No jail for driver who deliberately drove through cyclist at traffic lights

mamax · 25-11-2019 5:53pm #1

Only in Ireland, what a joke in any other country this would have been prison and would not have taken this long to go to court, we have a terrible justice system.

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/no-jail-for-driver-who-deliberately-drove-through-cyclist-at-traffic-lights/

_Brian · 25-11-2019 5:56pm

That’s truly a travesty of justice.

EDit · 25-11-2019 5:58pm

It seems that being in a sulk because you’re not as good at golf as you used to be is a mitigating factor in running people over now!

begbysback · 25-11-2019 5:59pm

Dunno, think it’s preferable to going to jail and no compensation.

Seems he was provoked.

mamax · 25-11-2019 6:00pm

More here > https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/suspended-sentence-for-man-who-deliberately-crashed-into-cyclist-1.4094339

So the message the judge sends out is it's ok to run over a cyclist if your having a bad day it will only cost you 10 grand, what a load of bollicks, that judge should be struck off.
What if everyone driving a car tomorrow was having a bad day :eek:

_Brian · 25-11-2019 6:03pm

begbysback wrote: »

Dunno, think it’s preferable to going to jail and no compensation.

Seems he was provoked.

Ohhh
If he was provoked then that’s a good reason it’s ok to drive over a cyclist with a ton and a half vehicle.
And there was me thinking it wasn’t warranted

Salary Negotiator · 25-11-2019 6:09pm

Just goes to show if you want to kill or main someone in Ireland make sure you're driving a vehicle at the time.

Best chance of getting away (relatively) scot-free

begbysback · 25-11-2019 6:10pm

_Brian wrote: »

Ohhh
If he was provoked then that’s a good reason it’s ok to drive over a cyclist with a ton and a half vehicle.
And there was me thinking it wasn’t warranted

Didn’t say it was ok, just somewhat a rational punishment when emotions are excluded - sending someone to jail isn’t always the appropriate punishment.

magicbastarder · 25-11-2019 6:11pm

begbysback wrote: »

Didn’t say it was ok, just somewhat a rational punishment when emotions are excluded - sending someone to jail isn’t always the appropriate punishment.

Did you see his list of previous convictions?

starbaby2003 · 25-11-2019 6:16pm

What an absolute ****ing joke. The DPP have to appeal that.

plodder · 25-11-2019 6:17pm

I don't like this idea of trying to pay off victims, though a promise of 10K in two years, isn't worth a whole lot. And six previous convictions means he's used up all his second chances in my book. It's a disgraceful sentence from the judge.

axer · 25-11-2019 6:18pm

It was luck that he didn't kill the cyclist and he drove away from the scene of an "accident" (not to mention lying to the gardai). All because the cyclist looked at him. Un fúcking believable. It doesn't say about a ban from driving.

jaxxx · 25-11-2019 6:19pm

Sorry lads but I hate cyclists!

Joking aside (jealousy really cos I actually can't cycle), that verdict is ridiculous. The order for payment is good, but that's nowhere near enough. He should have his license suspended INDEFINITELY. Forgetting his previous convictions, deliberately driving at a cyclist is abominable. His lawyer using depression as an excuse is sickening. I've had depression for 10 years, I've never tried to deliberately drive into a cyclist!

mamax · 25-11-2019 6:21pm

begbysback wrote: »

Didn’t say it was ok, just somewhat a rational punishment when emotions are excluded - sending someone to jail isn’t always the appropriate punishment.

If you take away emotions then he deliberately drove over a cyclist !!!, nothing rational about that, wrong punishment, that scumbag should have got jail time.
I'm all for giving a fella a 2nd chance but not a fella with several convictions, he meant to hurt the guy badly and now he's laughing his arse off at our court system, next time he might actually kill someone.

BDI · 25-11-2019 6:21pm

I don’t think people realise cyclists arnt objects on roads. Just normal men and women heading from their families to work and home again or out for exercise. Some of them have to work on their bicycles.
Most of them have families to support, kids lunches to make and actually have dogs or cats or whatever.
A large I’d say way over 60 per cent have cars and drivers licences at home but chose to cycle because of parking prices or the environment or god knows what fitness sometimes too.
For a judge to say he understands that sometimes you can have an urge to run a cyclist over and if you have 10 k and your car is taxed and insured you should be allowed to, even if you have a questionable past is a total travesty.

Eamonnator · 25-11-2019 6:23pm

_Brian wrote: »

That’s truly a travesty of justice.

Judge Nolan has lots of previous in cases like this.

Weepsie · 25-11-2019 6:25pm

"He added Kearns had been a very good golfer but lost his form and he had become depressed."

That should be laughed out of the record.

Also Martin Nolan. Say no more. The man is a massive embarrassment to the entire nation imo

enricoh · 25-11-2019 6:26pm

Last week a learner driver in Dublin got a suspended sentence for pulling out in front of a delivery driver on a scooter. The lad on the scooter died.

https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiENO6wlu-rXBXIecU7YmfRhIqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowyNLTATDN-jUwjbOhAQ?hl=en-IE&gl=IE&ceid=IE%3Aen

mamax · 25-11-2019 6:26pm

I wonder what Shane Ross will make of that, does anyone know how we could ask him for a comment on the judge's decision ?

73bc61lyohr0mu · 25-11-2019 6:29pm

That's ireland for you. Nearly kill someone or attempted murder and its a suspended sentence. Don't pay your TV licence or say something hurtful online and you have the whole justice system down on top of you...

begbysback · 25-11-2019 6:29pm

mamax wrote: »

If you take away emotions then he deliberately drove over a cyclist !!!, nothing rational about that, wrong punishment, that scumbag should have got jail time.
I'm all for giving a fella a 2nd chance but not a fella with several convictions, he meant to hurt the guy badly and now he's laughing his arse off at our court system, next time he might actually kill someone.

Now cmon, he didn’t actually drive ‘over’ him, it seems the injuries were minimal, plus the judge had the benefit of cctv which I’m sure was a factor in his decision.

Look at this rationally, if your the driver and you have to pay 10k then it’s gonna hurt, on the other hand if your the cyclist do you want the driver to go to jail, or have him pay you 10k - if I’m the cyclist I’d take the 10k

bmc58 · 25-11-2019 6:29pm

mamax wrote: »

More here > https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/suspended-sentence-for-man-who-deliberately-crashed-into-cyclist-1.4094339

So the message the judge sends out is it's ok to run over a cyclist if your having a bad day it will only cost you 10 grand, what a load of bollicks, that judge should be struck off.
What if everyone driving a car tomorrow was having a bad day :eek:

Some hope of getting €10,000 off that boyo.

AllForIt · 25-11-2019 6:31pm

I don't really see how looking back at a driver for bad driving could be described as 'provoking'. Cars beep at each other all the time for bad driving - is that considered provoking too. If the culprit genuinely felt provoked by this then that only shows the he as a driver felt utterly superior to the cyclist in the first place, simply because he's a driver.

25-11-2019 6:31pm

begbysback wrote: »

Now cmon, he didn’t actually drive ‘over’ him, it seems the injuries were minimal, plus the judge had the benefit of cctv which I’m sure was a factor in his decision.

Look at this rationally, if your the driver and you have to pay 10k then it’s gonna hurt, on the other hand if your the cyclist do you want the driver to go to jail, or have him pay you 10k - if I’m the cyclist I’d take the 10k

10k, off the road a decade and minimum year jail time

you dont encourage people to ram cyclists on the off chance they wont be seriously hurt, thats ridiculous.

bmc58 · 25-11-2019 6:34pm

jaxxx wrote: »

Sorry lads but I hate cyclists!

Joking aside (jealousy really cos I actually can't cycle), that verdict is ridiculous. The order for payment is good, but that's nowhere near enough. He should have his license suspended INDEFINITELY. Forgetting his previous convictions, deliberately driving at a cyclist is abominable. His lawyer using depression as an excuse is sickening. I've had depression for 10 years, I've never tried to deliberately drive into a cyclist!

I agree.A person with that mentality is liable to repeat their actions at any time.Is he still allowed to drive?

mamax · 25-11-2019 6:35pm

begbysback wrote: »

Now cmon, he didn’t actually drive ‘over’ him, it seems the injuries were minimal, plus the judge had the benefit of cctv which I’m sure was a factor in his decision.

Look at this rationally, if your the driver and you have to pay 10k then it’s gonna hurt, on the other hand if your the cyclist do you want the driver to go to jail, or have him pay you 10k - if I’m the cyclist I’d take the 10k

To be honest too many scumbags get off with a fine for this kind of behavior.
Maybe not over but it's still hit and run with the hit meaning to hurt or kill.

CCTV footage viewed in court showed Kearns drive into and through Mr Valencia on the road when the cyclist stopped in front of the car Kearns was driving at red lights.
The cyclist was sent up into the air on impact and then onto the road, suffering a series of injuries.

Marty Bird · 25-11-2019 6:39pm

Martin Nolan say no more..

BorneTobyWilde · 25-11-2019 6:41pm

''Kearns had been a very good golfer but lost his form ''

Ah well that explains it, good enough reason to run someone over. All well that ends well,
let that be a lesson to cyclists everywhere, don't mess with someone who has lost their golfing form.

begbysback · 25-11-2019 6:53pm

mamax wrote: »

To be honest too many scumbags get off with a fine for this kind of behavior.
Maybe not over but it's still hit and run with the hit meaning to hurt or kill.

“His victim suffered minor injuries, including soft tissue damage, and has since made a full recovery.“

“CCTV footage played in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court showed Sean Kearns driving straight at cyclist Marcelo Valencia, causing him to come crashing off his bicycle on the middle of a busy road five years ago.”

That’s taken from the times article, the other source may be slightly biased as there’s a noticeable difference between the 2 reports.

nthclare · 25-11-2019 7:02pm

It's nearly time for the judiciary system in Ireland to be reviewed.
Time and time again I get the impression that some judge's are putting themselves in people's shoes rather than being of sober thinking.

I remember a judge from Trailee Kerry was supposedly being lenient on the most horrific of crimes towards the vunerable of society.

Then a few years later he was caught red handed with a stash of not so tasteful web browsing etc

I think judge's should be a mixture of laymen and laywomen with a list of crimes and sentences in front of them and if the person is found guilty put them away... obviously this cyclist was dismissed and the perpetrator was held in high esteem..

I have moaned about cyclists here before, but call a spade a spade.
I'm supporting the cyclists on this one.

bmc58 · 25-11-2019 7:05pm

Weepsie wrote: »

"He added Kearns had been a very good golfer but lost his form and he had become depressed."

That should be laughed out of the record.

Also Martin Nolan. Say no more. The man is a massive embarrassment to the entire nation imo

Nolan is fast becoming a legend in the judiciary.

No jail for driver who deliberately drove through cyclist at traffic lights

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