Drunk driver who killed cyclist sentenced to 7 years in jail

7 years seems like an appropriote jail term to me. Long enough for the lesson to be learned and provide sufficient deterrent to others. I can't see any real benefit to the public of a significantly longer jail term.

A two year driving ban however is woefully inadequate. This women should never drive on our roads again. Hopefully she will have the good concience to make this decision for herself.

"After the collision she must have been able to see next to nothing out of her windscreen as the front of her car was smashed to pieces but she continued on the roads and could have easily caused more serious or even fatal accidents".

- Hopefully just an unfortunate choice of words, after all how much more serious or fatal can you get?

Only 7 years jail and a 2 year driving ban for killing some whilst driving pissed out of your brains and not stopping! Claiming she hit a badger but causing that amount of damage to her car - what bollocks! The bitch should hang for killing Mr Novak. She doesn't deserve to breath or see the light of day.

And how come the stupid idiots at the CPS charged her with causing death by careless driving!! It should have been causing death by dangerous driving or manslaughter as she was so reckless to drive whilst pissed our of her brains. Her standard of driving was atrocious, erratically driving on the grass verge FFS! The CPS have reached a new low - cretins.

Life ban. You take a life you lose your licence. Full stop.

Are driving bans covered by sentencing guidelines, in the same way as prison sentences, fines etc? Did the judge in this case have the option of imposing a lifetime driving ban, and chose to only ban for two years, or do the guidelines mean that option was not available to him?

@I love my bike -- "She lives in Sussex. In the countryside. What use is a bus pass? We have let the country get to the point where, in many areas, a car is a necessity. It's sad but it's true. In an ideal world a government would look at making it possible to live without a car but we don't live in an ideal world."

How does a quadriplegic victim of drunk driving manage without a car?

Ridiculous! By the time she has served half of that sentance she will be allowed to retest for her licence. If anything the ban should start from the time you get out of prison. IMO she should of gotten a life ban.
Also what about charges for not stopping at the scene of accident. Driving with impaired visibility due to shattered windscreen. CPS are the biggest jokers alive. Don't know their heads from their ar$es.

You might have some good reasons to post stuff like this Road.cc guys, but lately you've been going overboard to the point where it's not doing anything good for anyone.

Bad stuff is happening all the time, does not mean you have to focus on it all the time.

Quote:

told police that she believed her Fiat Punto, the front end of which was badly damaged, had struck a badger

Beyond satire, and believe me, I tried. Well, at least she pleaded guilty.

"Kent & Sussex Courier (1)" wrote:

Bowen, of Queen Elizabeth Close, Battle was drink-driving at the time and left Mr Novak's body in the road before continuing to smash her car until she got to Marley Lane in Battle and crashed off the road again.

I can't even.

She Cat D'd her vehicle by rear-ending a cyclist travelling in the same direction, thus in theory reducing the relative speed between the car and cyclist? So what speed was she going at to cause that degree of damage? And then... she kept going.

How was this not dangerous (as opposed to careless) driving, and how did this not attract a life ban? I'm not thinking out of a sense of petty retribution here, more general deterrance, and simple prevention, never letting this person have the opportunity to do this again. Here, Random Serial Killer, killing thirty two people with automatic weaponry was heinously evil, you're banned from owning firearms for two years and have to take an extended firearms test before we let you have a gun again. Sounds pretty stupid? Welcome to justice Britstyle, we're doing it right yeah.

Hugs and condolences to Paul's family & friends.

Source (1)

Slightly off topic, but when I loaded this story, I got an auto-playing video of a review of the latest Porsche 911GT3 and how damned fast it is. Now, I appreciate that the site has to support itself but there is such a thing as tact.

Saying that, the sentence does actually seem to be meaningful for a change. Sure she'll only serve half of it but seeing a custodial sentence imposed for killing a vulnerable road user is, sadly, a rarity these days.

She was drunk and driving on the grass verge yet was only charged with 'causing death by driving without due care and attention'. What does someone have to do to be guilty of 'causing death by dangerous driving'?

Should be a lifetime driving ban!!!

Holy Cow! An appropriate sentence for killing a cyclist with a car. Chapeau!

Hopefully she will have to share with a mentally deranged crack addict

I really don't know what to say about a driver who can show that little care.

RIP.

Two year ban, surely life ban - she no longer deserves to have the opportunity to drive. Same old story, if you want to kill and get a reduced sentence, jump in a car. Shameful.