3 point turn cop on trial

[Mully]

Good. He (and his lawyer) should have been ashamed of himself for pleading not guilty in the first place.

[Dakar]

Maybe there is justice, the fact that the Jury only took 1 hour to reach their verdict is a compelling indication to how clear cut this case was. something anyone who has travelled this road would know.
its a shame the article does not mention how these chaps are doing, (i have not read all this thread but will search through now to see if any of you know).

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2301...guilty-verdict

[Mully]

He's probably certain in his own mind that the guys who hit him were speeding - in fact he said that to one biker as he lay on the ground.

This is the bit that annoyed me the most. According the rider, there's wasn't even an "are you alright?" first

Pleading not guilty only aggravated the situation. A quick decision by the jury is a dead giveaway that he and his lawyer were 'trying it on'.

Agreed.

[Number One]

Good bloody job!

[McJim]

Okay, so what penalty will undo the harm that he caused?

Even hanging won't fix the bikes or the riders, so what's the point in a penalty?

Well when you think about it there is a bit of imbalance and injustice in today's society. Frinstance...a bloke grabs me by the arm against my will so I cuff him about the head until he lets go - it's self defence and I can reasonably expect to get charges dropped but if the guy happens to be a police officer then I get done with assaulting a police oficer which is far more serious. (even though he started it)

So if these guys have the law all sewn up to protect their arses over and above the rights of the average citizen then when they break the laws they are paid to uphold the penalties should be harsher to reflect the betrayal of trust perpetrated by the police officer in question.

Simple really.

[Winston001]

Frinstance...a bloke grabs me by the arm against my will so I cuff him about the head until he lets go - it's self defence and I can reasonably expect to get charges dropped but if the guy happens to be a police officer then I get done with assaulting a police oficer which is far more serious.

So if these guys have the law all sewn up to protect their arses over and above the rights of the average citizen then when they break the laws they are paid to uphold the penalties should be harsher to reflect the betrayal of trust perpetrated by the police officer in question.

Yeah but if you get grabbed its cos you're a Weegie and justifiable...

The fact that he's a professional driver is an aggravating feature at sentencing. He will be held to a higher standard. However typical sentencing would be 12 months loss licence, maybe $2000 fine, reparation.

[bistard]

Lets now hope that the two riders can get some form of compensation for all the anguish,injuries & lack of earnings

[Nasty]

Lets now hope that the two riders can get some form of compensation for all the anguish,injuries & lack of earnings

They won't be eligible ... under the ACC system there is a thing about not being able to sue blah blah ... but if the auckland woman suceeds in suing the corrections department over the release of Williem Bell there may be an "in" with that precedent if it is set.

[fireliv]

However they will be able to ask for reparation & emotional harm payments when sentencing occurs.

The prick knew he was guilty thats why he retired.

[Ixion]

Because he moved into their path after they first saw him? Just speculation. Can it be ruled out?

No, it cannot indeed.

Check the picture here . Note that the cop car is damaged at the extreme left front, despite the fact that the front of the car is way off the road in the verge.

Now, that damage was caused by one of the bikes. The bike certainly did not hit the car when it was stationary in the position it is parked in in the picture. So, the car continued forward across the road, onto the verge AFTER the bike hit it. Ergo, a high probability that the driver was turning across the road AS the bike hit it . Which is supported by the fact that the damage from the second bike , which would have hit a wee bit later, is at the rear wheel.

So strong indication that the car actually turned in front of the bikes. He didn't see them. None of the "stop in the distance" etc rules can cope with a vehicle that turns across immediately in front of you.

[Cynos]

Glad to see this guy got done, I could never figure out why, if he had "100m" visibility when he started the turn, the riders' skid marks were 50m long.

[Bruiser]

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1238371655/862/2301862.jpg

A former police officer who did a three-point-turn on a bend in the Upper Buller Gorge has today been found guilty of two counts of dangerous driving causing injury.

Anthony Dale Bridgman had been on trial in the Nelson District Court having denied the counts, which were laid following a crash on State Highway 6 on December 1, 2007.

Bridgman, who was a Blenheim-based highway patrol sergeant, retired last December after 33 years of service.

[MarkH]

So if these guys have the law all sewn up to protect their arses over and above the rights of the average citizen then when they break the laws they are paid to uphold the penalties should be harsher to reflect the betrayal of trust perpetrated by the police officer in question.

Not to mention that the police are trained professionals in the road safety stuff - they should know better than the average motorists about what is dangerous and could put the lives of other motorists at risk.

Also consider this:
If a biker had been speeding and impacted the cop car with enough force to kill the rider then the rider would not be blameless, however the cop would also be guilty of creating a danger and killing motorists for speeding is a bit over and above the mandate that the NZ police have.

[scumdog]

One issue that has not recieved any attention (as far as I am aware) if the cop was in pursuite and this is what he is essentially saying was his siren lights activated?? It may well be that after the impact the cop activated his lights and this may well have been the reason other vehicles could have stopped in time.


Does anyone have any info on this??


Skyryder

In that time frame and with manoeuvering the car I doubt he had time to call in a pursuit - which at that stage it was not anyway, he was merely attempting to turn around after all.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Good. He (and his lawyer) should have been ashamed of himself for pleading not guilty in the first place.

No no no no no no no

Have we learned nothing? The lawyer did what lawyers do: there is no moral imperative here at all. The lawyer would arguably have been negligent to have said do anything other than deny.

It does my head in, it really does.