Pc sentenced after fatal accident

[Samray]

A Norfolk policeman, who killed a grandfather when he crashed into two motorcyclists, has been sentenced at Norwich Crown Court.

A year's driving ban and must do 300 hours community work?!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/10354872.stm

[Kwackerz]

Hmm is life so cheap nowadays?

[Samray]

Not so cheap that we don't have to ban mouthwash and wine gums!

[D-Rider]

It's difficult to say how appropriate or inappropriate this is - there is so little info in the report. For me, the level of the consequences should not be the determining factor - although particularly tragic in this case.
A minor oversight or combination of circumstances can lead to something awful but extended periods of complete recklessness can lead to just a lot of "lucky escapes".
For me the level of intent and lack of care is the thing that should be punished.

There again, too many people equate speed with recklessness and that is already something that is over emphasised.

[BikerGran]

It's difficult to say how appropriate or inappropriate this is - there is so little info in the report. .

It's probably significant what the family of the crash victim said (following another link from that site). I feel they might have issued a stronger statement if they felt the officer had been driving recklessly.

After the case, the family of Mr Jennings, of East Harling, near Thetford said his death had changed their lives forever and no sentence would bring him back.

In a statement they said: “The fact that the policeman who caused this accident works on the serious collision team in Norfolk only makes this harder to deal with, but we know, like us, he will have to deal with what happened every day, for the rest of his life.

They added: “You don't have to be on a mobile phone, eating or smoking to cause an accident and someone's death while driving. Just a momentary lapse of concentration is all it takes and in one moment a life can be taken.”

[Samray]

A SMIDSY, no more or less than any other, except he should have known better.

[Kwackerz]

a serving officer for 22 years, was driving an unmarked police car when he turned into the path of two motorcyclists on the B1108 Norwich Road at Carbrooke, near Watton,

I wonder just how linked it is to the other thread, about motorcycles and not being able to judge them as they approach.
He probably did know better, but there's always that one time when the circumstances are just right to see things go the wrong way.

[K_D]

A tradgedy.

Innocent folk dies after public servant dedicated to crash investigation makes a mistake.

It shouldnt happen.................but it did.



My sympathy to the berieved family..........they wont eaven get closure of a jail sentence with this one




No words can express the loss.

[HowardQ]

I agree with everything already covered.
BUT

If the bikes had gone past the unmarked police car at 120 plus and the copper had used a speed camera on them, they would have both gone to prison even if there had been no accident.

All because SPEED KILLS.

No it does not, it just gets you nicked.
A moment, or much longer period, of inattention KILLS, but usually does not get you nicked.

[Samray]

Good point well made Howard.

[T.C.]

Comments made in respect of this thread are interesting, but as with many others, judgement is being made without having heard all the evidence or knowing the full facts.

No two crashes are the same, and whilst the PC should have known better particularly given his professional qualifications, it is very easy to make assumptions based on a story in the press who by the very nature of their profession will over dramatise things rather than give a proper account of what was said in Court.

Had the PC been reckless in the way he was driving, he would have been convicted of Death by dangerous driving, but it was death by careless, still serious but at the lower end of the scale, and but for the grace of god go anyone of us regardless of whether we are professional drivers/riders or simply leisure rider/drivers.

The other side of the coin is that he now has to deal with double jeopardy. He is disqualified from driving, so he is off Traffic, he will face a disciplinary hearing and could be fined by the job, he could also lose his job and his pension rights will go tits up as well for a number of years which although not as high as it would have been had he done the full 30, is still significant none the less.

Yes life is cheap to a degree, but to make such a comment when the full facts of the case are unknown smacks of jumping on the bandwagon.

[HowardQ]

I deliberately never blamed the policeman, because as others had already said the facts were not clear and the family seemed to have accepted that he was not to blame.
I still do not think anything is incorrect about about the points I made.

[T.C.]

I deliberately never blamed the policeman, because as others had already said the facts were not clear and the family seemed to have accept that he was not to blame.
I still do not think anything is incorrect about about the points I made.

I was generalising not having a pop at anyone

[HowardQ]

To broaden my point TC -
On my 12 to 20 mile commute to work, (higher figure when I take the wife half way to Sheffield and drop her off at a bus stop. Lower figure is me from home to Rotherham).
Without even trying I will generally happen to see at least a dozen people on hand held phones every day. Once had the wife specifically watching and counting for much of the journey and we got 30 odd very quickly.
The best one was a white van man negotiating the busiest roundabout in the centre of Rotherham on a mobile, with an A to Z in the centre of the steering wheel held by the hand turning it, with his whole body twisted around so he could still read the bloody thing whilst at 90degrees to the right of central, then going to 90 degrees the other way as he turned off the roundabout.
All of these could and probably have caused accidents by a total lack of concentration yet nobody ever gets stopped.
The only chance of them getting nicked is if they have an accident and police check their call records after.
I ride a bike at weekends and the local police in S/Yorks, Derbys, Notts and Lincs are out chasing after speeding bikes with normal police cars (unlikely), speed traps, (many in unmarked cars and vans specially purchased and modified to look like builders vans, plus dozens of Q cars and Bikes and probably at least a couple of helicopters as well). None of this lot come cheap!
Why do they spend a hundred thousand or more over these areas every weekend just to catch bikes, when they cannot afford to send out a few coppers to stop people using mobiles all the time.
Until they do the latter many people will continue to use them as there is absolutely nothing to deter them.
I regularly see people drive past police cars whilst on hand held mobiles and nobody does anything.
We know these situation cause serious accidents every day.
A lot less people are killed by speeding bikers and most are the bikers themselves. The people on phones usually kill innocent 3rd parties by ploughing into standing traffic or running of the road into a bus queue etc..

[Aladinsaneuk]

good point in general howard

but - why not get your wife to write down the car number plates, and report them - and ask for the driver to be interviewed or cautioned etc

after a couple of weeks doing it, write to the local inspector asking him to comment why the public are doing his officers jobs?