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Footballer not getting simple 'Don't Drink Don't Drive' Message
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by Beaulieu | August 13, 2009 at 10:44 am
379 views | 14 Recommendations | 5 comments
Update: Bentley is due in court today 28/8/09.
Let's see if the courts can come up with a good deterrent. I am not holding my breath.
PREVIOUS STORY: Footballer not getting simple 'Don't Drive & Drive Message:-
The 'Don't Drink and Drive' law has been effective in the UK for a long while now but footballers such as David Bentley, who played for my country (England) and Tottenham Hotspur, allegedly doesn't seem to think it applies to him.
For the police, 'it's a nice little earner'. They have received a wad of 'bail money' and no doubt he seems trustworthy enough not to drive till his court appearance at St Albans on the 28th August. I bet he has even been given his keys back, so he will get the car fixed and shiny, and ready for court.
I remember a case where the police charged a man with drink driving and they gave him back the keys (after some bail money) and the same man was arrested again two hours later for the same offence. This is unsurprising if they just hand him the keys. I always thought that bail was given to someone who wouldn't be 'at risk of further offending' but this man clearly liked his drink.
How many people charged with drink driving are not having their vehicle confiscated, and why not? Just how many our there loose on our roads?
Why not confiscate the car till the court judgement? Surely crashing into a lamp-post gave the 'Keystone Cops' some idea that 'it may not be such a good idea to give back the car' and that road safety is 'supposedly' paramount."
The BBC played down the collision down calling it 'an incident'. It was very lucky that no one was hit.
"Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer David Bentley has been charged with drink-driving following an incident in Hertfordshire.
Hertfordshire Police said officers were called to a crash in Judges Hill, Northaw, in Potters Bar, early in the morning. I think it may be interesting if he has a 'quality barrister' to defend his case. A spokesman said a vehicle had crashed into a street lamp".
Writing as a Millwall fan (I have to civilise them, after all), I am glad we don't want him:-)
For any Now Public St Albans members (and rival teams) , keep the date in your diary as it may be worth popping over to the court in the public gallery.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)
at 22:50 on August 13th, 2009
From an article in thisiskent.co.uk in April 2009:-
Just to show that the British police are just handing nuisance drink drivers the keys after a drink driving charge,instead of confiscating the vehicle or keeping them for longer in custody until the court case which would help reduce further road accidents.
Do they just want to increase 'their conviction rates' or 'reduce accidents?'.
Perhaps we should be tougher like in Saudi?
[q =http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/limit-driver-wheel-hours-later/article-948195-detail/article.html]
"A MAN who was found driving in Tunbridge Wells while more than twice the legal alcohol limit has been banned from the roads for three years after he was found back behind the wheel hours later.
Luke Taylor, 22, of Johnson Close, St Leonards- on-Sea, gave a reading of 83mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – the legal limit is 35mcg – after he was arrested by police in York Road at 12.20am on March 29. Having been released from the police station, he was re-arrested after being stopped at 4am driving along the A21 at Flimwell, still over the limit."
[/q]
(The Now Public coding isn't working)
at 23:31 on August 13th, 2009
And just because someone is disqualified, it appears that there's nothing stopping these reckless people because the vehicle is not confiscated by the police. Despite an obvious pattern of repeat offending, William Gridley (below) didn't have his precious motorbike crushed or confiscated, (perhaps they think that's too harsh).
Road safety needs to be taken more seriously by the police in Britain. I don't expect the jail sentence to be very long.
An excerpt from thisiskent.co.uk:
[q url=http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Banned-driver-faces-jail/article-900606-detail/article.html]
"A JOBLESS man who repeatedly drove while disqualified has been warned he is facing a prison sentence.
William Gridley, of Colton Crescent, appeared in front of Folkestone magistrates on Thursday, April 9. The 24-year-old pleaded guilty to riding a motorbike while disqualified, without insurance or protective headgear and on a footpath beside a road."
[/q]
When I searched under 'banned driver' on this website, I found 28 articles in thisiskent.co.uk. I am not convinced that all of them are sticking to the ban because it doesn't work. They can easily re-offend 'without a pattern' too. Then under a search for 'drink driving', I found 62 articles, many other drivers failing to understand the message, and no doubt, grovelling at court for leniency (which they seem to get because the law is so soft on them).
Considering how many people are drink driving in Britain, I wonder if David Bentley will be made into an 'example'. I am not gonig to hold my breath, this is Britain not Saudi after all.
at 07:59 on August 14th, 2009
The Sun today had the story all over the front page and a full page on Page 5. They said he was driving a Porsche. Page Five said 'Arrest Shame of the New Beckham'.
Interestingly enough, though the police must have considered him a 'safe bet' by giving him the keys back, the Sun states that 'he has been twice banned for speeding in the past'. I am not surprised. Just what is going with the police? Why didn't they check his record, and then confiscate or crush his car? Surely they must have been aware of his 'pattern?'.
As a cyclist near Shoreditch, knowing that there are drink drivers about, I have every reason to be unhappy with this situation. Fortunately, the accident happened at 3am, that is a blessing but he could have gone into someone's house perhaps like some do. Though he apologised, just how many 'wake up' calls does this repetitive and notorious bad driver need? I don't believe his apology, he just doesn't want to be kicked out by the team and be a 'nobody' and end up with a 'clapped out mini'.What about an apology from the police too?
The Sun wrote an admirable article saying that his career had 'stalled'. It even said that in 2005 he was jailed for speeding at 102 mph, another ban for 120mph and admitted that he liked driving fast.
Clearly he was a well known face at the police station, so why did the the police hand him the keys?
at 14:57 on August 14th, 2009
interesting story
at 22:15 on August 14th, 2009
Porsche run driving schools including Advanced Driving Skills, perhaps this reckless driver should be made to improve his driving skills. Perhaps he ought to be suspended from his team to show how serious his conduct is. There are so many people of his age, doing more productive things, but he seems to blow his opportunities.