Why was he only charged with careless ?
Discussion
A soldier who caused the deaths of five people in a drink driving crash was today jailed for eight and a half years.
Ben Morphey, 22, of Yoxford, near Saxmundham, killed three teenage girls, including two sisters, in a head on collision on the A12 at Blythburgh in July last year. Two people in the car being driven by Morphey, which had veered onto the wrong side of the road, also died as a result of the accident.
At a hearing earlier this month, Morphey pleaded guilty to five counts of causing death by careless driving whilst unfit through drink. Ipswich Crown Court was told today that medical experts believed he had drunk nearly eight pints of lager before getting behind the wheel.
Sisters Claire Stoddart, 18, and Jennifer Stoddart, 15, were killed along with their friend Carla Took, 18, as they returned home to Lowestoft after attending a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at Portman Road, Ipswich.
Ben Morphey, 22, of Yoxford, near Saxmundham, killed three teenage girls, including two sisters, in a head on collision on the A12 at Blythburgh in July last year. Two people in the car being driven by Morphey, which had veered onto the wrong side of the road, also died as a result of the accident.
At a hearing earlier this month, Morphey pleaded guilty to five counts of causing death by careless driving whilst unfit through drink. Ipswich Crown Court was told today that medical experts believed he had drunk nearly eight pints of lager before getting behind the wheel.
Sisters Claire Stoddart, 18, and Jennifer Stoddart, 15, were killed along with their friend Carla Took, 18, as they returned home to Lowestoft after attending a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at Portman Road, Ipswich.
Mr Sweetchuck said:
Perhaps a deal was done between CPS and defence where he pleaded to careless, a lower charge, when he may have been charged with dangerous driving.
Quite often happens at court when defendants will pleed to a lower charge and CPS accept it on the basis of gaining a conviction.
happens on law and order all the time, the DA will quite often accept a Man-1 or Murder-2 rather than Murder-1 on the basis of a guilty plea.Quite often happens at court when defendants will pleed to a lower charge and CPS accept it on the basis of gaining a conviction.
He was charged with "careless" and by today's standards actually got a relatively stiff 8.5 years, IMO still not enough a deterrent to others, but better than a "causing death by dangerous" and then only getting a limp 18 months.
Child rapists are currently only getting c.18/24 months instead of 18/24 years but that's another can of worms.
Child rapists are currently only getting c.18/24 months instead of 18/24 years but that's another can of worms.
Mr Sweetchuck said:
Perhaps a deal was done between CPS and defence where he pleaded to careless, a lower charge, when he may have been charged with dangerous driving.
Quite often happens at court when defendants will pleed to a lower charge and CPS accept it on the basis of gaining a conviction.
I agree. It sounds like that the fact that there are medical experts to predict how much was drunk that perhaps that because of the seriousness of the crash that the driver was not tested for alcohol until many hours later.Quite often happens at court when defendants will pleed to a lower charge and CPS accept it on the basis of gaining a conviction.
I think though that the name of the conviction isnt the issue, the punishment is quite correct.
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