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Families bereaved by
criminal drivers take call for tougher sentences to parliament
THOUSANDS of people have witnessed
Brake launch its new:- "ROADS TO JUSTICE" campaign in London. The
charity and five bereaved families made the calls for stronger charges and
tougher sentences outside parliament yesterday alongside the wreckage of Joseph
BrownLartey's
car. It was sliced in 2 by a speeding driver who ran a red light at 80 mph. His
killer will spend just three years behind bars.
The calls follow a survey by Brake, which found that most people back much
tougher sentences for all criminal drivers who kill. 66% of people questioned
think those convicted should be jailed for at least 10 years. About half of
people asked said the sentence for killing someone in a crash should be at least
15 years and 19.8% think drivers who kill should be jailed for life.
At present almost ˝ of drivers convicted of killing are not jailed at all.
The average prison sentence for a driver who has killed someone is less than 4
years.
The survey also revealed 91% of people questioned agreed that if someone causes
a fatal crash when they get behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs,
they should be charged with manslaughter.
Brake is now calling on the government to immediately review guidelines for both
charging and sentencing criminal drivers. More than 7000 people have already
signed Brake's
petition calling for government action, launched just a few days
ago.
Joseph's parents, Ian and Dawn Brown-Lartey, said:- "Today
has been very hard hitting and a day of mixed emotions. When we see the wreckage
of the car, we just see the car as it was with Joseph sat in it, driving very
proudly, a car that meant the world to him. It's just hard to get your head
around really. But the support has been overwhelming, the Police have been
amazing, supporting this as much as they can; the MPs and the general public;
there were crowds of people stopping to find out why we were there. This is all
about helping other families so that they get justice because the sad fact is,
day-in day-out, there are going to be families that get that knock on the door
and the sentences just do not fit the crime. This makes it real, it's not just
another story. The evidence has been right there in front of Parliament."
Gary Rae, director of communications and campaigns for Brake, the road safety
charity, said:- "We've been overwhelmed by the bravery of the families who
came to London to help us launch this campaign and also the support from the
members of the public who approached us throughout the day to give us their
backing. This is the start of a prolonged campaign that seeks proper justice and
better help and support for families devastated by road deaths. The new Prime
Minister now has an opportunity to take action and make justice for victim's
families a priority for her new administration." |
