The drink/driving cop

[Patrick]

WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT HE ATTENDED IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Ummm... pissed driver driving home illegally, crossed the centre line, illegally, and hit a car head on... at a guess!

Oh... hang on... it was the road designs fault!!! It was anything but his, ay???..........

[Patrick]

So I'm guessing that your contracted hours are about 10 a week then, judging by the amount of time you are on here??

Or are you wasting taxpayers money using the piggie PC from the pen? If the KB cops were as overworked as they say then somehow I doubt their voices would be as loud on here.

Nah, not allowed to... we had the porngate, and there was absolutely nothing worse than what we see on here in the funnies...that were sent to us, not from us searching and finding BTW...

[Patrick]

Oh yeah and there is something wrong if the Local Fire Brigade Havn`t identified the need for comprhensive First aid kits to be carried on there truck we have One in each appliance with oxygen , even tho we have 2 ambulances at Ngatea.....we often arrive first so it was considered necessary to carry.
We also have 3-4 ambulance officers in the brigade, but all of us have enough experiance to do our best to sustain life if it can be sustained.

I have heard that because the volunteer fireys don't get enough calls in Mokau, they are not sanctioned/supported by the fire service... this could be wrong, but, makes some sense on why things are like they are. They have to pay for their own gear?

[WINJA]

Thats true though i guess it comes down to the fact he was driving to the scene of an accident to supply life saving equipment, not trying to get home from the pub.

Was his driving safe? I dont know and i wasnt there. Hard call to make, he did plead guilty to drink driving however he chose to drive out of unselfish and legitamite reasons in an illegitamite situation.

I guess the judge took that into account especially as a drink driving conviction means instant dismissal from the Police and he didnt feel the Constable's crime fitted that punishment. He still may be fired in anycase though.

HE SHOULD BE FIRED , HE SHOULD BE FINED AND HE SHOULD LOSE HIS LICENCE , THE GUY B4 ME IN COURT A WHILE AGO WAS DRIVING FOR A GENUINE EMERGENCY AFTER BEING DISQUALIFIED IT WAS A GENUINE CASE OF LIFE AND DEATH AND HE GOT THE BOOK THROWN AT HIM AND HE WASNT EVEN DRUNK , DRUNK DRIVERS ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH AND EVEN PEOPLE LIKE ME CAN BACK THE COPS ON THEIR DRACONIAN MEASURES TO GET RID OF THEM , LETTING THE PIG OFF IS A PISS TAKE AND SETS A VERY BAD EXAMPLE , EVERY DEFENCE LAWYER WILL TAKE NOTE AND IT WILL BE A NEW ANGLE TO USE A IN COURT

[Patrick]

MY POINT IS HES DRIVING DRUNK TO AN ACCIDENT THAT WAS CAUSED BY ALCOHOL IN THE FIRST PLACE , DRUNK DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING THE JUDGES VERDICT BLURRS THE LINES

Fair call Winja... but I bet the dead guys level was much much higher...

[WINJA]

Fair call Winja... but I bet the dead guys level was much much higher...

BUT HE WAS OVER THE LIMIT , A CLEARLY LAID OUT LIMIT LAID DOWN BY LTSA AND BACKED BY ACC THE POLICE AND EVEN BACKED BY TARDS LIKE ME ,DRUNK IS DRUNK THE LAW IS THE LAW AMONG MOST OF THE GUYS I KNOW IF YOU TALK ABOUT SOMEONE SPEEDING THEY SAY FUCK THE PIGS THEY ARE CUNTS ETC ETC , BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SOMEONE BEING CAUGHT OVER THE DRINK DRIVE LIMIT THE PIGS ARE EVERYONES MATE INCLUDING MINE , IT SORTA DILUTES THE REALLY GOOD WORK THE PIGS HAVE DONE TOWARDS DRUNK DRIVING BY LETTING A PIG OFF DRUNK DRIVING, SOMETIMES A PENALTY HANDED DOWN IS NOT JUST FOR THE OFFENDER BUT THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COMUNITY

[Lou Girardin]

Jeez, you guys are either really thick or you live in some parallel universe. Judges can exercise discretion when there are special circumstances. Which this case had in spades.
I've heard plenty of pleas for special circumstances in court, and they invariably fail to show that there were no alternative options.
Winja, did your disq guy have any possible alternative to driving? Like calling an ambulance perhaps? Or was it a case of driving to get smokes for his missus or else she'd kill him?

[RT527]

I have heard that because the volunteer fireys don't get enough calls in Mokau, they are not sanctioned/supported by the fire service... this could be wrong, but, makes some sense on why things are like they are. They have to pay for their own gear?

Then they would be Rural fire and council funds them,with the help of donations and local funding. if they not rural fire then Nzfs funds them, anyways it would be the locals who support them there and I dont think anyone would not support funding for life saving oxygen cylinders.
Seems there was a justification for spending then wasnt there?!!!.

[Ixion]

What if the cop had NOT gone out? If they'd called him "Bad accident. Oxygen needed. You're the only one near". And he'd said "Nah, can't do it". And the press got hold of that. "Accident victim refused live saving oxygen because off duty cop didn't want to drive out" ?.

And bear in mind that there is NO evidence of any fault in his driving or behaviour. The offence was a technical one, a breach of an arbitrary limit. Noone has come forward to say "Yeah, I saw him weaving all over the road: or any such.

It's not any sort of precedent. The guy pleaded guilty, threw himself on the mercy of the court. Only a precedent if someone can show the same circumstances. How often is that going to happen? Once a century maybe.

And if someone who wasn't a cop did the same sort of thing, I'd expect the cops not even to press charges. If they did I'd join the clamour about officious pedentry and lack of discretion. The very reason he DIDN'T get let off, had to plead guilty was because he was a cop.

Laws are made for the benefit of men, not to be a cross upon which to crucify them. In this case justice and the law joined hands. The judge made the right call.

[WINJA]

Jeez, you guys are either really thick or you live in some parallel universe. Judges can exercise discretion when there are special circumstances. Which this case had in spades.
I've heard plenty of pleas for special circumstances in court, and they invariably fail to show that there were no alternative options.
Winja, did your disq guy have any possible alternative to driving? Like calling an ambulance perhaps? Or was it a case of driving to get smokes for his missus or else she'd kill him?

TAKING HIS VERY SICK WIFE TO HOSPITAL , SHE WAS PREGNANT AS WELL , HE TURNED RIGHT ONTO GRAFTON BRIDGE AND GOT CAUGHT

[Patrick]

BUT HE WAS OVER THE LIMIT , A CLEARLY LAID OUT LIMIT LAID DOWN BY LTSA AND BACKED BY ACC THE POLICE AND EVEN BACKED BY TARDS LIKE ME ,DRUNK IS DRUNK THE LAW IS THE LAW AMONG MOST OF THE GUYS I KNOW IF YOU TALK ABOUT SOMEONE SPEEDING THEY SAY FUCK THE PIGS THEY ARE CUNTS ETC ETC , BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SOMEONE BEING CAUGHT OVER THE DRINK DRIVE LIMIT THE PIGS ARE EVERYONES MATE INCLUDING MINE , IT SORTA DILUTES THE REALLY GOOD WORK THE PIGS HAVE DONE TOWARDS DRUNK DRIVING BY LETTING A PIG OFF DRUNK DRIVING, SOMETIMES A PENALTY HANDED DOWN IS NOT JUST FOR THE OFFENDER BUT THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COMUNITY

TAKING HIS VERY SICK WIFE TO HOSPITAL , SHE WAS PREGNANT AS WELL , HE TURNED RIGHT ONTO GRAFTON BRIDGE AND GOT CAUGHT

In Auckland??? Plenty of Doctors, 24 hour medical centres, even hospitals, taxis, neighbours, plenty of everything in the big smoke, don't ya think??? Options available there, I would say.... Somewhat different in Mokau. And he saved a life...

[WINJA]

In Auckland??? Plenty of Doctors, 24 hour medical centres, even hospitals, taxis, neighbours, plenty of everything in the big smoke, don't ya think??? Options available there, I would say.... Somewhat different in Mokau. And he saved a life...

BUT IT STILL SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE LETTING HIM OFF DONT IT , I THINK ITS FAR WORSE TO DRIVE DRUNK TO SAVE A LIFE THAN TO DRIVE DISQUALIFIED TO SAVE A LIFE, IF YOUVE BEEN IN AN EMERGENCY OR 2 YOUD KNOW 2 THINGS NOT ALL PEOPLE THINK STRAIGHT IN EMERGENCYS AND AN AMBULANCE IS NOT ALWAYS THE FASTEST WAY TO GET MEDICAL ATTENTION , THEREFORE I THINK THE GUY IN FRONT OF ME IN COURT SHOULDA GOT OFF, THE PIG HAD OPTIONS TOO

[Lou Girardin]

TAKING HIS VERY SICK WIFE TO HOSPITAL , SHE WAS PREGNANT AS WELL , HE TURNED RIGHT ONTO GRAFTON BRIDGE AND GOT CAUGHT

Is it at all possible that he presented a greater risk to her by driving in a stressful situation, rather than calling an ambulance?

See what I mean - there were alternatives.

[scumdog]

BUT IT STILL SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE LETTING HIM OFF DONT IT , I THINK ITS FAR WORSE TO DRIVE DRUNK TO SAVE A LIFE THAN TO DRIVE DISQUALIFIED TO SAVE A LIFE, IF YOUVE BEEN IN AN EMERGENCY OR 2 YOUD KNOW 2 THINGS NOT ALL PEOPLE THINK STRAIGHT IN EMERGENCYS AND AN AMBULANCE IS NOT ALWAYS THE FASTEST WAY TO GET MEDICAL ATTENTION , THEREFORE I THINK THE GUY IN FRONT OF ME IN COURT SHOULDA GOT OFF, THE PIG HAD OPTIONS TOO

Well go ahead and drink and drive, get caught and plead special circumstances, let us know how you faired so we can all have a laugh!!~!

So it was alright for your drongo mate not to think straight - but not for a cop to do likewise??
Hmm, smacks of one rule for some, another rule for others.....

And who cares what YOU think, it's what the judge thinks.

Have a nice day.

[WINJA]

Is it at all possible that he presented a greater risk to her by driving in a stressful situation, rather than calling an ambulance?

See what I mean - there were alternatives.

NOPE , THATS JUST STUPID