Car wreckage paraded past Parliament
The wreckage of a car
The wreckage of the car involved in an horrific crash in Rochdale at the centre of our 'Justice for Joseph' campaign is to be paraded past Parliament.
We're taking our call for stiffer sentences to Westminster once more as we show first hand the devastation caused by dangerous driving.
Joseph Brown-Lartey's killer - who sped through a red light at 80mph - will serve just half of a six year sentence.
His parents Ian and Dawn told us they want his car to send out a stong message.
We're working alongside BRAKE as the Road Safety Charity launches it's 'Roads to Justice' Campaign.
A study to mark the launch shows there is huge support for strengthening both the charges and sentences faced by criminal drivers.
90% of people questioned in your region 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. That carries a possible life sentence. At present people can either be charged with causing death by dangerous driving or causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs. Sentences for those charges range between 26 weeks and 14 years, though sentences at the higher end of the range are rarely handed out.
The study also reveals most people back much tougher sentences for all criminal drivers who kill. Just over two thirds (68%) of those questioned think those convicted should be jailed for at least 10 years. More than half of people asked said the sentence for killing someone in a crash should be at least 15 years and just over a quarter (25.2%) think drivers that kill should be jailed for life. At present almost half of drivers convicted of killing are not jailed at all. The average prison sentence for a driver who has killed someone is under four years.
Brake is now calling on the government to immediately review guidelines for both charging and sentencing criminal drivers.
Gary Rae, director of communications and campaigns for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “There are too many families, like the Brown-Lartey’s, who suffer the double trauma of losing a loved one in a sudden and violent way, and then witness the judicial system turning its back on them. That’s why we’re launching our Roads to Justice campaign, which calls on government to get tough on criminal drivers who kill or seriously injure others. We believe the public are behind us, judging from our survey results. People we work with tell us they are left feeling betrayed by the use of inappropriately-termed charges and lenient sentences. Drivers who kill while taking illegal risks are too often labelled ‘careless’ in the eyes of the law, and then given insultingly low sentences when their actions can only be described as dangerous and destructive.”
MP for Heywood and Middleton Liz McInnes ‘I’ve been honoured to get to know Joseph’s family in the last few months. No parents should have to suffer what they are going through. The very least that they deserve is the knowledge that their son’s killer is serving a sentence which fits the crime. I’m delighted that Brake are supporting the Justice for Joseph campaign and I hope that their Roads to Justice campaign and today’s event will not just send a very clear message that a change in the law is wanted and is necessary, but will also encourage drivers to think about their own driving habits and help to prevent future tragedies on our roads.’
Brake’s survey also revealed overwhelming support for a charge of dangerous driving and not careless driving to be handed out when someone is seriously injured or killed in a crash. 85% of people questioned agreed a charge of dangerous driving should be brought.
In 2014 176 people were charged with “causing death by dangerous driving” and 205 were charged with “causing death by careless driving”. Brake would argue that all careless driving is dangerous, as if you are not giving your full attention to the road and the task, you are more likely to crash and that crash could be fatal.