Assault by Taxi

[rooel]

What sentence does this taxi man deserve? Answers on a postcard to Glasgow Sheriff Court within the next three weeks.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Taxi ran down cyclist on purpose

[Blew it]

He deliberately used his vehicle as a weapon to inflict actual bodily harm on another human being.

He should be SECTIONED!

[flecc]

He certainly should lose his licence for a year and therefore his livelyhood, and a short prison sentence would be appropriate in addition. There should also be a requirement to take and pass the full driving test in future before his licence is restored.
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[Rad]

A year in jail? He should do at least five. Whatever way you look at it, whoever was in the wrong in the first instance, that driver deliberately targetted the cyclist and could have killed him. That's attempted murder in my book.

[rooel]

I shall look out for the sentencing report in the local press. As he has been convicted of assault, rather than a breach of the Road Traffic Acts, the court cannot excuse a light sentence on the grounds that only the degree of reckless or careless driving can be taken into account with no regard for the consequences (other than, thanks to recent amendments, where death results).

Nevertheless as the weapon in this assault was a motor vehicle rather than a gun or a knife, or an axe, or a fist, be prepared for a more lenient outcome than if any other weapon had been used.

[Footie]

Just goes to show how ridiculous some people can be – to deliberately try to maim / kill another road user just because they react to their poor driving.
I would consider that attempted murder not assault.
I hope the judge sees this for what it is and gives him the stiffest sentence possible

flecc posted:
.... There should also be a requirement to take and pass the full driving test in future before his licence is restored ....

I think when people use a vehicle like this (as a weapon) they should loss their licence for life.
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[tillson]

Originally Posted by rooel

Nevertheless as the weapon in this assault was a motor vehicle rather than a gun or a knife, or an axe, or a fist, be prepared for a more lenient outcome than if any other weapon had been used.

I tend to agree with your thoughts on this. And regardless of the type of weapon used, it seems that in “Violent Britain”, brutal aggression is an acceptable recourse if the person metering it out believes that the victim has in some way shown him disrespect. Add to this the government’s desire to befriend and to assist the criminals in going about their business, it makes me think that this taxi driver will receive a fine and non-custodial sentence. But we will just have to wait and see.

[flecc]

Originally Posted by Footie

flecc posted:
.... There should also be a requirement to take and pass the full driving test in future before his licence is restored ....

I think when people use a vehicle like this (as a weapon) they should loss their licence for life.
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I'm taking the realistic view of what could happen of course, rather than any ideal.

Where the length of prison sentence is concerned, I have a rooted objection to keeping people in prison for many years at a cost to us of well over £1000 per person per week. After all, it's they who should be punished, not us.

I'd like to see very much shorter sentences for most offences, to a miserable prison regime with all day hard work, the identical bowl of stew and a chunk of rye bread and water only to drink every day, and no amenities like TV, visiting privileges etc.

That way most sentences could be slashed to a fraction of their present length and be far more effective deterrents with the cost to us massively reduced. At present a sentence actually brings an improvement to their life for many convicts, and that is about as daft as a system could be.
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[Django]

Originally Posted by flecc

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Change of signature or typo. I like it, it suggests that there is more to come.

[Barnowl]

The ultimate irony would be for him to lose his license and have to get a bike. Shame we can't get people like this hooked up to the national grid. On gernerating machines that is.