Now let’s suppose, for example, some Pakistani guy, stationed in the United States working for the Pakistani government, and with dubious/questionable diplomatic status, killed an innocent young American girl in a road accident - driving on the wrong side of the road + some other unreleased circumstances. Then he fled the country claiming diplomatic immunity, rather than face a charge of dangerous driving in a US court, and Pakistan refused to extradite him.
I just know you would be highly supportive of that Pakistani guy, Puzzlegal - because anybody can make an honest mistake about which side of the road you drive on in the USA, right? And I’m sure you would feel that the parents of that young girl were overreacting if they made a fuss about it. After all, if your kid gets killed, it’s just one of things. They should get over it, and stop seeking vengeance and persecuting that poor, innocent Pakistani official. I mean, if the same thing happened in Pakistan, it would be regarded as trivial, so why should he have to face harsh foreign laws in an American court? That’s unreasonable.
It’s always nice to see someone with such a keen sense of justice.
It turns in the first instance on whether she can face a court here, but if she can, the CPS has determined what charge is justified, having heard what the police have been able to investigate. Who said anything about “desire” for a 14-year term? It’s the specified maximum for this offence, but prosecutors in the UK have no say on sentencing (still less do grieving relatives). The CPS’s job is to assess whether the evidence amounts to a 50% or better chance of conviction, and to prepare the case for trial. What punishment may fit the crime depends on that evidence once a court has heard it and a jury has determined whether the case is proved: one of *our *courts following our law. What might happen in US terms is neither here nor there.
I have always been very against prison for a accident. American or Pakistani.
And of course Sacoolas left the UK on the advice of the State Dept, not her own volition. She didnt have a lot of choice. SHE didnt claim Diplomatic immunity, the State dept did that for her.
I don’t blame the parents or think they are over-reacting. It’s their child, after all. I do feel like a lot of the posters on this board are over-reacting.
If the Pakistani had fled the US at the advice of his state department, and I didn’t know the people, I honestly wouldn’t care very much. No, I don’t feel that justice demands the Pakistani be extradited. For a traffic accident? To what gain? The guy is no longer in the country, and certainly won’t do it again.
And I’m dubious that the British punishment would be significantly different from the US punishment. I’m not sure where you got that. I just don’t know the right words for the UK variations of offence, so I used the words I am familiar with.
So… I think people are using “accident” to mean different things. I work in the insurance industry, and we distinguish between at-fault accidents and not-at-fault accidents. So the way I use the word, it doesn’t mean no one is to blame. It means the outcome was unintended.
Someone is at fault in the vast majority of auto accidents. The others would be things like when a deer suddenly runs in front of a car.
But I think some of you are using “accident” to mean no one is at fault.
There could be a range of explanations as to how this happened. But explanations are not necessarily excuses. Some might be exculpatory, and justify no legal action. Some might be pleas in mitigation of sentence. Some might even make things worse for the person responsible.
Your faith in the CPS is touching. And the Courts adherence to sentencing guidelines in cases with lots of publicity.
Mrs CIA agent is as unsympathetic an accused as they come
You’ve got to love someone who starts a claim with “apparently” then doesn’t bother to provide a single cite for their claims.
This incident provoked enough outrage that the Dunn’s have received over $150,000 in donations to pursue legal action* and try to get some form of justice. I can find no cite or article where they say they want her to go to prison for 14 years. As this is rather key to your claim that they’re after “vengeance” perhaps you could provide one.
*Harry Dunn's family launch US campaign for extradition of Anne Sacoolas | The Independent | The Independent
Prisons house those convicted of serious crimes (typically, crimes for which the maximum punishment exceeds a year) and are run by the state and federal governments. Jails are typically run by local governments (cities or counties) and house both pre-trial detainees and those who are serving short sentences for lower-level crimes. For example, a sentence of 30 days for drunk driving is likely to be served at the local jail; a sentence of five years for vehicular manslaughter would generally be served in state prison, possibly in a distant location.
Well, what do they want and what would be “justice”? Or do we really mean revenge? The UK courts have said it could be a 14 year prison sentence. Why do they want to punish this woman with prison time, even if it isnt for the full 14 years? Will that bring their son back?
In America, she would not get* any* jail or prison time.
Now, the UK wont extradite any capital criminals to the USA that may face the death penalty, since they dont like the DP. Fine. But then they have a barbarous and completely insane FOURTEEN year prison sentence for someone causing a death by accident. Kinda hypocritical.
You do know that Diplomats get away with real crimes all the time? Hundreds of times a year? Not just accidental deaths- but deliberate acts.
Rape, murder, etc. The UK also uses Diplomatic Immunity so it’s pretty hypocritical of them to say otherwise.