Driver fined for killing cyclist.

Simon Mason said:

Det Con Robin Povall died of serious injuries after his bicycle was in collision with a car in
Weymouth, a magistrates court was told.

Those pesky bicycles. Always colliding with cars. Sometimes I think they must have minds of
their own...

Three hundred quid. Gagh!

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

In "]news:[email hidden], Simon Mason <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

Simon

Tsk, all the cyclists fault. Shouldn't have been wearing that high visibility bright yellow cloaking
device. What's a driver to do?

Tony

--
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not
dying." Woody Allen

Dave Larrington must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

Three hundred quid. Gagh!

Yeah, was a bit high wasn't it, a totally over the top giving her six points as well. Of course they
weren't going to ban her, it wasn't serious like going over 100mph on a deserted stretch of motorway
or anything, she only killed a cyclist.

--
Ian

catrike.co.ukcatrike.co.ukOpen ↗

Simon Mason said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

[SNIP story]

Hi Simon

I'm getting really p*****d off with this sort of thing. The excuse given is all too often along the
lines of "I didn't see him." Moreover, we're often told that the driver feels remorse. Well, sorry,
the driver would be cruel indeed if she/he didn't feel any remorse. But to my mind, feeling sorry
after the fact is not an excuse.

Quoted message said:

Magistrates decided that the tragic accident followed a momentary lapse of concentration.

And that's all it takes to kill someone. A momentary lapse of concentration costs one life and £305.

Quoted message said:

He said Ward was adamant that she had looked and told the court that her son had not spotted the
cyclist either.

So that's good is it? As neither person saw the copper on his bike it's OK to plough into him?

Quoted message said:

Defending, Rod Evans told the court: "This is a truly tragic set of events."

I'm sure the policeman's family feel similarly.

James

--
"Sorry mate, I didn't see you" is not a satisfactory excuse for having killed someone.

"Simon Mason" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

Simon

I'm in two minds about this kind of thing. Yes, the woman's made a mistake when driving, but
surely prison should only be a last resort, for those who are a danger to society if left walking
down the street.

On the other hand, I think some sort of community service should have been given - sounds like that
fine will cover the court's costs and give nothing back to society.

Thomas.

well, this has made my miind up on the joining ctc issue ... assuming of course they are pro tougher
action on the cagers! its time people were given minimum of a prison sentence + very high fines for
this sort of thing and whatever else we can think of!

i was just in a room where someone was complaining about receiving £365 fine and 4 points on their
license for doing 58 in a 40 zone.

he didnt injure anyone, so why has she received such a similair fine/points whilst killing someone?
absolutely crazy the law in this country - you cant defend your own home without going to prison,
yet can drive a car and kill someone and walk away with minimal fuss

grrrrr.

"Simon Mason" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

Simon

A WOMAN motorist has been ordered to pay £305 for driving without due care and attention following
a collision in which an off-duty policeman died.

Det Con Robin Povall died of serious injuries after his bicycle was in collision with a car in
Weymouth, a magistrates court was told.

The bench heard that the car driver had not seen the oncoming cyclist as

she

Quoted message said:

made a right turn.

At Blandford Court Tina Maureen Raye Ward, 36, of Bagwell Farm, Knights in the Bottom, Chickerell,
admitted driving without due care and attention in Radipole Lane on March 7.

She was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £305 and had six penalty points put on her
driving licence.

Magistrates decided that the tragic accident followed a momentary lapse of concentration.

The court was told the accident had been just after 4pm when 50-year-old police scenes-of-crime
officer Robin Povall had been cycling home from

work.

Quoted message said:

Ward's Nissan Micra car, which had been coming from the opposite

direction,

Quoted message said:

turned directly into the path of the bicycle. Magistrates heard that the police officer's cycle
would have been within the sight line of the car driver when she began to make the turn and he was
wearing high visibility clothing, including a bright yellow top.

Defending, Rod Evans told the court: "This is a truly tragic set of

events."

Quoted message said:

He added Ward was full of remorse over the accident adding: "She had

slowed

Quoted message said:

down and indicated. She didn't see him. She cannot explain why she didn't see him."

Ward, a cleaner at the caravan park where she lives, had been returning

from

Quoted message said:

Weymouth with her 14-year-old son.

He said Ward was adamant that she had looked and told the court that her

son

Quoted message said:

had not spotted the cyclist either.

this kind of s**t makes me sick. I bet the silly cow would have seen him if there were much tougher
penalties!!!

doobrie said:

well, this has made my miind up on the joining ctc issue ... assuming of course they are pro
tougher action on the cagers! its time people were given minimum of a prison sentence + very high
fines for this sort of thing and whatever else we can think of!

I'd settle for them not doing it again ever: prison isn't a good or cost-effective way of doing
this. A ban and an extended re-test is a better way.

Quoted message said:

i was just in a room where someone was complaining about receiving £365 fine and 4 points on their
license for doing 58 in a 40 zone.

he didnt injure anyone, so why has she received such a similair fine/points whilst killing
someone? absolutely crazy the law in this country - you cant defend your own home without going to
prison, yet can drive a car and kill someone and walk away with minimal fuss

For the same reason that the corrective options available to the judiciary for attempted murder are
the same as for actual murder. "Rewarding" (by lower penalties) unsuccessful criminal behaviour
isn't really sensible.

Regards,

-david

Thomas Buck must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Simon Mason" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

Simon

I'm in two minds about this kind of thing. Yes, the woman's made a mistake when driving, but
surely prison should only be a last resort, for those who are a danger to society if left walking
down the street.

On the other hand, I think some sort of community service should have been given - sounds like
that fine will cover the court's costs and give nothing back to society.

Thomas.

how about a 12 month ban with a re test required as an absolute minimum as well as some community
service and a fat fine?

--
Ian

catrike.co.ukcatrike.co.ukOpen ↗

Doesnotcompute said:

Did you cycle through Preston?

On 18th August at about 12.30 - it was the only place where my GPS let me down and I got lost. Why
do you ask? Did you spot me?

Quoted message said:

Hope you start to feel better sometime soon.

Thanks - I'm feeling much better now and may even go on a ride along the Thames Path to enjoy the
evening light.
--
remove remove to reply

"Simon Mason" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

Simon

Quoted message said:

Magistrates decided that the tragic accident followed a momentary

lapse of

Quoted message said:

concentration.

As I understand it drivers convicted of careless driving are punished

for the act of driving without due care and attention and the consequences have little or no bearing
on the sentence. It seems unjust that this driver and others like her continue to drive after
killing someone while someone who speeds will get a ban eventually. Speeding attracts a ban, I would
suppose, because of the increased danger of collisions and injury to other road users. Why then when
a fatal collision has occurred due to poor driving is there not a mandatory period of
disqualification. Time to join the CTC. Iain C

"Simon Mason" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Seethe, seethe....

Quoted message said:

Det Con Robin Povall died of serious injuries after his bicycle was in collision with a car in
Weymouth, a magistrates court was told.

No it wasn't, the clueless cow hit him.

Quoted message said:

The bench heard that the car driver had not seen the oncoming cyclist as

she

Quoted message said:

made a right turn.

Which is a statement of guilt not an excuse, obviously.

Quoted message said:

She was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £305 and had six penalty points put on her
driving licence.

Tch tch. If she does it again she might get a slapped wrist. Whatever happened to these new
guidelines about drivers who kill getting meaningful punishments? But that probably only applies if
they kill other drivers; clearly cyclists are asking for trouble simply by being there.

Quoted message said:

Magistrates decided that the tragic accident followed a momentary lapse of concentration.

That is the bit that really pisses me off. Everybody knows that momentary lapses of concentration
while driving can kill, so why should we accept that the death is just an accident simply because
some stupid cow can't be bothered to pay attention?

Quoted message said:

Ward's Nissan Micra car, which had been coming from the opposite

direction,

Quoted message said:

turned directly into the path of the bicycle. Magistrates heard that the police officer's cycle
would have been within the sight line of the car driver when she began to make the turn and he was
wearing high visibility clothing, including a bright yellow top.

So the fact that she didn't see him means SHE WASN'T F***ING LOOKING!

Quoted message said:

He added Ward was full of remorse over the accident adding: "She had

slowed

Quoted message said:

down and indicated. She didn't see him. She cannot explain why she didn't see him."

So she'd warned other people she was going to turn and that absoplves her of any responsibility for
looking. Only in CagerWorld (TM).

So, what should the penalty be? Seems to me that a ban plus retest and a significant fine would be a
good start. After all, if you drive while drunk and risk killing someone, you get an automatic ban
even if you get away without crashing, so if you drive carelessly and actually do kill someone
surely you should expect a penalty of at least the same magnitude?

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗

Andy Dingley said:

Thomas Buck' tom at greysheep dot co dot uk said:

Yes, the woman's made a mistake when driving, but surely prison should only be a last resort,

I agree completely. There's no indication that this driver set out to mow down a cyclist.

So its not murder, its manslaughter.

Quoted message said:

But driving is a privilege, and a difficult skill. If you clearly can't do it right, then you
should lose the first until you demonstrate the second. I'm quite happy with an automatic long ban
for anyone who kills another, following a conviction for negligent driving (even a relatively
minor offence)

A low fine is insulting. The "school run" defence is farcical.

A court order that the children travel to school by public transport might help here. Perhaps one
which included all the other children in the vicinity, for their own protection against this
obviously incompetent driver. Oh, and let all the families know exactly why they've just got this
"inconvenience".

--
Jim Price

jimprice.dsl.pipex.comjimprice.dsl.pipex.comOpen ↗

Conscientious objection is hard work in an economic war.

Simon Mason said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

Simon

A WOMAN motorist has been ordered to pay £305 for driving without due care and attention following
a collision in which an off-duty policeman died.

Det Con Robin Povall died of serious injuries after his bicycle was in collision with a car in
Weymouth, a magistrates court was told.

If the police can't bring any pressure to bear over one of their own, the rest of us are screwed.

"Simon Mason" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

thisisdorset.netWEYMOUTH NEWS NEWS1.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed in another paper that she was not banned as she said she needed her car to take her son
to school.

Just absolutely ****ing disgraceful.

Andrew

Quoted message said:

Simon

A WOMAN motorist has been ordered to pay £305 for driving without due care and attention following
a collision in which an off-duty policeman died.

Det Con Robin Povall died of serious injuries after his bicycle was in collision with a car in
Weymouth, a magistrates court was told.

The bench heard that the car driver had not seen the oncoming cyclist as

she

Quoted message said:

made a right turn.

At Blandford Court Tina Maureen Raye Ward, 36, of Bagwell Farm, Knights in the Bottom, Chickerell,
admitted driving without due care and attention in Radipole Lane on March 7.

She was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £305 and had six penalty points put on her
driving licence.

Magistrates decided that the tragic accident followed a momentary lapse of concentration.

The court was told the accident had been just after 4pm when 50-year-old police scenes-of-crime
officer Robin Povall had been cycling home from

work.

Quoted message said:

Ward's Nissan Micra car, which had been coming from the opposite

direction,

Quoted message said:

turned directly into the path of the bicycle. Magistrates heard that the police officer's cycle
would have been within the sight line of the car driver when she began to make the turn and he was
wearing high visibility clothing, including a bright yellow top.

Defending, Rod Evans told the court: "This is a truly tragic set of

events."

Quoted message said:

He added Ward was full of remorse over the accident adding: "She had

slowed

Quoted message said:

down and indicated. She didn't see him. She cannot explain why she didn't see him."

Ward, a cleaner at the caravan park where she lives, had been returning

from

Quoted message said:

Weymouth with her 14-year-old son.

He said Ward was adamant that she had looked and told the court that her

son

Quoted message said:

had not spotted the cyclist either.

Andy Dingley <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thomas Buck' tom at greysheep dot co dot uk said:

Yes, the woman's made a mistake when driving, but surely prison should only be a last resort,

I agree completely. There's no indication that this driver set out to mow down a cyclist.

But driving is a privilege, and a difficult skill. If you clearly can't do it right, then you
should lose the first until you demonstrate the second. I'm quite happy with an automatic long ban
for anyone who kills another, following a conviction for negligent driving (even a relatively
minor offence)

A low fine is insulting. The "school run" defence is farcical.

Yeah, that's what got me. The bench were going to ban her from driving, but took pity on her
as she had to drive her son to school. Maybe she doesn't let him cycle there as it's too
dangerous :-( Simon

Jim Price said:

So its not murder, its manslaughter.

I take your point, but I think even manslaughter is excessive. There's room for a lot more gradation
than our current two levels.

Andy Dingley said:

Jim Price said:

So its not murder, its manslaughter.

I take your point, but I think even manslaughter is excessive. There's room for a lot more
gradation than our current two levels.

In a "OK, I'll let myself be taken a little out of context sort of way", we do have another
gradation. I believe its called something like "unlawful killing". It doesn't seem to get used much,
and when it does, it seems to be rail executives getting away with no penalty for anything, even
when the buck stops at them being responsible for multiple deaths in a single incident. <FX:rant
limitation device cuts in>

I'm all for having a few more levels in most things.

--
Jim Price

jimprice.dsl.pipex.comjimprice.dsl.pipex.comOpen ↗

Conscientious objection is hard work in an economic war.

Simon Mason said:

Andy Dingley <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thomas Buck' tom at greysheep dot co dot uk said:

Yes, the woman's made a mistake when driving, but surely prison should only be a last resort,

I agree completely. There's no indication that this driver set out to mow down a cyclist.

But driving is a privilege, and a difficult skill. If you clearly can't do it right, then you
should lose the first until you demonstrate the second. I'm quite happy with an automatic long ban
for anyone who kills another, following a conviction for negligent driving (even a relatively
minor offence)

A low fine is insulting. The "school run" defence is farcical.

Yeah, that's what got me. The bench were going to ban her from driving, but took pity on her as
she had to drive her son to school. Maybe she doesn't let him cycle there as it's too dangerous
:-( Simon

perhaps they aught to tell her to cycle as part of her 'punishment'.

--
Pete

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