Lad killed by US wrong side driver, who's done a bunk...

[Alucidnation]

fking appalling.

[anonymous-user]

Sacoolas, had she a spine and a moral compass, would probably have faced nothing worse than a four figure fine, and perhaps a suspended sentence, if that. She is a vile person.

[whitesocks]

Can the SAS commit a black ops operation and snatch her from the states?

[anonymous-user]

whitesocks said:

Can the SAS commit a black ops operation and snatch her from the states?

I’m going to presume that is just a joke.

[Jezza30]

Breadvan72 said:

Sacoolas, had she a spine and a moral compass, would probably have faced nothing worse than a four figure fine, and perhaps a suspended sentence, if that. She is a vile person.

Unfortunately this is the issue, regardless of legal wrangling. A truly disgusting individual.

[whitesocks]

Lord Marylebone said:

I’m going to presume that is just a joke.

It's 100% a joke.

Didn't the Sun track her down last year sometime?

[anonymous-user]

whitesocks said:

Lord Marylebone said:

I’m going to presume that is just a joke.

It's 100% a joke.

Didn't the Sun track her down last year sometime?

Yes, her location and/or home has been ‘doorstepped’ by the media on several occasions.

She isn’t in hiding. I doubt there is even that much fuss about it in the US by this point so she doesn’t need to hide.

[Piersman2]

pquinn said:

Doesn't it basically boil down to her being immune unless there was an explicit waiver, and such a waiver doesn't exist?

Seems they were relying on a poorly negotiated limitation on the broad immunity that had been granted and surprise surprise it turned out to be worthless.

Morally she should have faced the law but legally she didn't have to.

So basically the 'waiver' in this case is a red herring, it didn't apply to her as she has no duties at the base, she is merely the wife of someone working at the base.

So the decision in court is that she did have immunity. Ok, I can understand that logic.

What I'm struggling with is that the wife of a technician working at a base has diplomatic immunity in the first place. [confused] Why?

[vaud]

Piersman2 said:

What I'm struggling with is that the wife of a technician working at a base has diplomatic immunity in the first place. [confused] Why?

Long standing reciprocal agreements? (I don't know)

[anonymous-user]

The Special Relationship has always been unequal.

[whitesocks]

I’ve heard it’s not uncommon for Americans stationed in at the base in Kent to cause some level of rucas in the local area.

[Murph7355]

vaud said:

Piersman2 said:

What I'm struggling with is that the wife of a technician working at a base has diplomatic immunity in the first place. [confused] Why?

Long standing reciprocal agreements? (I don't know)

I think it is fair to say that arrangement wasn't put in place to protect anyone causing death by stupidity/careless driving and then not fronting up to their obligations as a decent human being.

But it is what it is, and the victim's family were never going to get any solace through this route (I'm not convinced the advice they've been given was fully in their interests).

Sacoolas and those advising her have shown what they are. She will have to live with that for the rest of her life and I hope she suffers greatly as a result of that.

Who knows, maybe Biden will step into the breach. But somehow I very much doubt it.

Maybe it will also prompt a thorough rethink of the arrangement. But I doubt that too.

[Taylor James]

Down to karma then. Horrible for the family.

[anonymous-user]

whitesocks said:

I’ve heard it’s not uncommon for Americans stationed in at the base in Kent to cause some level of rucas in the local area.

Ruckus.

[Piersman2]

vaud said:

Piersman2 said:

What I'm struggling with is that the wife of a technician working at a base has diplomatic immunity in the first place. [confused] Why?

Long standing reciprocal agreements? (I don't know)

Perhaps, but as BV2 has alluded to above, you can bet your bottom dollar that had this been reversed, the USA wouldn't give two fks about the status of the wife of a British RAF technician in the USA. She'd have had her passport taken off her , and the USA authorities would be all over it to extradite her back to the USA if she did flee.

P.S. And you just know we'd be doing everything ti assist them!

[Mojooo]

It explains in the judgement that certain classes of people automatically get protection under our laws and family are included

if i understand, that can be altered (i.e in a general sense to all incomers), but it this case it was not altered for the wife.

[0ddball]

Can't say I'm surprised. It's clear that the legal system and the justice system parted ways a long time ago.

[Eyersey1234]

I am also struggling to understand why the wife of a US diplomat should get diplomatic immunity. I agree driving on the wrong side of the road abroad is easily done and there but for the grace of God etc she has to live with what she has done for the rest of her life.

[anonymous-user]

0ddball said:

Can't say I'm surprised. It's clear that the legal system and the justice system parted ways a long time ago.

That is a silly comment that bears no relation to reality. Here the court had its hands tied by political decisions made some time before the incident.

[PurpleTurtle]

Breadvan72 said:

Sacoolas, had she a spine and a moral compass, would probably have faced nothing worse than a four figure fine, and perhaps a suspended sentence, if that. She is a vile person.

Totally agree. From a skim-read of the judgement here it seems that they are saying that the law was applied correctly here, but the law is an ass, on this occasion?

She's a mother of children. If she had any moral fibre whatsoever she would have faced a court and accepted her (highly unlikely to be custodial) sentence with humility. Absolutely deplorable to run away from justice like this.

Edited by PurpleTurtle on Tuesday 24th November 14:23