by bobby1413 »
11 Jan 2013 13:51
3 veesinarow cmonurz One for Rumpole maybe - what did Gary Hart (sentenced to five years after falling asleep at the wheel and causing the Selby train crash) do that Scott Sellars didn't?
Get charged with death by dangerous driving rather than by careless driving? Lower tariff, I'd imagine.
You're right, the outcomes may have been different, albeit equally tragic, but their actions prior to the accidents were essentially the same.
Causing death by dangerous driving (section 1 of the road traffic act 1988) is a higher offence than causing death by carless driving (section 2b of the road traffic act 1988).
Dangerous driving relates to the manner of driving being far below what a reasonable person would classify as "safe" and is about a hypothetical third-parties view of it.
Careless driving is not so much what you doing is dangerous, just inconsiderate in nature. For example, pulling out on someone causing them to break or skidding round corners, etc...
Either way community service is very low. I can only imagine he wasn't convicted of an offence that proved he caused the death through those actions.