'nuff sed. Words such as goolies, cut, off, burn and body come to mind :-)
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<en24.co.ukStory.aspOpen ↗
&ItemId=NOED11+Dec+2003+12%3A07%3A50%3A080>
or
"Man walks free after sixth drink drive
December 11, 2003 12:06
A NORWICH man has walked free from court after admitting his sixth drink driving offence.
Road safety campaigners slammed the sentence which was imposed on the day that Norfolk police
launched its annual campaign against drink driving.
Ashmeed Ghanie, 26, of Thorpe Road, was sentenced to an 18-month community rehabilitation order and
to pay costs of £60 after admitting being more than three times over the legal limit when he was
stopped in Riverside on October
26.
Anti drink drive campaigners fear it is just a matter of time before Ghanie kills.
Alison Hindley, whose grandfather Len Moakes was mown down by a hit-and-run driver after downing
seven whiskies, said she was "disgusted" with yesterday's sentence for Ghanie.
She said: "If the magistrates and judges are going to be so lenient then people are going to keep on
doing it. The police are making a point of stopping people but they are not being backed up by the
courts. I am worried the next time this person drives, he may kill someone.
Mrs Hindley, 27, said her family was still trying to come to terms with the accident which killed
her grandfather in November last year.
"The man that killed my grandfather was sentenced to 15 months but I know he came out last month
because I have seen him.
"These sentences are just too lenient on drink drivers. I was very angry when I saw him because he
is now a free man but we are still picking up the pieces.
"We think about the accident all the time, we went and put flowers on the road on the anniversary
last month. This is our second Christmas without him now. My uncle who lived with my granddad has
had to move because the accident happened outside his home."
Mrs Hindley said motorists should think of the potential consequences of their actions before they
drink and drive.
"The people who do drink and drive just don't think of the consequences. If they had to go through
what my family has been through over the last year, they would not do it because they would not want
their family to go through the same thing."
John Sparrow, of the Campaign Against Drink Driving (CADD), said he felt victims of drink drivers
were being let down by the courts.
"My son was 16 when he was killed by a drink driver. The driver got a 16 month prison sentence but
we have heard of much more lenient sentences than this.
"The other day in Bristol, a drink driver who had knocked someone down and killed them, got a £150
fine and a 12-month ban."
Ron Jessup, vice chairman of CADD, added: "It is ludicrous in terms of the variance in sentences
across the country — there is no consistency.
"If this man is a six-time offender, he is obviously not getting the message. The punishment ought
to be more severe to convince this driver to change his ways. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time
before he kills someone.
"When you look at the number of deaths on the roads caused by drink driving, a large proportion are
caused by regular offenders — people with multiple convictions already.
"The Government should instruct the courts to impose stricter penalties. There is far too much left
to magistrates' and judges' discretion.
"I am not calling to lock them up and throw away the key. There needs to be an educational
programme, which works in conjunction with a custodial sentence."
Norfolk police would not comment directly on the case but have said that they are planning to
specifically target persistent drink drivers as part of their Christmas crackdown to get them in
front of the courts.
The traditional check points will be set up on roads across the county between December 18 and
January 1 and drivers involved in road accidents will be breathalysed.
But the ethos of Operation Harrier the countywide initiative aimed at disrupting the activities of
known criminals is likely to be applied to the campaign and officers are urging members of the
public to report those who are drinking and driving and their movements.
Last Christmas 56 people were arrested by Norfolk police during the drink driving initiative, 10 of
whom were involved in accidents and there were 90 injury accidents.
Ghanie, an unemployed father-of-siz, was banned from driving for four years, but could get behind
the wheel sooner if he successfully completes a drink driving rehabilitation course.
Chairwoman of the bench Hill Tallowin said: "This offence is much aggravated by the five previous
drink driving offences.
"But we have taken into consideration your remorse, that you have co-operated and that you are
recovering from a recent trauma.
"I must tell, and please take this on board, that if you breach this order, no other punishment but
custody will be imposed."
Prosecutor Ray Osborne said Ghania was stopped shortly after midnight on October 26 because his
car's lights were not switched on.
A roadside breath test was positive and a further test at the police station showed he 117
micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than three times the legal limit of 35.
Alistair Taunton, mitigating for Ghania said: "He has an unenviable record particularly with regard
to similar offences."
But his last drink driving offence was five years ago and his last offence of any kind was three
years ago.
Ghania had had to move to Norwich, away from family and friends after being attacked, he said.
As a result of that attack he still had to attend hospital physiotherapy sessions and orthopaedic
clinics. He was receiving disability living allowance and did not know when he would be fit to
work again.
Mr Taunton said Ghania accepted he should not have driven and acknowledged that he had a
drink problem."
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