Safe Speed Forums

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/6419195.stm

A woman who pretended to be dead to avoid a speeding conviction has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Glenda Askew, 47, of Clase in Swansea, pretended to be her daughter and wrote to the court saying her mother had died in a car crash. She had previously admitted perverting the course of justice and was before Swansea Crown Court for sentencing.

The court heard Askew did not have a full driving licence and "panicked" when being caught by a speed camera. In March 2006, she was clocked driving at 41mph in the 30mph restricted Clasemont Road in Morriston in the city.

She panicked and in act of desperation, she wrote the letter to the court, Catherine Richards, defending. Askew, who only held a provisional licence, ignored the first letter from the police.

Prosecuting Bryn Hurford said: "When a court summons arrived she filled it in in the name of her daughter Tracey Roberts, stating that her mother would not be able to attend as she had died in a car crash."

Mr Hurford said suspicions were raised and police called at her house. In mitigation, Catherine Richards said Askew had "been driving on and off for many years without incident."

"She panicked and essentially, in act of desperation, she wrote the letter to the court. She's a lady who for many years has been of good character." Judge Michael Burr said usually an immediate custodial sentence was warranted but he said he saw "little purpose" in jailing her.

As well as the six month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, she was given a 12 month supervision order.

I don't see any mention of a ban or any endorsement of her licence... so I take it she's still on the road.

So hold on, she was driving unlicenced, and therefore uninsured, and she got off essentially scott free, but a few mph safely over the limit and you could lose your licence?!

Something isn't right here!

She has a provisional licence, but the article makes it seem like she was driving on her own at the time, and that she has done so many times in the past.

reading the article this woman's trial was at Crown Court level for perverting the course of justice, points and a ban are not imposed for this offence, hence the suspended sentence, no doubt she will also be on trial for the speeding offence

If the report is correct the original speed and otherwise than in accordance with a licence offences happened in march 2006. In which case they were probably dealt with months ago.

But.. she allegedly drove illegally as an unsupervised learner driver "several times".


I assume she still has this provisional licence .. but that the endorsement would appear on the full licence once qualified. If say she was awarded 6 points for the original speeding offence.. I assume she would revert to provisional and have to resit the test immediately ..

I have to say it though.. on this occasion I think the judge got it wrong.. I assume the "suspended sentence" has more to do with overfilled prisons just to be less scathing to the judge here.

But.. somehow this woman's actions really repulse me. So she "panicked" - just like the kid who was jailed afer he "panicked" and his best 16 year old mate ended up very horribly dead when the car burst into flames on colliding with a lorry. Both knew they were illegally on the road, not insured and definitely illegal and in the wrong. I am no fan of speed cameras .. but I am also - very above board and generally legal (as far as I am aware given all the stealth laws ) in my way of life. This does not mean I meekly submit and accept without question. I do ask very hard questions and fight for true fair play.

However, there are boundaries and this rather transgresses those.

To pretend you are the daughter and that your "mother" (the person copped speeding) is dead is just SICK!

And to say she died in a car crash is SICKER still


My mother always drummed into me as a boy that wishing ill on someone .. or claiming something awful had happened when it had not .. was "tempting FATE and the DEVIL " (OK .. we are Catholics .. Nowt wrong with it.. we quite like all the pomp and ritual and practising archery after church. )

But basically my old Ma was saying that the "truth will out and that what comes around goes around". Claiming that a loved one died .. has a nasty way of rebounding. It's a quirk of fate or chance which really does make a family of normally sceptical professionally qualifieds in medicine, law, pharmaceutical research at a high level, accountancy, vet science, dentistry, education and police stop and just wonder if there is after all some substance in this phenomenum of chance which feeds superstition and faiths.


Natural justice perhaps.. but "you never do know what is before you" (more words of old wisdom from my own Mum .. whose views I will always respect in any case and no .. it does not make me "Mummy's Boy" .. but someone who listens to and respects the opinions of his parents and their peers. Age may make one slower.. but where our parents are in full revved up faculty .. their opinions based on long experience are still worth my listening to. and do deserve respect.

This woman does not know what is before her. She made up the most dreadful of stories. She feeds the spindrifts of this world and does an injustice to all society. She also claimed to have died in car crash.. posing as her own daughter. She has no idea what kind of nightmare her daughter would endure should this become a reality. No one would believe her and it would add to her grief. Likewise this woman should the daughter become a victim.

_________________
If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.