26 February 2013

Drunk driver jailed after killing motorcyclist

| Barcham
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ABC news have reported that a repeat drink driving offender received a six year sentence today after hitting and killing a motorcyclist in 2011.

Witnesses said Mr Newton was launched into the air and the injuries he sustained on landing killed him.

The driver was John Kenneth Harvey, 66, who was returning home with a beer in hand from a friends place in Bredbo.

Harvey did not stop to help Mr Newton and drove another 400 metres, crashed through a fence and ended up down an embankment.

When police found him he blew four times over the legal alcohol limit and they discovered he had not held a licence for more than 40 years.

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It’s time the ‘speed kills’ signs were replaced with ‘stupidity kills’!

6 years??? Is that all? So what more could this loser have done to get the maximum sentence? I wouldn’t have thought you could get much worse than this guy. A totally inadequate sentence.

gungsuperstar said :

And yet if the victim were riding a bicycle, many here on the Riot Act would be questioning the sentence and blaming the cyclist.

Care to show any examples of where people here have questioned the actions of a cyclist being hit by a drunk driver four times over the limit. We’re all waiting.

This is what shits me about road safety messages by authorities. We get hammered into us the mantra of speed kills, they fine a majority of people for doing <10kmh to supposedly discourage us from speed killing us. Then some piece of crap decides to drink himself stupid, chooses to get behind the wheel of a car, then kills someone, and gets a pissy 6 year sentance and will probably get out in 3. What kind of bs hypocrisy is this?? I've always said that if you want to kill someone in Australia, do it with a car.

Holden Caulfield9:46 am 27 Feb 13

He was just waiting for a mate.

Pork Hunt said :

Six years? I hope there is an appeal by the prosecution.

In all fairness he is 66 years old. He stands a reasonable chance of serving the life sentence he deserves.

gungsuperstar said :

And yet if the victim were riding a bicycle, many here on the Riot Act would be questioning the sentence and blaming the cyclist.

Sarcasm or stupidity?

gungsuperstar said :

And yet if the victim were riding a bicycle, many here on the Riot Act would be questioning the sentence and blaming the cyclist.

Bollocks.

Life is such a fickle thing. Small things like being pulled over at the breath testing station 60 kms before and this wouldn’t have happened. What if Mr Newton just had one last smoke, one last sandwich, one last piss, went a little slower/faster on his journey; this wouldn’t have happened. Hang one, why would it matter what Newton did?

If that unlicensed f@#%$^er wasn’t behind the wheel of a car it would never have happened.

John Kenneth Harvey, you are a discrace. Do us all a favour and neck yourself from a tree in your backyard. Just as long as a little one doesn’t find you.

Ironic that at his next drive driving court appearance he’ll use the excuse that he only did it because he is having trouble dealing with having killed someone.

funbutalsoserious9:44 pm 26 Feb 13

+1 on a tougher sentencing

gungsuperstar9:37 pm 26 Feb 13

And yet if the victim were riding a bicycle, many here on the Riot Act would be questioning the sentence and blaming the cyclist.

Shouldn’t a similar sentence apply to the same kind of behaviour that through sheer luck doesn’t happen to kill anyone? After all, isn’t the culpability the same regardless of whether you were lucky enough not to kill anyone on this particular occasion?

This sentence was handed down in Queanbeyan. Dread to think what it might have been in the ACT – maybe 6 years but mostly suspended, and with a bit served by way of Periodic Detention.

IP

6 years? WTF? Long drop / short rope.

So that’s what you have to do to get a custodial sentence for this sort of thing? Get wildly pissed and then kill someone while simultaneously driving and drinking, then bolt from the scene of the crime, then crash your car after driving unlicensed for 40 years.

Surely it shouldn’t be that hard. And surely 6 years isn’t enough for something like this.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd7:35 pm 26 Feb 13

6 years..

Wait

Let me try to comprehend this..

I can go get drunk, murder a person with my car and get 6 god damn years??? Wtf?

What exactly is a humans life worth that you can end one and get 6 years?

Yep the sentence appears to be well within the norm of what one can expect for an offence of this nature.Like i have repeatedly said human life is deemed to be relatively cheap as far as sentencing in this country is concerned.

Six years? I hope there is an appeal by the prosecution.

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