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Author Topic: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched  (Read 4368 times)

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Offline Tallman

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Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« on: April 11, 2013, 07:25:57 AM »
Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
Dr Sheila Rampersad (T&T Guardian)


What might have been an open-and-shut case against a police officer, who ploughed into six residents of Sea Lots along the Beetham Highway, Port-of-Spain, on February 24, has turned into a lengthy and muddled investigation. Three people died and three others were injured in the crash, which occurred along the westbound lane of the highway.
 
The T&T Guardian was reliably informed that a breathalyser test, which measures blood alcohol level, was administered at 2.47 pm on the day of the fatal collision, almost six hours after the incident. It was administered at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital by WPC Marcia Lopez, a trained breath analysis technician assigned to Besson Street Police Station.
 
The police officer who was driving the vehicle passed the test with a reading of zero. The breathalyser test was administered in the presence of attending physician Dr Prathap Kumar. The T&T Guardian has also learnt that a blood sample was taken from the off-duty policeman and sent for testing but in an untidy twist, investigators have reported that the blood sample was tested on a machine that was not properly calibrated.
 
As a result the blood sample has been spoilt. The February 24 collision occurred around 9.10 am. Haydee Paul, 28, and her daughters, Shakira, seven, and Akasha, eight, were on the pavement of the westbound lane of the highway, close to Production Drive, Sea Lots, when a car driven by an off-duty policeman mounted the pavement and slammed into them. They died instantly.
 
Autopsies on mother and daughters found that they all died of multiple blunt-force traumas. Three other residents—Abigail Assing, Amanda Lalla and Ryan “Dhal” Rampersad—were injured. Assing spent 11 days at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital with injuries to the left side of her body, including her arm and hip, before she was discharged on March 6.
 
Amanda Lalla is still hospitalised along with Ryan Rampersad, a 20-year-old father of two, who is in critical condition. His mother, Pearl James, told the T&T Guardian last week that her son, who has been in a coma since the accident, is 98 per cent paralysed.
 
The accident precipitated enraged protests in Sea Lots, with residents complaining that the off-duty officer who was driving the vehicle was intoxicated. They accused police of removing a half-full bottle of alcohol from the vehicle. They also claimed that several police officers showed up after the crash and transported the driver to the hospital, but left the Sea Lots victims lying on the road awaiting ambulances.
 
Up to the time of writing, the T&T Guardian was told that the police investigator assigned to the case, acting Supt Moses Charles, had not reported the identities of the officers who turned up at the scene of the accident and transported their colleague to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.
 
There are two CCTV cameras that could have captured both the collision and its aftermath. One is a police camera and the other controlled by the Ministry of Works. However, no video was captured because of technical and/or operational failures, the T&T Guardian was told.
 
The driver of the vehicle which caused the tragedy was treated first at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and later the same day at the St Clair Medical Centre, where he was referred for a CAT scan. He was discharged a day later, on February 25. Today marks 46 days since the incident.
 
 
No word from top cop
When contacted for comment yesterday afternoon, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams said he had to go into a meeting. Calls to the cellphone of Deputy Police Commissioner Mervyn Richardson went unanswered. Richardson has been liaising with Sea Lots residents throughout the ordeal and met with them last week to update them on the investigation.
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Offline D.H.W

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2013, 07:28:27 AM »
rediculous
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Offline Jah Gol

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2013, 07:36:53 AM »
A proper,third world, banana republic.


Offline weary1969

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2013, 07:43:00 AM »
rediculous

Y is only some Sea Lots people.
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Offline Jah Gol

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2013, 07:50:33 AM »
rediculous

Y is only some Sea Lots people.
That is precisely the reason why they protested in the first place. Regardless of what you feel about them you can't deny the lack justice in the system.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2013, 08:44:39 AM »
Time to hold ppl in the middle of the process accountable ... the intermediaries.

LOL. What obstruction of justice? It's just that things were botched and de cameras dem wasn't wukkin.

Offline weary1969

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2013, 10:05:14 AM »
rediculous

Y is only some Sea Lots people.
That is precisely the reason why they protested in the first place. Regardless of what you feel about them you can't deny the lack justice in the system.

I just typin what nuff people tinkin. Nevr said it was my thoughts. If what we read is true I just hope they dtart to block d road b4 I leave home so I can stay home that day.
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Offline pardners

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2013, 10:42:56 AM »
I find it strange that YouTube have all kinda video with man getting chop, pelted with bottle, police arresting man...and not one person on that day had at least a camera phone to take a picture of the men taking away the driver self ?
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Offline Jah Gol

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2013, 11:16:13 AM »
rediculous

Y is only some Sea Lots people.
That is precisely the reason why they protested in the first place. Regardless of what you feel about them you can't deny the lack justice in the system.

I just typin what nuff people tinkin. Nevr said it was my thoughts. If what we read is true I just hope they dtart to block d road b4 I leave home so I can stay home that day.
I realise.

Offline ribbit

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2013, 12:02:53 PM »
I find it strange that YouTube have all kinda video with man getting chop, pelted with bottle, police arresting man...and not one person on that day had at least a camera phone to take a picture of the men taking away the driver self ?

de lens cap was on.

Offline Michael-j

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #10 on: April 11, 2013, 03:46:10 PM »
So the driver may go free because the "authorities" are unable to determine if he was under the influence of alcohol at the time ??Am I missing something here? Is it okay to knock down and kill people with your vehicle as long as you're perfectly sober whilst doing it?

Offline D.H.W

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Re: Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #11 on: April 11, 2013, 03:48:42 PM »
So the driver may go free because the "authorities" are unable to determine if he was under the influence of alcohol at the time ??Am I missing something here? Is it okay to knock down and kill people with your vehicle as long as you're perfectly sober whilst doing it?

My thoughts exactly, it should  be manslaughter.
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Offline Bourbon

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #12 on: April 11, 2013, 07:49:26 PM »
Allyuh think that protest woulda happen if the driver WASNT a police officer?
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Offline weary1969

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #13 on: April 11, 2013, 07:59:18 PM »
Allyuh think that protest woulda happen if the driver WASNT a police officer?

There will b no need 2 protest because d driver would have been arrested like d man who knock down d child last Sunday.
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Offline Bourbon

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #14 on: April 12, 2013, 05:46:19 AM »
Allyuh think that protest woulda happen if the driver WASNT a police officer?

There will b no need 2 protest because d driver would have been arrested like d man who knock down d child last Sunday.

Exactly.

Blood Alcohol level information aside.....shouldnt he at least be charged with Vehicular Manslaughter? Why the delay?
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Offline weary1969

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #15 on: April 12, 2013, 07:28:53 AM »
Allyuh think that protest woulda happen if the driver WASNT a police officer?

There will b no need 2 protest because d driver would have been arrested like d man who knock down d child last Sunday.

Exactly.

Blood Alcohol level information aside.....shouldnt he at least be charged with Vehicular Manslaughter? Why the delay?

Because in TNT there is 1 law for police/ another for politician/ another for party financiers/another 1 for Jack/another 1 for big boys and then rest of us. Thus no motor manslaughter charge or they probably waiting on an inquest to tell them charge the off duty police.
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Offline sammy

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #16 on: April 12, 2013, 07:48:45 AM »
steups....

T&T police easy to hate
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Offline D.H.W

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #17 on: April 12, 2013, 07:54:12 AM »
Police do enough for people to hate them. The good ones suffer. You see the other day some get arrested for murder. Dump the man body is that bush. That doesn't help.
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Offline lefty

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #18 on: April 12, 2013, 08:01:05 AM »
so one of our supposed investigative reporters cyar take up dis and atleast expose d officer involved surely a camera catch a license plate on the involved vehicle.....dat right dey is a big piece of info.......because we all know the fix is on with this ting.....d f**ker eh even have d good conscience to come forward and atleast offer an apology.......
I pity the fool....

Offline weary1969

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #19 on: April 12, 2013, 08:23:59 AM »
Deputy Police Commissioner: Sea Lots death probe results by next week
 Camille Clarke
Published: Friday, April 12, 2013.
 
The probe into the deaths of Haydee Paul and her daughters—Ruthie, eight, and Shakira, seven—will be completed by next week. In a telephone interview yesterday, Deputy Police Commissioner Mervyn Richardson said: “Within the next week the file will be completed and submitted for the necessary advice and direction as to how we should proceed in this matter. The investigation is now at an advanced stage.”

He refused to comment on the machine that took the blood sample or why it took so long to administer the breathalyser on the police officer involved in the accident. Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams said he had no information on the machine and would look into it. “The investigation would be completed in the shortest timeframe. There are other institutions to give key evidence but I can’t say about the machine. Because there was an accident it does not mean officers have to administer a breathalyser test,” he added.

Williams said Richardson had been monitoring the investigation and had been in contact with the Sea Lots residents and the Director of Public Prosecutions. “The investigation needs to be completed in a timely manner but it requires that key things be factored in so we have to wait in order to make clear determinations on evidence we gather,” he added. Those injured in the accident were Amanda Lalla, 26, Abigail Assing and Ryan Rampersad, also of Pioneer Drive. Assing has since been released from hospital.

Rampersad’s mother, Pearl, said her son had not regained consciousness and was back on a ventilator. “He was having problems and could not breathe for himself but he remains on the ward. I have no idea why he is there. He sustained severe trauma to the head,” she said. On the T&T Guardian report on the investigations, she said:  “I am not surprised by anything. It is a police officer and we were expecting all that is happening. God has the last say.”

Spokesman for the Sea Lots residents Kenroy Dopwell said the residents would continue their protests until they received justice. “The driver who had knocked down a child in Central on Saturday evening was charged, yet the probe into the Sea Lots accident was not completed. This is the way how they treat our community.”

MP for Laventille West Nileung Hypolite said the incident should be left in the hands of the investigator. “You hear a number of speculations and the best person to respond negatively or positively will be the investigator. An incident took place and there is proof a vehicle was driven by someone and an accident occurred,” he added. Minister of Works and Infrastructure Emmanuel George said work on a walkover was still underway. “The matter is under active consideration and we have to consider our options,” he said
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Offline g

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #20 on: April 12, 2013, 02:04:37 PM »
I find T&T criminal laws very strange sometimes. The COP was on the radio this morning.

So the man bounce 6 people. Three dead and the other three critical.

To be charged for vehicular manslaughter the dead victims autopsy has to be completed and submitted for charges to be laid. This eh happen yet

For the victims still alive, statements have to be taken before the police takes any action. None of the victims are under 18 for a parent/guardian to press charges on their behalf.

The man in question say he blank out and say he have no recollection and no live camera of the incident for an independent view.

In the US the state can charge in absence of the above once it has been determined that the vehicle did not malfunction due to a manufacturer issue.

The COP basically said that lesser charges can be laid right now but they waiting for the full report.

I haven't even taken into account the bungling of the brethalyser and blood samples, what are the rules regarding taking of blood in the case where the driver may have been incapacitated to voluntarily do the brethalyser?  ???
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Offline fishs

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #21 on: April 12, 2013, 05:09:30 PM »

 When will we stop posting snide remarks and stand up and make a difference?

 It's funny how we expect the less able to fight the good fight for justice.

 Anybody here going to join these people in their struggle for justice ?

Answer a big NO.
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Offline Bakes

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #22 on: April 12, 2013, 06:05:18 PM »

 When will we stop posting snide remarks and stand up and make a difference?

 It's funny how we expect the less able to fight the good fight for justice.

 Anybody here going to join these people in their struggle for justice ?

Answer a big NO.


You going?

Offline Bakes

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #23 on: April 12, 2013, 06:12:09 PM »
I find T&T criminal laws very strange sometimes. The COP was on the radio this morning.

So the man bounce 6 people. Three dead and the other three critical.

To be charged for vehicular manslaughter the dead victims autopsy has to be completed and submitted for charges to be laid. This eh happen yet

For the victims still alive, statements have to be taken before the police takes any action. None of the victims are under 18 for a parent/guardian to press charges on their behalf.

The man in question say he blank out and say he have no recollection and no live camera of the incident for an independent view.

In the US the state can charge in absence of the above once it has been determined that the vehicle did not malfunction due to a manufacturer issue.

The COP basically said that lesser charges can be laid right now but they waiting for the full report.

I haven't even taken into account the bungling of the brethalyser and blood samples, what are the rules regarding taking of blood in the case where the driver may have been incapacitated to voluntarily do the brethalyser?  ???

Really not all that strange... before they could charge him with causing their deaths (forget about which level of homicide we talking about 1st, 2nd or manslaughter etc.)... they first have to determine a cause of death and then attribute that cause to him.  Right now they might suspect that he caused the deaths, but have no proof.  For instance, even if eyewitnesses say they saw him plow into the group, for all we know right now the three victims died of [insert natural cause here].  It is a technicality... but a necessity, that they need the medical cause of death.

Offline weary1969

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #24 on: April 12, 2013, 09:18:03 PM »
Suspect missing from home
Story Created: Apr 12, 2013 at 9:49 PM ECT
Story Updated: Apr 12, 2013 at 9:49 PM ECT
The police officer who allegedly crashed into six people in Sea Lots in February, killing a mother and her two daughters, has not been staying at his family’s residence in Chaguanas, neighbours said yesterday.
The Express visited the house at Chase Village, where the officer lived with relatives.

The house was locked and no one appeared to be inside.
Neighbours said there have been no activities at the house in recent days and there has been no sight of the officer.

Sea Lots residents have called for the officer to be charged and prosecuted for the offence. The residents have threatened to take protest action if authorities fail to take action.
Police Complaints Authority (PCA) chairman Gillian Lucky said there was enough evidence to charge the driver in the accident.
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Offline weary1969

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #25 on: April 12, 2013, 09:20:07 PM »
Williams: Crash probe nears end
By Renuka Singh
Story Created: Apr 12, 2013 at 9:50 PM ECT
Story Updated: Apr 12, 2013 at 9:50 PM ECT
Acting Commissioner of Police, Stephen Williams yesterday said the investigation into the Sea Lots accident which took the lives of a mother and her two children was in its final stages and would be on his desk by the end of the upcoming week.

Today marks 49 days since  an off-duty police officer was involved in an accident that claimed the lives of 28-year-old Haydee Paul and her daughters—Akasha, eight, and Shakira, seven, and sent three others to hospital.
To date, one of the three,  Ryan “Dhal” Rampersad, remains at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Port of Spain General Hospital.
In an interview on the i95.5 morning show with Dale Enoch and Tony Lee yesterday, Williams described the current investigation and controversy as “topical but volatile”.

“By the end of next week the investigations could be wrapped up,” Williams said.
His statement came just one day after Police Complaints Authority head Gillian Lucky questioned why the investigation was taking this long.
Williams defended the Police Service despite that time lag, saying that from where he sits, that is not a long time.

“We only got the post- mortem reports yesterday (Thursday),” he said.
With regards to the PCA findings that the blood sample drawn from the driver of the offending vehicle that went missing, turned up more than a month later and was found to be inadmissible to the investigation, Williams would only say that the Police Service does not handle “the drawing of blood”.
“When blood is drawn at a hospital, the Police Service is not responsible for that, so whatever mix-up or foul-up in how that blood was handled has nothing to do with the Police Service,” he said.
With regards to the more than four-hour delay between the accident and the breath testing, Williams said there is no rule of law that insists that a breathalyzer be administered after an accident unless there is the suspicion that alcohol may be involved.

“Breath testing takes place if there is the suspicion of alcohol. The head of the Port of Spain division would have directed that one of his technicians go to the hospital to have the breath test done, not the investigator,” he said.

“Therefore there was a time- lag in relation to the breath testing,” Williams said.
The radio interview  highlighted the disparity in the Sea Lots case and another in Preysal, one week ago where an elderly man hit a nine-year-old girl. The driver in that case has already been charged, appeared in court and was not granted bail.
“When someone dies we have to wait for the post-mortem and we only yesterday (Thursday) got those results,” he said.
Williams said he read where Lucky was reported as saying that charges could have already been laid as the case progressed.
“What charges?” he asked.

Williams said without the relevant investigation, the driver can only receive lesser charges of careless driving, reckless driving or dangerous driving but not vehicular manslaughter.
Williams admitted that incidents such as these shook the publics trust and faith in the Police Service but said he would continue to work toward re-establishing that trust.
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Offline Football supporter

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #26 on: April 12, 2013, 09:50:07 PM »
“Breath testing takes place if there is the suspicion of alcohol." He seriously said this?

According to witnesses there was half a bottle of spirits on the passenger seat of the car. But even without that, if there was no suspicion of drink driving, why did he get breathalysed at all? The whole point of a breath test is to determine if alcohol is in your system. It should be administered at every accident.

Or do the police wait until they find a driver who staggers around singing "The greatest love of all" at the top of his voice while cuddling the policeman and telling him "Ah love you, man" before they suspect drink driving?

Offline Bakes

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #27 on: April 12, 2013, 10:02:17 PM »
“Breath testing takes place if there is the suspicion of alcohol." He seriously said this?

According to witnesses there was half a bottle of spirits on the passenger seat of the car. But even without that, if there was no suspicion of drink driving, why did he get breathalysed at all? The whole point of a breath test is to determine if alcohol is in your system. It should be administered at every accident.

Or do the police wait until they find a driver who staggers around singing "The greatest love of all" at the top of his voice while cuddling the policeman and telling him "Ah love you, man" before they suspect drink driving?

This is so laughably stupid.  Then again, you's de same fella who say that anybody found with a 'large' sum of cash in their possession, police should be able to pull their bank records  ::)

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #28 on: April 12, 2013, 10:46:52 PM »
“Breath testing takes place if there is the suspicion of alcohol." He seriously said this?

According to witnesses there was half a bottle of spirits on the passenger seat of the car. But even without that, if there was no suspicion of drink driving, why did he get breathalysed at all? The whole point of a breath test is to determine if alcohol is in your system. It should be administered at every accident.

Or do the police wait until they find a driver who staggers around singing "The greatest love of all" at the top of his voice while cuddling the policeman and telling him "Ah love you, man" before they suspect drink driving?

This is so laughably stupid.  Then again, you's de same fella who say that anybody found with a 'large' sum of cash in their possession, police should be able to pull their bank records  ::)

oops, wanker alert! Hi Bakes! Good to see you're keeping up!
Just for the record mate, if I think a breath test should be administered at every accident, that is my opinion and your perverse obsession with continually having a dig at me will not change that opinion. Because although it may be inconvenient, people can be under the influence of alcohol at any time of day, therefore I feel that the decision to breathalyse should not be at the discretion of a police officer. This could lead, for instance, to rich white men driving a Lexus not taking a test while some poor black guy in a B13 gets tested.
And before you ask, I've taken at least four breath tests, it's quite common for the police in the U.K. to carry out random breath tests, but sadly, only around Christmas time. I welcome it, as it makes the roads safer and deters drink driving. Which as you point out, in your opinion, is laughable. Tell that to the family of Haydee Paul.   

Offline Bakes

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Re: Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
« Reply #29 on: April 13, 2013, 02:15:42 AM »
oops, wanker alert! Hi Bakes! Good to see you're keeping up!
Just for the record mate, if I think a breath test should be administered at every accident, that is my opinion and your perverse obsession with continually having a dig at me will not change that opinion. Because although it may be inconvenient, people can be under the influence of alcohol at any time of day, therefore I feel that the decision to breathalyse should not be at the discretion of a police officer. This could lead, for instance, to rich white men driving a Lexus not taking a test while some poor black guy in a B13 gets tested.
And before you ask, I've taken at least four breath tests, it's quite common for the police in the U.K. to carry out random breath tests, but sadly, only around Christmas time. I welcome it, as it makes the roads safer and deters drink driving. Which as you point out, in your opinion, is laughable. Tell that to the family of Haydee Paul.   

Calling me names does little to mask the paucity of logic in your position, and don't flatter yourself I have no more a "perverse obsession" with "having a dig" at you than I do with anybody else who habitually posts a pack ah ass on this site, so don't feel special just yet.  You further flatter yourself by assuming that my response has anything to do with you, by thinking I'm trying to change your opinion.  Get over yourself.  If you had anything resembling a functional brain you'd see there's actually a link between your earlier position and this one... both express a desire to give police much broader powers than the Constitution allows.  It is a well-established doctrine in common law countries (ah know yuh confused by that... it means places like the US, England... and yes, Trinidad) that police cannot unreasonably search a person without probable cause. 

A breathalyzer test is a search and can only be performed where there is probable cause to believe a person has been drinking and driving, in contravention of the laws.  Just as police can't search your bank records without probable cause, see how that works?  Don't worry... I know you don't, that went over your head.  But the beauty of this is that this response isn't really intended for you, so whether you grasp it or not is pretty immaterial.  They can't just breathalyze anybody, or even everybody.  As for the comment that police in the U.K. carry out "random breath tests"... I am quite certain that the police in the U.K. don't breathalyze everybody who's involved in an accident.  I'm also pretty confident they don't randomly drive up behind people, stop them and stick a breathalyzer in they mouth.  Instead, what they do is set up checkpoints and they randomly stop people who come thru the checkpoints.  Which is actually a whole lot different than what is being discussed here.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2013, 02:17:27 AM by Bakes »

 

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