Man Cleared After Knocking Down Lollipop Lady

[Tilly2]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-35060435


Can someone explain to me how it is that this man has been cleared of this offence. I truly do not understand.

[Tilly2]

I would hazard a guess that he drives down that road every day.

[frugalfred]

Tilly, please don't take this amiss, but 12 people sat through all the evidence in court and came to the not guilty decision. Your view is merely based on reading media reports. How come you know better than those 12 jury members? P.S ily.

[Mamyalynne]

What would you like to happen to this man Tilly?


Do you believe there are such things as accidents?

[ummmm]

What do you think should have happened to him?

[Davemano]

The problem with posts like this is that you do not hear the full account of the incident and tend to make a personal assessment purely what you read. The jury acquitted him and nothing more will ensue.

[Tilly2]

I didn't say I was after revenge. I was just asking how you could knock someone down on a pelican crossing and not be charged with anything.

I imagine that he has gone through hell this last year. Perhaps he has paid dearly for his actions.

[Mamyalynne]

Yes, he'll live with it day and night, as will the lady and her family - no winners in this situation.

[Tilly2]

No, Mamya. No winners.

Goodnight all. Thanks for the responses.

[Baldric]

///"Since that day, I have thought of nothing else other than Sylvia Blackburn and her family and the position I have put them in. I have turned their world upside down."///

I'm inclined to believe him tbh

[Hopkirk]

On a side issue, why do pelican crossings need lollipop ladies?

[ummmm]

It's only school ones.

[Hopkirk]

A bit pointless really.

[EDDIE51]

''I do not see how you could knock down someone on a pelican crossing and not be charged with anything''
Tilly , he WAS charged ! but he was found not guilty. The jury believed it was an accident.

[Gromit]

He got off because he said he was blinded by the sun.

The accident happened at 15.40 on the 19th December.

I reckon the sun would have already set by then?

[jno]

depends on the terrain, but not quite: sunset in London next week is 15:52 and already getting later (on the "shortest day" it will be 15:53 but sunrise will still be getting later). In other words, at about the worst possible point for a driver who came on it suddenly, if that's what happened.

[EDDIE51]

I can understand how this happened. I have met the same situation myself.You come out of the shadow of a building and are instantly confronted by the low setting Sun directly into your eyes, or the Sun suddenly comes out from behind a cloud. There is a road near me where this is particularly bad it faces directly into the setting Sun, if the road is wet (as it often is) then it is even worse as the Sun also reflects into your eyes off the wet road surface.

[hc4361]

I've been dazzled by the low winter sun reflecting of a car in front of me. Scary.

And both the prosecution and defence would have access to all the data to know whether the sun was out at that time on that date, they didn't just take his word for it.

[ummmm]

It is very scary and it's not like you can just stop.

[ToraToraTora]

The sun never sets that early gromit. You can bet they checked the location and actual position of the sun so the beaks would have at least been told that it was feasable.