Drunk, ‘aggressive and petulant’ speeding van driver jailed for two years for hit and run that left cyclist without an arm

Lets hope that Mr Simon launches a civil action for damages. I'd say about £30m would be about the right amount. Lets see how that affects Mr Hollowell's ability to get insurance in the future.

Only way this will ever change sadly is to target judges and MP's families in your own car. Once they realise the utter contempt for justice when it visits their own door step you'll see a quick change.

If we have a whip round on the forum we can probably fund enough fines for at least 10 more 'accidents', I'm sure we can also fund alternative transport for any subsequent ban in the following weeks, should the 'I thought I hit a squirrel' excuse fail, especially if the insurmountable claim that the clouds put you off fails as well.

Democracy unfortunately typically works when money is involved, here there is no incentive hence years of failure, complete lack of proactivity from every successive government and a judiciary who consider misuse of an oyster card to be more deviant than a repeat driving offender who doesn't give a damn about anyone.

I hate all of that, however...tell me I'm wrong?

Cause that injury in any other way with a piece of machinery, and terms like Grievous Bodily Harm and Assault will feature in the charges to be answered - so why do we persist in having that 'special exclusion' for the offences when committed using a motor vehicle.

Kill someone and it is either manslaughter or murder nem con - let's get this "causing death by xxx driving" naieve folly dumped.

So depressing.

whilst I agree that focusing on the length of prison sentences is wrong, I will point out that it is only in privately run prisons that prisoners get Sky in their cells- and this is used to placate them as they get very little time out of their cells.

When are we going to start seeing people that cause damage to lives like this banned for life from driving? It is not a right to be able to get behind the wheel of a car, especially when you have proved successfully that you are irresponsible and devious to boot.

Whilst I agree with the points above, I'd say the length of prison sentence is important. Whilst those guilty of these may on occassion see prison as a holiday, the important thing is what 'mondeo' man sees.

If he sees these cases treated seriously with real implications for those caught, he is less likely to drive like a dick. It's not really about personal justice, its about publically recognising that such actions are unacceptable.

Personally speaking, anyone caught driving under a ban should automatically see a custodial sentence... Also, anyone flaunting the responsibilities associated with having a license (such as not getting pissed, not leaving the scene of an accident etc.) should lose any legal protection associated with being a driver.

Should we really be focussing on the length of prison sentences? People who behave in this way quite often see prison as a holiday, where they can spend time with their mates, with decent food, gym, Sky TV, with the closure of yet another library or daycare centre needed to pay for their bed and board at the University of Crime. Prison has no fear for many of these people, and the chances are that they'll come out even more disrespectful of society than when they went in.

Prison plays a part in more serious motoring offenses, but we really must start lobbying more effectively for lifetime driving bans, by pointing out that since so many ordinary people are choosing not to drive these days, it's hardly a problem if your licence is permanently taken away for the common good.

Your average judge, would probably be appalled at the prospect of not being able to drive ever again, and that's probably why they're so reluctant to pass sentence, but the rest of us know that it's perfectly possible to manage if push came to shove, so what's the big deal when compared to removing someone from the roads that's clearly at risk of harming themselves or others.

And even if that person loses their job, that same job could then be filled by someone else, removing one person from the unemployment register, so providing the cash to "look after" the newly unemployed miscreant. So accepting a driver's job loss as mitigating circumstances is nonsense.

This is what we should be lobbying for.

time to go Death Wish on van drivers

I suspect the 2 years was mainly for perverting the course of justice. He would have walked if he hadn't tried to lie.

If enough people petition the court of appeal the sentence can be increased. Just saying.

2 years ?? How do we complain about things like this ? I'm just sick of reading these stories, no idea what 'we' can do but we've got to do something.

Poor victim, surely he can sue for some damages at least ?

No mention of a ban??

dear god, this animal is actually allowed to drive on the road? Sure he will when he comes out, prematurely of course.

'Fucking insult' is about right ....

Jailed for only 2 years and still got his licence. Unless I missed something. Pathetic.

2 years for dangerous driving, drunk driving and perverting the course of justice. He will be out in around 9 months, released on licence and free to carry on being a scumbag, whilethe poor vivtim tries to carry on his life with his best arm missing. Thats an obscene, fucking insult.

What planet do our judges come from? Because they are not of this earth. For those offences he should have been handed down 12 years and banned from driving for life.

The constant stream of stories like this puts the "cyclists are dangerous/shouldn't be allowed on the road/blah blah etc." brigade everywhere else on the net, who wheel themselves out, wind themselves up, and spew forth the same bilious tripe for every cycling or roads-related story, completely to shame.