# What is the most serious crime anyone ever got away with because of a legal loophole or technicality **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-serious-crime-anyone-ever-got-away-with-because-of-a-legal-loophole-or-technicality/773715 "2016-12-03T10:42:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![Dunmurry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d2c977/32.png) [@Dunmurry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunmurry)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-serious-crime-anyone-ever-got-away-with-because-of-a-legal-loophole-or-technicality/773715/1 "2016-12-03T10:42:35Z")
Well I was just wondering if there were any serious crimes that someone got away with because of a legal loophole or technicality. I heard of someone who was driving a tractor while under the influence of alcohol on a farm and he reversed over a 9 year old boy and killed him but he couldn’t be prosecuted because it was on a private road and the drink-driving laws only apply to public roads. Also, there was a man called John Downey who was suspected of being involved in the 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing in which 4 soldiers were killed but he got away with it because he had got a letter and there was a mistake made by the police force in Northern Ireland it said the police force in Northern Ireland was not aware of any interest in him by any police force in the UK also which led to the letter being sent and it said he wasn’t wanted for questioning in relation to any crimes he may have committed before 1998 but in fact he was wanted for questioning by one police force but the judge ruled that he couldn’t be prosecuted because it would be “an abuse of process”. Any other examples Also any examples of where someone was probably guilty but got away with things because of something well like this --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-serious-crime-anyone-ever-got-away-with-because-of-a-legal-loophole-or-technicality/773715)._