If the judge had any discretion to give a community sentence (and he may not have had) there would have had to be mitigating circumstances. And that hardly seems to be the case.
The inability of the judicial system to effectively and justly deal with violent crime and the innapropriate issuing of cautions (against guidelines apparently) - are (galling as it may be) other matters...
And lets not forget that lying, misleading and falsifying is a fundamental part of British culture, as so clearly demonstrated by our Great Leaders in Westminster! Only a couple have ever gone to jail for it (one was Archer, but that was more probably for the quality of his books!)
It's a good point, it doesn't seem fair given widespread "dodginess" in UK society at large. But what the police pilot, Archer, and Jonathan Aitkin did was try to pervert the course of justice by lying under caution or oath. And got caught.
Jail didn't reform Archer much: he wrote another literary classic based on his experences.
Pilot drives his car in excess of the speed limit. Anyone hurt? no. In fact he has probably helped save many lives through his job. Police serve him with a fixed penalty, he says he didn't do it. Police charge him with perverting the course of justice instead and off to prison he goes. This is a "Victimless crime". Hell, does that mean we are not allowed to plead "not guilty" now?
Only because his victim was able to prove that she was not driving the car. Not only is he a liar, but to blame her without her agreement or even her knowledge, he is stupid as well. If he had named you instead of her, would you still feel the same way? More to the point, would you accept the blame?
There are honest, trustworthy pilots out there, let one of them have his job.
There seems to be a lot of people on here who, apparently, have never lied, broken the speed limit, cheated on their partner, parked on a double yellow line, dropped litter, smoked pot etc etc etc. (Im guilty of most of the aforementioned plus some!)
I have a zero tolerance for your typical bad boy. I'm highly respectful of the Police, the Armed forces and the Emergency services to name but a few.
This guy broke the law and he should be punished. He tried to cheat his way out of it and that should also be punishable. He's a bloody idiot and there is no argument.
If, prison is the answer, then so be it. But on that basis I want to see EVERY SINGLE SCROAT that has ever got away with a custodial sentence for the thieving, mugging, robbing, gun toting, knife wielding offence or whatever they commit. I want them all re-arrested and shoved in prison where they belong.
This guy has f**cked up. No doubt. But he turned up for court, probably wearing a suit. He probably didn't sleep for months and he's probably regretting every second of it - which is more than can be for said for most of the others who keep getting off.
And as for all the MP's expenses. Well apparently that's O.K. Oh and apparently Stephen Gerrard is allowed to tw*t some geezer in an unprovoked attack in a pub which has been captured on CCTV and that's self defence.
B***ocks.
This guy should be punished, but he shouldn't be in prison. End of!
There seems to be a lot of people on here who, apparently, have never lied, broken the speed limit, cheated on their partner, parked on a double yellow line, dropped litter, smoked pot etc etc etc. (Im guilty of most of the aforementioned plus some!)
In the words of Lennie Godber in Porridge;
Godber: I'm only in here due to tragic circumstances.
Fletch: Which were?
Godber: I got caught.
Agree with the non-custodial point; the guy's name is all over the industry now, surely no need to also make him look for the soap in the prison showers at taxpayer expense.
Anyway, isn't this really more of a Jetblast discussion?
Anyway, isn't this really more of a Jetblast discussion?
Well said. Captain X is an Air Ambulance pilot, and not a Helicopter Air Ambulance pilot (unless their 'Blackhawk' variant of the Beech KingAir B200 has a rotor or two!).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Telegraph.co.uk
X had worked as deputy chief pilot for Exeter based Capital Air Charter, which flies medical evacuations all over Europe.
The guy gets put into prison, presumably for comitting a crime. I do not see a victim in this case, other than perhaps himself.. Let's see now, he attempts to pervert the course of justice, that is, he tries to get out of a £60 fixed penalty and 3 points. Oh my god! What a criminal, so put him in Jail then. Way over the top.
Think we are back to basics here; In our community, you are aloud to make mistakes but don't lie about it !! Then you are kinda' f.....d.. because we know each others, as the CP's..
How many of us say "we didn't do it"?
It is our right to say "I didn't do it guv",
or "prove it".
Is that not so?
Now watch out, you get charged with perverting the course of justice instead.
You make an interesting point. Obviously being found guilty after maintaining a defence of not guilty usually implies some perjury or attempt to pevert the course of justice. My layman's understanding is that the UK practice (and CPS policy) is not to seek further punishment in these cases. Perhaps someone better qualified than me (FL ?) would care to comment ?
It is not perjury to say "I didn't do it" that's the one time you can lie under oath without fear of being punished for it.
This guy went way outside the scope of denying it. He fabricated a defence based on false logbook entries and incrimination. He'd have been better off sticking to the speed limit, but that's not his style it seems.
If the court system is not robust in dealing with people who abuse the system, then Law and Order is in danger of not being enforced at all.
The fact that so many other people are getting off with a Police Caution, just in case they didn't know they were not allowed to carry a knife, is another matter.
There is no way the (current) justice system can deal with everyone so some will slip through. There are enough muggers andd housebreakers to fill the courts all week so should the CPS ignore motoring offences entirely or build more courts?
Much longer sentences are the answer, people do not re-offend whilst in jail! Ask yourself, what is it that society wants from this pilot? Surely it is to have him desist from speeding, and making false log book entries. Well that's going to be taken care of for at least 16 weeks, I call that a result.
Long term, he may go back to speeding, he may even become an international drug smuggler flying low over the North Sea helping his new found friends from prison, since he should be unable to get a legitimate flying job now.
I'm sorry but I'm going to jump in here, I'm agitated and you're wrong! (Respectfully)
We've thrown what I imagine is usually a perfectly law abiding citizen in prison because our system finds it easier to convict people who commit a motoring offence than it does a scroat who has absolutely no respect for the law full stop. This is evidenced by the amount of them that don't turn up for court, don't pay their fines, re-offend or break their bail conditions.
Just to clarify, I know he's not been put in prison for speeding. But it's the fact that our ridiculous totting up system for speeding offences is pushing people to do what this guy did to avoid losing their license.
The most common criminal conviction in this country is a motoring offence. It's bloody ridiculous. I can tell you this. If you ask any member of the public are they more frightened of a car driving down the road at 45 miles an hour in a 30 zone or a group of scroats on a street corner, smoking, swearing spitting and probably about to mug someone. I can't imagine how many would answer the car speeding - assuming they knew it was speeding in the first place.
And please don't start bringing up road safety issues either. We're living in a nanny state. You can quote road safety to me when the government bans cigarettes. Because that kills more bloody people than anything and yet we do sweet F.A, about that. Why? Because the Government get billions in taxes from their sale. So don't quote me road safety please! It's bo**ocks.
I do not condone, in any way, the actions he took to avoid getting his motoring punishment. He should have been punished, but not prison. I don't want my tax money putting a guy who has gone off the rails once in his life being used in this way. I want shell suited scumbags who thieve and rob there way through life incarcerating. And I think you will find that the majority of the British public do too.
Most of the British public abhor our motoring laws and the dis-proportionality of the punishment. 86% of the public apparently break the speed limit. If we had a more proportionate punishment this guy probably wouldn't have gone to the stupid lengths that he did to evade conviction. And even though he did, he shouldn't be in prison!
And just whilst were on the subject, whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty. Why is it that he has to tell the Police who was driving? It's the only law in the country (I believe) where you do not have the right to remain silent. Disgraceful.
I notice that no-one has responded to the fact that not one single MP has been charged for falsification of their expenses. I notice that nobody has commented on why a professional footballer manages to walk scot free form an assault captured on CCTV when all of his mates pleaded or were found guilty. Amazing.
This guys broke the speed limit - for that he should be fined
He tried to incriminate someone else - stupid and out of order; he should be punished.
He falsified his log books - way out of line too
And to answer your question about courts. Personally If our court system can't cope with the proper criminals then it definitely shouldn't be wasting it's time or our money on a bloody speeding offences. (and I'm not referring to this particular matter because this obviously goes beyond that)
£2,500 fine. Some community service and a speed awareness course.
Now is there any chance we can get some proper criminal locked away?
Yes, you're right. Once you have done something illegal, you should be locked up forever, cause then you're not able to commit crime anymore.... great retoric!!
Quote:
Ask yourself, what is it that society wants from this pilot? Surely it is to have him desist from speeding, and making false log book entries. Well that's going to be taken care of for at least 16 weeks, I call that a result.
Are you for real??
Oh yes, I am very pleased that this maniac will be off the streets for 16 weeks, not able to falsify his logbook!! Once he's out again, I'll start to feel threatend again, not from him speeding (as I take it he'll be without a license for longer than 4 months), but from what he can do with a Parker
!! Then you are kinda' f.....d.. because we know each others, as the CP's..
(Angry and irritated!)
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