Man Guilty Of Killing Police Officer

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35860607

Not an unexpected result of course.

[New Judge]

As regular readers will know, I usually try to make sense out of some of the headlines in cases such as this to cut through the hysteria and I understand the difference between manslaughter and murder. However, having read the BBC report one thing has me puzzled:

“The judge recognised Williams did not deliberately attempt to cause serious harm, but did deliberately drive the car at PC Phillips.”

I cannot reconcile the two parts of that statement. If you deliberately drive a car at a person you must surely be deliberately attempting to cause them serious harm. Collisions between humans and cars driven at speed rarely result in anything less. The judge’s full sentencing remarks may be available later in the week and I’ll look out or them to see if I can make sense of it.

[youngmafbog]

Is the Judge a Liberal by any chance?

[sp1814]

TTT

He will not be out in five years.

That's preposterous. It simply won't happen.

[Peter Pedant]

wll amongst the knee jerk reactions from the usual suspects...
we see this from the judge ( mikey's URL but updated )

The judge recognised Williams did not deliberately attempt to cause serious harm, but did deliberately drive the car at PC Phillips.


and from NJ's analysis it would be very hard to sustain murder as a verdict and would indeed get the ooman rites lawyers up in arms as a murder conviction in such circumstances would be bad law

I live up her and I think the jury were given the choice
the whole week has been filled with news items of the accused insisting he didnt mean to kill the police man - who had in fact failed to get clear of the road after laying the stinger - and there was nothing pleaded to refute it

twenty years for manslaugher is on the high side

[Peter Pedant]

spare e

I dont live up her ..... I live up here. apologies

[viv41]

Reading the widow's 'letter' is truly, truly heartbreaking - couldn't see for tears. Poor soul and poor little girls. Of course the defence blamed the government, anybody but the perpetrator .......

[Ken4155]

There was a 3 part documentary series called The Prosecutors on tv recently which showed a behind the scenes look at the CPS. In each of the 3 episodes we saw the CPS staff - some of who were having to deal with 3 or 4 murder cases at the same time - agonising over what charges to lay and on each occasion they opted for the one which they were most confident of persuading a jury to accept. Our system may not be ideal but it is certainly thorough.

[mikey4444]

I can't understand some of the posts on here. This bar steward has been given 20 years and still some people are not satisfied.

How will he be out in 5 years TTT, after being given 20 ?

[New Judge]

It's unclear from the reports I've read whether he has been given "Life" with a recommended minimum of 20 years (manslaughter carries a Life sentence maximum) or twenty years as a definitive sentence. If the former he will not be out in under 20 years. If the latter he will serve no more than ten and probably a bit less than that.

[ToraToraTora]

PP: " J's analysis it would be very hard to sustain murder as a verdict " - yes usual hand wringing from the F0CS, Charge him with both and then it's up to the jury.

[ToraToraTora]

Mikey, he's been given 20 He'll do 10 max, out with a decent amount of life ahead, more than the copper he slaughtered. With an appeal and probably some ooman rites parasite that can only go down. Let's hope they have a lot of slippery stairs in the HMHC they send this pondlife to. Dope riddled piece of slime needs extermination if you ask me.

[mikey4444]

TTT...so you don't think he will be out in 5 years then ?

[ToraToraTora]

That was the extremity of my thinking 5 -> 8.5. I reckon he may appeal against sentence because for Manslaughter that's quite high, so some other gullible judge will knock it down further. Any even if he does 20 it's about half what I would accept as just about appropriate.

[ToraToraTora]

Am I the only one who can see what this pond life has done?

[viv41]

No.

[mikey4444]

TTT...Nobody, least of all me, is excusing this horrible bloke.

[agchristie]

NJ > “The judge recognised Williams did not deliberately attempt to cause serious harm, but did deliberately drive the car at PC Phillips.”

I think the judge has acknowledged his intent to drive purposefully at the PC but perhaps not at a speed that would inflict serious injury.

I agree though, it is difficult to reconcile the statements.