US drunk driver who killed British cyclist on Menorca avoids jail

IanW1968 wrote:

I'm in no way defending the driver but for context it is reported elsewhere that he had 35mg of alcohol in his blood that on the limit for the UK (so not over) but Spain has a lower 25ml limit. 

The sentance is also normal not exceptional, although a good lawyer probably helped it along. 

There isn't a UK limit anymore and you may have confused blood and breath limits and units.

Scotland is 50 milligrams per 100ml of blood and 22 micrograms per 100ml of breath.

In other parts of the UK it is 80 milligrams per 100ml of blood and 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath.

Christopher TR1 wrote:

Un-fcuking-believable!

How can his wife and 3 kids ever get their heads around the fact that this killer is able to walk out of court and carry on with his life as if nothing has happened?!

Not sure, but I'm guessing they won't. Not sure I can either.

A cautionary tale for those of us Brits who regularly get some sunny miles in Mallorca, or the Canaries.

DrG82 wrote:

Leaving aside the amphetamines issue, he was drunk and killed someone, surely this is enough to warrant a jail sentence.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Killing someone whilst drink driving is a pretty serious first offence. Jailing a foreign national was obviously too much hassle

Regarding the prescription amphetamines, surely you can't drive under their influence anymore than you can drive under the influence of illegal ampethamine.  Especially mixed with alcohol. The fact that they were legally prescribed is a complete red herring. But, as I've said in a previous post 'Spain is Spain' 

zero_trooper wrote:

DrG82 wrote:

Leaving aside the amphetamines issue, he was drunk and killed someone, surely this is enough to warrant a jail sentence.

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Killing someone whilst drink driving is a pretty serious first offence. Jailing a foreign national was obviously too much hassle

Regarding the prescription amphetamines, surely you can't drive under their influence anymore than you can drive under the influence of illegal ampethamine.  Especially mixed with alcohol. The fact that they were legally prescribed is a complete red herring. But, as I've said in a previous post 'Spain is Spain' 

I'm not too sure what this means.

I understand that the driver was a well known person in the area and from money, but I don't think that the Guardia Civil are that corrupt anymore. Let's not forget that Spain has been using unmarked cycling plod to catch close passing bastards for quite a while, and they have a healthy close pass initiative throughout the country.

don simon wrote:

zero_trooper wrote:

DrG82 wrote:

Leaving aside the amphetamines issue, he was drunk and killed someone, surely this is enough to warrant a jail sentence.

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Killing someone whilst drink driving is a pretty serious first offence. Jailing a foreign national was obviously too much hassle

Regarding the prescription amphetamines, surely you can't drive under their influence anymore than you can drive under the influence of illegal ampethamine.  Especially mixed with alcohol. The fact that they were legally prescribed is a complete red herring. But, as I've said in a previous post 'Spain is Spain' 

I'm not too sure what this means.

I understand that the driver was a well known person in the area and from money, but I don't think that the Guardia Civil are that corrupt anymore. Let's not forget that Spain has been using unmarked cycling plod to catch close passing bastards for quite a while, and they have a healthy close pass initiative throughout the country.

I'm not too sure what this means.

Apologies, a very basic way of saying that obviously they have their own, different laws. I could have said 'Spain isn't the U.K.' Just doesn't sound as good. Certainly not being derogatory about Spain, my dad's from there!

zero_trooper wrote:

don simon wrote:

zero_trooper wrote:

DrG82 wrote:

Leaving aside the amphetamines issue, he was drunk and killed someone, surely this is enough to warrant a jail sentence.

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Killing someone whilst drink driving is a pretty serious first offence. Jailing a foreign national was obviously too much hassle

Regarding the prescription amphetamines, surely you can't drive under their influence anymore than you can drive under the influence of illegal ampethamine.  Especially mixed with alcohol. The fact that they were legally prescribed is a complete red herring. But, as I've said in a previous post 'Spain is Spain' 

I'm not too sure what this means.

I understand that the driver was a well known person in the area and from money, but I don't think that the Guardia Civil are that corrupt anymore. Let's not forget that Spain has been using unmarked cycling plod to catch close passing bastards for quite a while, and they have a healthy close pass initiative throughout the country.

I'm not too sure what this means.

Apologies, a very basic way of saying that obviously they have their own, different laws. I could have said 'Spain isn't the U.K.' Just doesn't sound as good. Certainly not being derogatory about Spain, my dad's from there!

Not a problem, as I said, I wasn't sure.

don simon wrote:

zero_trooper wrote:

DrG82 wrote:

Leaving aside the amphetamines issue, he was drunk and killed someone, surely this is enough to warrant a jail sentence.

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Killing someone whilst drink driving is a pretty serious first offence. Jailing a foreign national was obviously too much hassle

Regarding the prescription amphetamines, surely you can't drive under their influence anymore than you can drive under the influence of illegal ampethamine.  Especially mixed with alcohol. The fact that they were legally prescribed is a complete red herring. But, as I've said in a previous post 'Spain is Spain' 

I'm not too sure what this means.

I understand that the driver was a well known person in the area and from money, but I don't think that the Guardia Civil are that corrupt anymore. Let's not forget that Spain has been using unmarked cycling plod to catch close passing bastards for quite a while, and they have a healthy close pass initiative throughout the country.

Spain's KSI rate is nothing to write home about (circa 1600 with a significant lower miles travelled than UK) Spain shows 33 cyclist deaths as of 2016 though this is only on 'inter-urban' roads. In Spain apparently a road fatality is only classed as such if the death occurs within 24 hours after the incident, this seems to slant the figures.

Also cycling injuries/incidents are on the increase, this article deals with  such things as the Spanish government decriminalising so called 'minor' negligence in road incidents. To the point that a hit and run HGV driver who killed a cyclist was not brought to justice when the case eventually came to be heard 3 years later!  It's certainly not all sweetness and light over there.

https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/05/09/inenglish/1494316854_460862.html

DrG82 wrote:

Leaving aside the amphetamines issue, he was drunk and killed someone, surely this is enough to warrant a jail sentence.

 

Look into the background of Bryan Leeds.  Ten to one, he's a mate of someone at the US embassy.

brooksby wrote:

Quote:

was able to satisfy Spanish authorities that he had a prescription for amphetamine tablets that he had in his possession.

  ​Really? I'm not going to google it because, you know, search history, but is there a legimitate reason that someone might have for amphetamines?  And if they did, wouldn't they / shouldn't they know not to mix them with alcohol??

Mr Leeds should be providing advice/excuses to Team Sky...   

I don't think this'll hurt my search history any, so after a quick search, ADHD, narcolepsy and obesity can be treated with ampetamines, including these:

• Ritalin
• Concerta
• Dexedrine
• Adderall
• Phenylpropanolamine, also known as “uppers”

(from a U.S. site http://amphetamines.com/types/legal/the-legal-use-of-amphetamine/)