Politician jailed for using Mobile Phone when driving

[perseus]

Although this is illegal in the UK and he was involved in a pile up which had fatalities, it was nothing to do with the accident itself since the text message was completed several minutes beforehand, and the accident was no fault of his. The Judge said "It's clear the dangerous driving had no causal link to the accident."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7909510.stm

This interests me since I have just finished a book about a University lecturer who was jailed for dangerous driving resulting in 3 fatalities. In his case it was just 2 seconds of inattention whilst fumbling in his coat as recorded by a camera.

Whilst in both cases the guilty verdict is clearly correct, inattention whilst driving is surely something most drivers are guilty of at one time or another. These people were just unlucky enough to be in a subsequent fatal accident.

So is the law an ass, and should sentences be in accordance with intent rather than the consequences? This means that either these guys shouldn't be sent to jail, or that perhaps most of us should have.

 

[03USMC]

I would say the Prosecuter would have had to show intent in the actions. They have to here. Not current on the UK system.

 

[Chukpike]

He plead guilty to dangerous driving. Not sure they would need to show intent to drive dangerously, just that he was driving dangerously. Since he plead guilty the prosecutor does not have to prove anything.

He plead guilty to dangerous driving and I would assume the 12 week sentence was in line for the offense he was convicted of.

"Mr Justice Wilkie made clear the texting incident had no bearing on the fatal collision."

 

[Partisan]

I agree with Chukpike, but I dislike the fact that his solicitor took the race card as part of his defence. Mr Gombar, who died, was also a foreign national!

The use of mobile phones whilst driving has been debated for years I think that it needs to be sorted. I'm tired of being cut up or having to dodge people intent on their cell phone & not the road, but the wheels of government move slowly at best.

It will all turn out well for Lord Ahmed, just look at how Mandelson keeps coming back, like the perpetual bad smell. MP's never die, they never, ever go away.