Lad killed by US wrong side driver, who's done a bunk...
Discussion
PeteinSQ said:
Which is a shame. Unfortunately she evidently feels no sense of shame herself. Also unfortunate we can’t send the equiavalent of Mossad to kidknap her. Having said that I’m not sure that it would be worth it for 6 points on her license and a bit of community service.
Pedantry corner here, but this is one of those rare times when the commonly seen misspelling is actually correct in the context of the subject matter. 
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This, it’s so easy for it to happen, I’ve driven a RHD 44 tonner off the ferry at Oostende, driven on the right all the way to Warsaw, Poland, unloaded on a trading estate, then driven out and drifted naturally to the left, until flashed by a scared van driver into sharply moving right.I’ve done the same thing in France, after driving the 60 km from Dieppe Ferry Port to Rouen, unloading, then grabbing a quick brunch in a Routier, (truck stop), near Rouen.
Then, probably thinking of the short ferry ride, Dieppe to Newhaven, then back to London, I tried to exit the Routier on the wrong side of the road, a Belgian trucker deafened me with his air horn.
These were the ones that I vividly recall, but I probably did it a few times.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The worst one for me was in the US, I was tuning into a side road from a major dual carriageway. The side road was also a dual carriageway, much smaller but still had two lanes in each carriageway. I managed to drive into the wrong one.We got about 200 yards before meeting cars coming towards us in both lanes! Fortunately I wasn't going at any great speed.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Back in the ‘80s, a school friend and his family went to Florida for 3 weeks. On their return, his mother drove all the way down into town on the right (RHD car). If that wasn’t enough, their next door neighbour, who had not been to the USA, followed them down on the right...“ The family of Harry Dunn, the 19-year-old motorcyclist killed outside a US airbase, have begun their court case seeking a ruling that the Foreign Office acted unlawfully in granting diplomatic immunity to the American driver of the car that killed him.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/11/h...
What the family are claiming:
“ In 1995, the UK agreed to include staff at RAF Croughton on the diplomatic list, but asked the US to waive the immunity of administrative and technical staff in relation to "acts performed outside the course of their duties".
The FCDO says that waiver only applied to staff at RAF Croughton and not their family members, meaning Mrs Sacoolas did have immunity at the time of the crash.
But, at a remote hearing, Sam Wordsworth QC - representing the parents - said Mrs Sacoolas had "no duties at all" at the base and therefore "never had any relevant immunity for the US to waive".
He told the court that, under the agreement, "the US agreed to waive the immunity of the administrative and technical staff from criminal jurisdiction in respect of acts performed outside the course of their duties".
"It follows that administrative and technical staff at RAF Croughton were only ever entitled to a limited immunity."
He said as "no immunity from criminal jurisdiction was conferred on Mr Sacoolas in respect of acts performed outside the course of his duties" it followed that his wife was not beyond prosecution either.
"Hence she was not immune with respect to the criminal proceedings at issue in this case," he said.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptons...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/11/h...
What the family are claiming:
“ In 1995, the UK agreed to include staff at RAF Croughton on the diplomatic list, but asked the US to waive the immunity of administrative and technical staff in relation to "acts performed outside the course of their duties".
The FCDO says that waiver only applied to staff at RAF Croughton and not their family members, meaning Mrs Sacoolas did have immunity at the time of the crash.
But, at a remote hearing, Sam Wordsworth QC - representing the parents - said Mrs Sacoolas had "no duties at all" at the base and therefore "never had any relevant immunity for the US to waive".
He told the court that, under the agreement, "the US agreed to waive the immunity of the administrative and technical staff from criminal jurisdiction in respect of acts performed outside the course of their duties".
"It follows that administrative and technical staff at RAF Croughton were only ever entitled to a limited immunity."
He said as "no immunity from criminal jurisdiction was conferred on Mr Sacoolas in respect of acts performed outside the course of his duties" it followed that his wife was not beyond prosecution either.
"Hence she was not immune with respect to the criminal proceedings at issue in this case," he said.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptons...
Frank7 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This, it’s so easy for it to happen, I’ve driven a RHD 44 tonner off the ferry at Oostende, driven on the right all the way to Warsaw, Poland, unloaded on a trading estate, then driven out and drifted naturally to the left, until flashed by a scared van driver into sharply moving right.I’ve done the same thing in France, after driving the 60 km from Dieppe Ferry Port to Rouen, unloading, then grabbing a quick brunch in a Routier, (truck stop), near Rouen.
Then, probably thinking of the short ferry ride, Dieppe to Newhaven, then back to London, I tried to exit the Routier on the wrong side of the road, a Belgian trucker deafened me with his air horn.
These were the ones that I vividly recall, but I probably did it a few times.
Only done it in France (twice in 40 years of continental driving) and the common denominator for me was on a mid-long drive stopping briefly and then going onto the wrong side when resuming the journey. I always prefer having a passenger with me (a good driver preferably) who has instructions to query anything I might be doing/not seeing, etc.
“ Harry Dunn's parents have lost their High Court battle against the Foreign Office over whether their son's alleged killer had diplomatic immunity.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptons...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptons...
The Judgement seems pretty reasonable and strong
https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2020/31...
I daresay some of the media reporting and perhaps the comments put out by the family, particularly of the FCO, were not exactly accurate.
https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2020/31...
I daresay some of the media reporting and perhaps the comments put out by the family, particularly of the FCO, were not exactly accurate.
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.
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.
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