[BNE] Hit-run killer jailed for four years



D

Donga

Guest
Here is an article from The Courier Mail this weekend. It is fully
relevant to the upcoming WoJ/RoS activities. We have to be careful
about assuming the CM is a source of complete information. However, on
the face of it we have:

- four years in jail for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm

- unlicensed with serial serious traffic offences
- no charge for leaving the scene, with a cyclist dead on the road.

By this standard, you and I would have got off scot-free. Are the road
rules up to the mark? I say not. Also note the headline does not
mention death, just hit-run. Feel free to email the Courier Mail on
http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/ .

Donga

The Courier Mail, 13-14 May 2006

Drink-driver, 23, jailed for hit-run

Leanne Edmistone

A PROMISING football career was destroyed when a Broncos' scholarship
player with a bad traffic history yesterday admit­ted running down a
cyclist while he was drink-driving.

Jason James Walters, 23, had been drinking for hours on Monday, March
21, last year when he knocked down a cyclist riding home from work.
Walters did not stop.

Passers-by found Aaron Patrick Butler, 24, lying in a pool of blood in
the middle of a turning lane on Wynnum Road at Wynnum, his badly
damaged bike metres away.

Walters pleaded guilty before the Brisbane District Court to one count
of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm while adversely
affected by an intoxicating substance.

Prosecutor Chris Minnery said Walters was unlicensed at the time, had
previously been disqualified from driving and had been sentenced to a
15-month suspended jail term just nine months earlier for dangerous
driving.

Judge John McGill SC sentenced Walters to four years' jail, to be
served on top of the activated sentence he is currently serving.
 
A promising football career was destroyed?

I only hope Aaron's family don't read the Courier Mail.

Mick
 
Mick wrote:
> A promising football career was destroyed?


Good point. The guy was already in jail and hopefully wasn't being let
out for practice and games!

I wonder what responsibility the alcohol industry would take in this -
major sponsors of rugby league and other assorted boganism.

Donga
 
Mick said:
A promising football career was destroyed?

I only hope Aaron's family don't read the Courier Mail.

Mick
No mention of a promising life that was destroyed. Or all the others hurt.

That is absolutely pathetic of the Courier Mail.
 
The tone of that article is disgraceful - who cares about some silly football career, Walters KILLED someone and then left him there. Gawd, the footballer obviously had made the choice not to learn from his past lessons and the consequence of leniency by previous judges is that a cyclist is killed. :mad:

Yep, I'm basing my foot stamping on one article but we all know this is common occurance.
 
"Donga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
- four years in jail for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm
Also note the headline does not mention death, just hit-run.

Was the cyclist killed? The article just says he was injured, and the driver
would have been charged with dangerous driving causing death and not just
grievous bodily harm if there was a death involved. Is there more to this
story?
 
OzCableguy said:
"Donga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
- four years in jail for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm
Also note the headline does not mention death, just hit-run.

Was the cyclist killed? The article just says he was injured, and the driver
would have been charged with dangerous driving causing death and not just
grievous bodily harm if there was a death involved. Is there more to this
story?
The tone of the article clearly show where the priorities of the journalist lie. I don't think his career was that promising though, with that record of behaviour, he clearly didn't have the ability to process information and apply it with intelligence. Would have only been a matter of time before he did something equally stupid.
 
This f*cktard ought to be sent to Indonesia where sentencing reflects the crime committed.
 
OzCableguy wrote:

> Was the cyclist killed? The article just says he was injured, and the driver
> would have been charged with dangerous driving causing death and not just
> grievous bodily harm if there was a death involved. Is there more to this
> story?


Crikey Oz, thanks for pointing out my dreadful assumption. Sorry
everyone!! Notable the article says nothing about the extent of injury.

Donga
 
SuzieB wrote:
> The tone of that article is disgraceful - who cares about some silly
> football career, Walters KILLED someone and then left him there. Gawd,
> the footballer obviously had made the choice not to learn from his past
> lessons and the consequence of leniency by previous judges is that a
> cyclist is killed. :mad:
>
> Yep, I'm basing my foot stamping on one article but we all know this is
> common occurance.
>


I agree completely. Just about every moron who kills someone has a
career. Why on earth is it relevant to the story!?!

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying
 
OzCableguy wrote:
> "Donga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> - four years in jail for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm
> Also note the headline does not mention death, just hit-run.
>
> Was the cyclist killed? The article just says he was injured, and the driver
> would have been charged with dangerous driving causing death and not just
> grievous bodily harm if there was a death involved. Is there more to this
> story?
>
>

Hmmm another good point. Donga's thread says 'Killer' but the headline
is "Drink-driver, 23, jailed for hit-run" What's the go Donga?!?

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying
 
"Donga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Crikey Oz, thanks for pointing out my dreadful assumption. Sorry
> everyone!! Notable the article says nothing about the extent of injury.
>
>


I think what throws it off a bit is they publish the victim's full name.
They'd usually only do that if it was a death, but then I think they also do
it when reporting a court case.
 
OzCableguy said:
"Donga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Crikey Oz, thanks for pointing out my dreadful assumption. Sorry
> everyone!! Notable the article says nothing about the extent of injury.
>
>


I think what throws it off a bit is they publish the victim's full name.
They'd usually only do that if it was a death, but then I think they also do
it when reporting a court case.

Well the charge was "dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm" so it sounds like he wasn't killed, but probably nastily injured. Either way, opening the article with the "tragedy" of the driver's football career being cut short is ludicrous.