Causing death with a vehicle

[crazylegs]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7270751.stm

The above link describes how a woman who was using a mobile phone knocked over and killed a cyclist and only received four years in prison, personally I feel this sentence is an insult to the family of the bereaved.

Discuss.

[AFPheonix]

For starters, it's not like she had intent to kill. Involuntary Manslaughter does not carry the same legal weight as murder.

Furthermore, the kid on the bike had blown through a red light.
Both kids made mistakes, and now they're both paying for it in their own ways. That girl is going to have to spend the rest of her life knowing that one careless action on her part killed a human being, and that is punishment in and of itself.

[Greenday]

I agree with AFPheonix. It wasn't murder. It was manslaughter. Despite the fact that her extremely crappy driving killed someone, she shouldn't be locked up for life. She's going to be in jail for four years. She's permanently banned from driving.

[crazylegs]

She's permanently banned from driving.

Alas not, the article doesn't say this, but its only for 5 years.

[Greenday]

The article said she was banned from driving so that's what I went by.

[Boozy]

Mens rea is not always a popular concept with the American public, but its the only way to ensure that justice is served.

Most people who kill someone and didn't mean to are going to feel like a bag of shit about it for the rest of their lives. This girl was negligent...but we've all made mistakes.

Honestly, every time I hear a story like this I think: There but for the grace of God... I don't use my phone and drive, but I've sure done a lot of stupid things in my life. Especially when I was younger and dumber.

[AFPheonix]

Very true. Using justice as revenge really is not a good way to run a society.