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British gal convicted of driving one-handed



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 26th 05, 05:48 AM
Laura Bush murdered her boy friend
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Default British gal convicted of driving one-handed



The article makes it sound like the cops were silly to arrest her for
this, but making a left hand turn while holding an apple in one hand is
dangerous to everyone else nearby.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/arti...397837,00.html

Woman charged with holding an apple while driving

Martin Wainwright
Tuesday January 25, 2005 The Guardian

A woman tempted by an apple while driving set off a Kafkaesque chain of
events, a court heard yesterday, including aerial photography by a
police helicopter, nine preliminary court hearings, and a trial lasting
more than 2 hours.
Unlike Eve, nursery nurse Sarah McCaffery, 23, had not taken a bite out
of the forbidden fruit when she was stopped by PC Lee Butler on
December 4 last year, but she was holding it in her right hand whilst
swinging her Ford Ka into a left turn.

Apple or not, the manoeuvre at a junction in Hebburn, South Tyneside,
free of pedestrians and other traffic, was carried out "perfectly" said
her solicitor, Geoffrey Forrester, but it was spotted by a patrol car
parked nearby.

PC Butler pounced, initially because he thought that Ms McCaffery's
apple was a mobile phone. He then issued the nurse with a =A330 fixed
penalty notice as part of a Northumbria police drive against food or
drink at the wheel.

Ms McCaffery was found not to have been in proper control of her car by
South Tyneside magistrates yesterday, but Mr Forrester said that her
real offence had been to fight the case.

"This is all about trying to crush her because she is the one who stood
up and said 'This is silly'," he told the court. "The police service
and the Crown Prosecution Service do not like to be told they are
silly.

"Nothing illustrates the nonsense of this case more than the resources
that have been thrown at it." The magistrates heard that after Ms
McCaffery had the "temerity" to challenge the fixed penalty, police
used a helicopter to film the junction. A sergeant and constable in a
patrol car made a video.

Mr Forrester claimed that offences such as drug-dealing, burglary or
assault on children would not have been lavished with such attention.
He added that Ms McCaffery was of "impeccable character".

Prosecutor Chris Kay, whose evidence included a second video taken from
the helicopter as well as aerial photographs, said that the proceedings
had cost =A3425, excluding the aerial work. The court heard that the
helicopter had not been sent specifically to film the junction, after
Ms McCaffery's decision to go to court, but had taken the video and
photographs in the course of another job in the area.

Ms McCaffery, of Hebburn, was fined =A360 plus =A3100 costs at the 10th
court hearing in the case. The chairman of the bench, Ken Buck, said:
"We accept that there are times when you can drive with one hand, but,
in holding an apple while negotiating a left hand turn, we consider you
not to have been in full control."

A spokesman for Northumbria police said costs did not have any bearing
on decisions to prosecute. "The defendant chose for the matter to go to
a court trial rather than accept a fixed penalty notice, so we were
obliged to gather all appropriate evidence to present our case."

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  #2  
Old January 26th 05, 06:22 AM
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That's *great* news, even if it from a rag.

  #3  
Old January 26th 05, 02:16 PM
Larry Bud
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>"We accept that there are times when you can drive with one hand, but,
>in holding an apple while negotiating a left hand turn, we consider

you
>not to have been in full control."


This is nonsense. This is the problem right here. She WAS in control,
while there are numerous people out there driving with both hands that
are clearly NOT in control.

  #4  
Old January 26th 05, 03:16 PM
Sam O'Nella
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Larry Bud wrote:
>> "We accept that there are times when you can drive with one hand,
>> but, in holding an apple while negotiating a left hand turn, we
>> consider you not to have been in full control."

>
> This is nonsense. This is the problem right here. She WAS in control,
> while there are numerous people out there driving with both hands that
> are clearly NOT in control.


Don't you get it?

In the government's view, everyone must be painted with the same stroke.
All people are inebriated at the same BAC, all cars are unsafe over the
government's arbitrary speed limit, and all drivers are the same; young,
old, race car drivers or klutzy bafoons who cannot even negotiate a highway
on ramp.

Just because THEY can't drive and hold an apple doesn't mean SHE can't.
****ing morons.


  #5  
Old January 26th 05, 06:46 PM
yaffaDina
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Laura Bush murdered her boy friend wrote:
> =


> The article makes it sound like the cops were silly to arrest her for
> this, but making a left hand turn while holding an apple in one hand is=


> dangerous to everyone else nearby.


Because they drive on the other side, in the UK the left turn is just
that -- no crossing of traffic lanes.
yD
> =


> http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/arti...397837,00.html
> =


> Woman charged with holding an apple while driving
> =


> Martin Wainwright
> Tuesday January 25, 2005 The Guardian
> =


> A woman tempted by an apple while driving set off a Kafkaesque chain of=


> events, a court heard yesterday, including aerial photography by a
> police helicopter, nine preliminary court hearings, and a trial lasting=


> more than 2 hours.
> Unlike Eve, nursery nurse Sarah McCaffery, 23, had not taken a bite out=


> of the forbidden fruit when she was stopped by PC Lee Butler on
> December 4 last year, but she was holding it in her right hand whilst
> swinging her Ford Ka into a left turn.
> =


> Apple or not, the manoeuvre at a junction in Hebburn, South Tyneside,
> free of pedestrians and other traffic, was carried out "perfectly" said=


> her solicitor, Geoffrey Forrester, but it was spotted by a patrol car
> parked nearby.
> =


> PC Butler pounced, initially because he thought that Ms McCaffery's
> apple was a mobile phone. He then issued the nurse with a =A330 fixed
> penalty notice as part of a Northumbria police drive against food or
> drink at the wheel.
> =


> Ms McCaffery was found not to have been in proper control of her car by=


> South Tyneside magistrates yesterday, but Mr Forrester said that her
> real offence had been to fight the case.
> =


> "This is all about trying to crush her because she is the one who stood=


> up and said 'This is silly'," he told the court. "The police service
> and the Crown Prosecution Service do not like to be told they are
> silly.
> =


> "Nothing illustrates the nonsense of this case more than the resources
> that have been thrown at it." The magistrates heard that after Ms
> McCaffery had the "temerity" to challenge the fixed penalty, police
> used a helicopter to film the junction. A sergeant and constable in a
> patrol car made a video.
> =


> Mr Forrester claimed that offences such as drug-dealing, burglary or
> assault on children would not have been lavished with such attention.
> He added that Ms McCaffery was of "impeccable character".
> =


> Prosecutor Chris Kay, whose evidence included a second video taken from=


> the helicopter as well as aerial photographs, said that the proceedings=


> had cost =A3425, excluding the aerial work. The court heard that the
> helicopter had not been sent specifically to film the junction, after
> Ms McCaffery's decision to go to court, but had taken the video and
> photographs in the course of another job in the area.
> =


> Ms McCaffery, of Hebburn, was fined =A360 plus =A3100 costs at the 10th=


> court hearing in the case. The chairman of the bench, Ken Buck, said:
> "We accept that there are times when you can drive with one hand, but,
> in holding an apple while negotiating a left hand turn, we consider you=


> not to have been in full control."
> =


> A spokesman for Northumbria police said costs did not have any bearing
> on decisions to prosecute. "The defendant chose for the matter to go to=


> a court trial rather than accept a fixed penalty notice, so we were
> obliged to gather all appropriate evidence to present our case."

  #6  
Old January 26th 05, 07:20 PM
Bo Raxo
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Default


"yaffaDina" > wrote in message
...
Laura Bush murdered her boy friend wrote:
>
> The article makes it sound like the cops were silly to arrest her for
> this, but making a left hand turn while holding an apple in one hand is
> dangerous to everyone else nearby.


Because they drive on the other side, in the UK the left turn is just
that -- no crossing of traffic lanes.
yD

The article doesn't mention whether the car was a manual shift, but those
are much more common in the UK than in the US. Driving a stick shift while
holding an apple in one hand might be a bit dangerous. Not very, but then
going 5 mph over the limit isn't very dangerous, yet enough to get you a
ticket. Roughly the same kind of low-level risk.

OTOH, if it was an automatic, then the cop was just being a dick.


Bo Raxo





  #7  
Old January 26th 05, 07:47 PM
Laura Bush murdered her boy friend
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Default

>Larry Bud Jan 26, 5:16 am

>This is nonsense. This is the problem right here. She WAS in control,

while there are numerous people out there driving with both hands that
are clearly NOT in control.

Hey stupid. There is no way to tell if she was in control or not.
That's why you have to have rules banning certain activities while
driving, even though in some cases it didn't affect the driving. Do
you also think drunk driving should be allowed except when the drunk is
all over the road? URAMORON

  #8  
Old January 26th 05, 07:49 PM
Laura Bush murdered her boy friend
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Default

>>>yaffaDina Jan 26, 9:46 am
Because they drive on the other side, in the UK the left turn is just
that -- no crossing of traffic lanes
She broke the law. Now stop being a criminal coddler.

  #9  
Old January 26th 05, 10:13 PM
Garth Almgren
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Default

On 1/26/2005 10:47 AM, Aunt Judy (Pride of Diarrhea)
<http://tinyurl.com/2s2nz> wrote:

>>Larry Bud Jan 26, 5:16 am

>
>>This is nonsense. This is the problem right here. She WAS in control,
>> while there are numerous people out there driving with both hands that
>> are clearly NOT in control.

>
> There is no way to tell if she was in control or not.


Sure there is: Did she crash?


--
~/Garth
"I am patient with stupidity
but not with those who are proud of it." - Edith Sitwell
(Mail for secure contact information)
  #10  
Old January 27th 05, 12:02 AM
Bo Raxo
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Default



Yeah, I hate that about Yaffadina. After a really vigorous debate she
wants to coddle and talk about it, and I just want to roll over and go
to sleep.

 




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