24 July 2007

$2000 to clip the Treasury chief-of-staff

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The Age brings us the results of the court case involving the hit and run of Peter Costello’s chief of staff Phil Gaetjens.

Not only did Nealle Andrew Simpson, who plead guilty to the offence, not stop after his four-wheel drive ute struck Mr Gaetjens, throwing him into the air, he later tried to hide his vehicle dumping it in the Bredbo River some 80km away. His parents turned him in to police.

Now it does sound as if the victim Mr Gaetjens was a bit “under the weather” when he tried to cross the road outside the Hyatt Hotel where he was hit but Simpson clearly did the wrong thing. But with only a $2000 fine (and a crim record I assume) I’m sure there are some people who would pay for that sort of opportunity to get up and personal with some aspects of our government.

How much would you pay, to do what and to whom in our government or bureaucracy?

I should state that I’m in no way actually encouraging anyone to go out and try this – that would just be messed up.

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I’d pay whatever it costs to set up an appropriate body with the necessary powers to clean up the mismanagement, maladministration and outright corruption that’s rife in this town, and to get rid of the individuals responsible for it.

Admittedly it would seem to be a lot more cost effective and efficient to just run them down.

According to the Age: “Magistrate Peter Dingwall imposed a $2,000 fine with court costs of just over $100, but no custodial sentence. In sentencing, Mr Dingwall took into account Simpson’s early guilty plea, full-time employment as a joiner, his remorse and lack of offences in almost 10 years.The only other offence listed on Simpson’s record was drink driving in 1998.”

My guess is that Mr Simpson was drunk when he hit Mr Gaetjens and it was that that made him drive away from the scene of the crime. Next time he’ll kill someone and there will be a next time! Great system in the ACT!

Not to mention the guy wasn’t accused of being at fault for hitting the victim, let alone doing it deliberately; so comparing it to deliberately injuring someone is drawing an exceedingly long bow. (I do think that “failing to stop after an accident” should be treated a little more seriously, however – “I thought I would go to jail” should not be an excuse for it).

What the hell is the point of this post Nik? This is inhuman, macabre, very un-RiotACT and most of all EXTREMELY unbefitting a policeman.

Maybe a $2000 fine is a light escape, but why the hell are you encouraging us to speculate as to what we could get away with if we were to receive a similar punishment?!

To me, the fine says that this incident was a tragic accident. Are you trying to suggest it was a hit on Gaetjens’ life or something?

How extremely unsympathetic and very disappointing.

Agree. This post is just plain weird, not at all funny and a bit sad.
And the penalty handed out to the driver is just pathetic. Unbelievable.

I am gobsmacked by this one. Not an extenuating circumstance in sight.

I appreciate that humour is often used to deal with crises like this but this topic – and the court decision – has made me physically ill!

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