptble to reporting bias. That perception is that  a lot of negligent/aggressive drivers get off lightly, but my rational side tells me that may be a biased view.

I'm really not sure ...

[Jaded]

Perhaps driving offences ARE fairly penalised, but we get upset at the lenient outliers?

I'm not convinced that treating a driving misdemeanour in the same was as dripping litter (or less than having your dog pooing on the pavement) is necessarily correct.

There are two issue here:

Are the current penalties imposed correctly and fairly?
Are the current penalties right?