What do you think? Dangerous Driving Sentence

Eglinton

I would have given her a few months in The Joy at least. As a deterrent to other drivers this bank holiday weekend if nothing else. Suspended sentences are meaningless. Who cares if she feels bad. That's not enough.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0728/donegal.html

A 24-year-old Donegal woman has been given a three year suspended sentence for dangerous driving causing the deaths of her two best friends.
The young women were passengers in Louise Cantwell's car when she crashed in Co Donegal.
However, Judge David Nolan said that while there were suspicions that this was a girl-racing incident there was no evidence to support that.


The crash happened on 19 March 2005 at Redcastle, Co Donegal.
Cantwell, a beautician from Carndonagh was driving her friends Kelly Doherty and Alice Mullen home after a night out.
Both girls were in their early 20s and shared a house in Dublin. However, they were home in Carndonagh for the weekend.
Just after 3.30am on Saturday 19 March, Cantwell rounded a bend in Redcastle and crossed the continuous white line hitting an on-coming car.
Alice Mullan died at the scene, while Kelly Doherty died soon afterwards in hospital.
Cantwell was found guilty of dangerous driving causing their deaths in a court case last May and was sentenced today at Letterkenny Circuit Court.
Statements read on behalf of the Mullen and Doherty families described how their worlds had fallen apart since the crash.
They spoke of their constant loneliness and pain, and their bitterness at the failure of Louise Cantwell to express remorse.
However, defence counsel for Cantwell said she had called to both houses to express her condolence and remorse but the reception had not been good.
Judge David Nolan said if there had been aggravating factors his sentencing would be very different.
He concluded that the cause on the night was inattention and he sentenced Cantwell to three years but suspended the entire term.
The three years reflected the seriousness of the case and the suspension reflected the inattention, the judge said.
The families of the young women who died in the crash did not comment afterwards.

Random

Was it carelessness that made her cross the white line or were there other factors?

Eglinton

Well per the Judge, he said he had strong suspicians it was a 'girl racer' incident which indicates he thinks they were messing around in a big way but they isn't supporing evidence for that so he couldn't impose a conviction. I don't think there was drink or other involved.

Cabaal

Was either carelessness or speed, either way she wasn't being a good driver and she caused the needless deaths of two people

She should have spent some time in jail though

baglady

throw her in JAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andrewf20

Eglinton wrote: »

I would have given her a few months in The Joy at least. As a deterrent to other drivers this bank holiday weekend if nothing else. Suspended sentences are meaningless. Who cares if she feels bad. That's not enough.

I dont think it would be much of a deterrent.

Its an example of where a small mistake can have huge consequences.

Holsten

She should be charged with two counts of manslaughter and given a min of 20 years.

MagicMarker

Holsten wrote: »

She should be charged with two counts of manslaughter and given a min of 20 years.

I don't agree. Although she was suspected of racing, there was no evidence, so we need to put that to the back of our minds.

It was careless, but it can happen to ANY ONE of us, including you and me. Tbh this girl is no danger to society, putting her in prison will be of benefit to no one. Prison is supposed to offer some form of rehabilitation, there is nothing to rehabilitate here. It will only cost you and me money and take another girls life (albeit not literally).

Personally, i think not letting her drive a car for the rest of her life and her having to live with the fact that she killed her two friends is quite the a punishment in and of itself.

Esel

Nothing in that report about her getting banned though?

MagicMarker

esel wrote: »

Nothing in that report about her getting banned though?

This is Ireland, what did you expect?:)

I wasn't referring to the report when i said that, just automatically assumed it would be the case. Wouldn't surprise me if she didn't get points on her license tbh. How many points if you kill someone these days?:D

BraziliaNZ

Come on, the reason she's not going to jail is because she's a girl, obviously

bunny shooter

Lynching is still illegal, isn't it

Red Alert

If she was a guy she'd be going to jail. What's the point of putting people in jail for one single death by car when she gets let off for recklessly driving at 3am in the morning?

Naos

She was only suspected of racing, there is no evidence to prove this.

It's possible she had a lapse in concentration and this resulted in devestating consequences. She hardly went out with the intent to kill her friends.

As MagicMarker said, she is no danger to society and she will have to live forever with the guilt. That is worse than a jail sentence.

Tinytony

If this was a fella in the same situation, he would be in jail, no doubting it.

gogglebok

She made a mistake, late at night, and veered across the white line. She wasn't speeding. She wasn't drunk. There were no "aggravating factors". It was a mistake. What good would prison do?

The theory that the courts gave her special treatment for being a woman is deluded.

Pompey Magnus

gogglebok wrote: »

The theory that the courts gave her special treatment for being a woman is deluded.

The first example I found in google:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1105/bolgerk.html

"A 21-year-old Dublin man whose dangerous driving caused the deaths of three young men last year has received an eight-year prison sentence in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court."

gogglebok

Depeche_Mode wrote: »

The first example I found in google:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1105/bolgerk.html

"A 21-year-old Dublin man whose dangerous driving caused the deaths of three young men last year has received an eight-year prison sentence in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court."

Keith Bolger got an eight-year sentence, with the last three suspended. He was driving at 85 mph, having consumed "beer, spirits, cocaine and hash". His driving was "dangerous to the highest degree contemplated by the legislation".

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1103/bolgerk.html

His gender was not the deciding factor.

punchestown

Depeche_Mode wrote: »

The first example I found in google:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1105/bolgerk.html

"A 21-year-old Dublin man whose dangerous driving caused the deaths of three young men last year has received an eight-year prison sentence in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court."

In relation to that fcuking eejit, he was doing 80+ mph along the coast road, driving on the wrong side of the road for stretches and breaking red lights. He was also high on drugs and had consumed alcohol in the hours leading up to the crash.

8 years should have been life!

stovelid

Tinytony wrote: »

If this was a fella in the same situation, he would be in jail, no doubting it.

Fellas are overwhelmingly more likely to be in the 'same situation'.

Shazbot

Depeche_Mode wrote: »

The first example I found in google:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1105/bolgerk.html

"A 21-year-old Dublin man whose dangerous driving caused the deaths of three young men last year has received an eight-year prison sentence in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court."

A nice example of selective quoting there. Read the whole thing, he was under the influence of drink and drugs. Completely different from this case.

No evidence of alcohol or drugs in this case, it was simpley dangerous driving. I don't think it calls for a prison sentence but she has to live with the fact that she killed 2 of her friends

Eglinton

Shazbot wrote: »

No evidence of alcohol or drugs in this case, it was simpley dangerous driving. I don't think it calls for a prison sentence but she has to live with the fact that she killed 2 of her friends

Yea, the more I think I about, the more I'm tending towards this end of the spectrum. However I do think she should be banned from driving for life. Hopefully, the punishment imposed didn't exclude that. At least a very lengthy ban anyway.

unnameduser

Shazbot wrote: »

... but she has to live with the fact that she killed 2 of her friends

That alone is a sentence in itself IMO.

Red Alert

Apparently she never even apologised to the families according to the Times.

stovelid

Red Alert wrote: »

Apparently she never even apologised to the families according to the Times.

I read that she tried to, and they wouldn't acknowledge her.

In fairness, what do any of us really know about the situation?