8 April 2009

Police Wrap - 8 April

| johnboy
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1. Facefit for the Civic sexual assault:

    ACT Policing has released a facefit of a male offender involved in the sexual assault of a 20-year-old victim in a Civic car park around 12.30am on Sunday (April 5).

    The victim was attacked whilst leaving her vehicle in a London Circuit car park after having driven to the city. The offender held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her if she sought help.

    The offender is described as male, approximately 6’ (183cm) tall, late 20s, European in appearance, with a muscular build, dark eyes, a large nose, a mostly shaved head with a curly pony-tail which was light brown or blonde in colour. He is also described as having a “tribal” style tattoo around his left upper arm and wearing black track pants with white stripes down the side, a black t-shirt and white sneakers.

    The victim was able to escape from the offender and run into the City centre. She later reported the incident to police at Woden station.

2. Silly younger drivers lucky to be alive:

    Three Canberra teenagers were fortunate to escape serious harm after the vehicle in which they were travelling left the roadway and became airborne, only coming to rest after being wedged between two trees.

    The incident occurred about 1.45pm on Monday (April 6) in Wanniassa after the vehicle, driven by an 18-year-old male, swerved off the southbound lanes of Taverner Street, near Laurens Street.

    The vehicle plunged off the road and into a pedestrian underpass below, landing on a rock embankment. It then continued up the embankment before becoming wedged between two trees and knocking over a third.

    The ACT Policing Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team attended the scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Officers from ACT Ambulance and ACT Fire Brigade also attended.

    All three occupants of the vehicle were taken to The Canberra Hospital suffering minor injuries.

    Initial police investigations have revealed that the driver was allegedly swerving the vehicle side to side on purpose moments before the collision, causing him to lose control.

    A/Superintendent Traffic Operations Daryl Neit says this incident highlights the real and serious dangers associated with skylarking whilst in control of a vehicle, and how stupidity can be just as dangerous as drink-driving or speeding.

    “This incident could have very easily led to the death of not one but three young people, not to mention the danger it put pedestrians in. The footpath along that road is a major thoroughfare that leads to a number of schools, therefore it is regularly used by children”, A/Supt Neit said.

    “All parents of driving-age children should use this incident as an opportunity to talk to their child and to highlight the potentially fatal consequences of displaying shear stupidity whilst in charge of a motor vehicle”, he said.

If you can help police contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy10:17 am 09 Apr 09

While a 1.3 swift feels quick when your young, it still isn’t really that quick. Adding a power to weight is definitely another option.

At least if kids jump on motorbikes it will be themselves and not their mates or (usually) other road users getting killed.

Have a simple rule: P platers must drive a vehicle which is 1600cc or less

I had a 1.3L Swift that could do a pretty good quarter – I think it should be a power/weight ratio restriction – not a HP restriction.

I could imagine that if they outlawed high HP vehicles, all the kids will just jump on a 2 stroke RGV250 and start killing people that way. Nasty powerband on them things.

old canberran9:51 am 09 Apr 09

I had a chat with a young P plater in the car park of our local shops yesterday. His car was a turbo charged V6 Commodore. My reason for talking to him was to find out where he got such a beast. Home made was the answer. It even had an air scoop in the bonnet and appropriate badging. He said he was sick of V6’s and was going to upgrade to V8’s next.
I can understand P platers really needing that type of car to get around at 90kmh.
Maybe he was a good driver, who knows?

Madame Workalot9:17 am 09 Apr 09

I’m normally one of the first to stand up for p-platers because I was one of those who behaved relatively well as a young driver. However I have to say I was incredibly disappointed that on my 60km drive to work this morning, I was overtaken by 5 red p-platers (both NSW and ACT plates). It’s double demerits and I was sitting spot-on 100kph when I was overtaken by the first two, and sitting on 80kph when I was overtaken by the next three. They didn’t just pass me by, they flew by.

Stuff you young people – you won’t be getting any support from me in the future.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy9:09 am 09 Apr 09

We need to restrict the power of vehicles young people can access. As I said in another thread, if I had my current car as a teen, I probably wouldn’t be here now.

Have a simple rule: P platers must drive a vehicle which is 1600cc or less, non turbo/super charged.

It won’t remove the problem altogether, but I reckon it will help.

On another topic, the nose doesn’t look at all big in that Facefit ….

I think my thoughts would have gone …

“Oh! This is a bit scary. I wish he wouldn’t drive all over the road like that. Still, he is cute! Bloomin’ blinkin’ blimey! We’re going to hit the fence! Holy airborne automobile, Batman! Why is the world in slow motion? Ooh, my life’s flashing …. How rude! But kind of cool. I remember that bit … hehe! Crikey dick! Who put those trees in the way? BLAM SCREECH CRUNCH Am I alive? Oh, good! $hit! … $hit! $hit! $hit! F#ck!”

.. Oh, this is nice, how pretty, how lovely life is…. I wonder what that is? Will it be my friend? BLAM

No, they are probably thinking the thoughts of bogans, feeling angry about something and looking for everyone else to blame.

I wonder what goes through your mind while you’re airborne? Probably something like the whale in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ….

Just as well there were trees. If not for trees, these unskilled little treasures would be smashing into the homes of Working Families. Too bad though if they live in areas without trees, or if they actually eschewed trees because they took up too much room on their house-encumbered block.

but of course the roads did it. Bad roads, killer roads. Bad government for not building better roads.

Johnboy, I think you should host a copy of the photofit and embed it in the story, above the fold. That way we get the maximum number of people seeing it. It’d be public-spirited.

bigred said :

bet if I observed such a thing as the swerving by someone either young or old and rang the good hearted A/Super Neit nuffin much would happen. So why bother with the shrill outrage when something goes amiss?

Ok, so you observe such an incident. You call police. Then what? As the only witness, what do you think is going to happen?

I’d hardly call his reaction shrill outrage.

Stupidity + lack of proper driver training = talented smash.

These kids learn the stupidity from their parents, it’s probably very little use of mummy and daddy reminding little jimmy and gemima to drive safely.

Looks like someone also managed to take out one of the guard railings above an overpass on sternberg cres wanniassa in the past week or so.

OC you’re right. P platers are running around in cars that are more powerful than those punted round the race tracks by Brock, Moffat and co in their early days but the drivers have nowhere near the ability of Brock, Moffat and co.

bet if I observed such a thing as the swerving by someone either young or old and rang the good hearted A/Super Neit nuffin much would happen. So why bother with the shrill outrage when something goes amiss?

old canberran8:30 pm 08 Apr 09

johnboy said :

These days OC?

Young men have been driving stupid and dying young since they invented the chariot.

Probably more noticable these days JB as they are getting their licence earlier and there’s more of them. Cars seem to be more readily available to them and they are a lot more powerful. When I was that age we would be lucky to be able to get hold of a Morris Minor for a set of wheels.

Hmm, still no official report on the supposed “Belconnen Foreshore” incident

http://the-riotact.com/?p=11544#comments

It’s looking more and more like a troll every day.

We shouldn’t always think of bad drivers & young drivers as one. There are quite a few younger, good drivers & there are old, bad drivers. An example of this was this afternoon, there was this old man in a maroon Mazda driving down Drakeford Drive. He was attempting to get ahead of everyone, but ended up stuck behind me in the right lane. At the Drakeford Drive/Athllon Drive/Isabella Drive roundabout I snuck in between 2 cars to enter the roundabout & he came in behind me. However this space was only one car wide & another vechile slammed on the brakes to avoid colliding with him.

But then again most people will never learn until they kill a friend or family member

johnboy said :

These days OC?

Young men have been driving stupid and dying young since they invented the chariot.

Movies such as Ben Hur don’t exactly help.

Movies like the Fast and the Furious don’t exactly help.

I honestly worry that one I will bludgeon someone to death with a tyre iron after seeing someone drive as per the description in the police wrap. I just can’t contain my rage when I see bad driving.

Steady Eddie5:05 pm 08 Apr 09

I can’t see the facefit at all, just a small square with a red cross in it.

These days OC?

Young men have been driving stupid and dying young since they invented the chariot.

Beserk Keyboard Warrior5:02 pm 08 Apr 09

I was disappointed not to see the photofit of the guy with the ponytail and XXXL schnozz. I refuse to believe a creature that ugly exists until I actually see it with my own eyes.

old canberran5:02 pm 08 Apr 09

I am quite convinced that no amount of legislation, driver training, or more police on the roads etc. is going to stop these young idiots from showing off with a car full of their peers. These days they seem to have little or no regard for life, either others or their own, and the number of fatal P plate prangs does not seem to make any difference to their attitude.

The modern cars with their very direct steering require 100% attention to the road ahead. Texting or looking over a shoulder to people in the back seat results in a very quick change of direction usually off the road and into a tree.

#2 What a F*ckwit!!!

Call me crazy, but when one ends up in the trees there’s no claiming survival was thanks to skill.

Re “silly younger drivers” – first up, at least that d!ckhead driver didn’t add his passengers to this year’s road toll as per the Clift Crescent incident last week. Secondly, that area of Taverner St often has a speed camera van on it, operating in the direction the car was travelling. Leaving aside the observation – again – that speed cameras don’t change drivers’ attitudes, I wonder if (in theory) a van was in operation at that time, and a car was swerving from side to side at less than the posted speed limit, whether the camera operator could manually trigger an image and issue a fine for reckless driving? Or are they only able to issue invoices – err, fines – for travelling above the speed limit?

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