13 October, 2006

Did you forget the Passport he carries

Friends and family of a British schoolteacher killed in a car crash have voiced outrage after the reckless driver who caused her death was sentenced to just three months in prison!! I guess they missed the fine print the driver who killed the teacher is a 24 years old UAE National. Ofcourse justice is blind but its not deaf and dumb and definitely not ignorant of the class status.

Story on 7days.ae

9 comments:

marwan said...

Don't forget about the measly Dh5k he's been 'forced' to pay. That's probably what he spends every month on speeding fines.

Funny how some people get slapped with ludicrous, practically unpayable blood money fines (which equate realistically to life in prison) and others...don't.

فهد المحمود said...

Either this is a sick joke ... or our justice system has been flushed down the toilet!

ArO said...

Anyone cares to enlighten us on what would be the standard procedure/outcome if such a dramatic accident happened in their home countries or in countries they are familiar with? Would be interresting to compare the local justice with what happens elsewhere in this particular regard.

bklyn_in_dubai said...

in the US, he probably wouldn't have gotten the fine, certainly not jail time. in the US, your car is your castle, and unless you intend to kill that person with your car no one will prosecute. and even if you intend it the penalties will likely be light.

but that's not the important or relevant comparison. the relevant comparison is how would an expat be treated for the same crime? has a south asian gotten off like that guy? what about a white british? what about an expat that kills a local? does anyone know of other examples of people killing with their cars and the kinds of sentences they've received?

Anonymous said...

If this had happened in the States, the laws would be different in each State, but in most States this would have been reckless driving and in turn he could have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, at the very least.

This would have carry some jail time, plus he would have lost his driving license for a number of years. He would have also had a hard time getting insurance when the time came for him to drive again.

This doesn't even say anything about the civil lawsuit that I am sure the family would have taken, for the lost of their family member.

Anonymous said...

So does he have to pay blood money? This wasn't mentioned in the story.

And has been mentioned before - I think the problem here is the perception (which has a lot of validity) that UAE Nationals are sentenced far more leniently in general than expats.

redstar said...

In the UK he would potentially have been jailed, probably fined a large amount and would definitely have lost his licence for a long period of time.

More importantly the chances are that accidents like these wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Yes, there are young lads who cause accidents, but driving standards are generally far superior and traffic laws are rigorously enforced.

Mme Cyn said...

Yes, he (or rather his insurance company) must pay 200,000 dhs in blood money if the family accepts it.

Anonymous said...

To redstar... youre joking about the UK right, where they let off hard criminals cuz they dont have room in their prisons. gimme a break!

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