A CO Derry man has been jailed in the United States for at least 15 years after he crashed his pick-up truck while drunk leaving four school girls with life-changing injuries.

Shane Brolly (25) from Dungiven attempted to overtake the teenagers' vehicle at 70mph while driving heavily intoxicated in Pennsylvania last year.

His vehicle struck their car head-on, leaving one teenage girl suffering brain damage, while the other three sustaining other life-changing injuries.

Brolly, who had been living illegally in America on an expired work visa, pleaded guilty in January to charges connected to the crash in Northampton Township on March 27 2021.

The court heard that blood tests showed he was more than twice the legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania after he had been drinking for several hours before the crash.

He ignored pleas from others not to drive home from the bar, as well as offers for an Uber and place to stay that evening, and took his cousin's truck..

The four teenagers, now all aged 18, were hospitalised for several weeks following the collision. Last week they told the court of the devastating impact the crash had left on their lives.

The driver of the car Julia Aquilone (18), who was the most seriously injured, said she had to learn to walk again twice following multiple surgeries.

"I lost my ability to play soccer, a sport that I have loved and played for over 10 years," she told the court.

Julianna Mazzoni said she now hated the way she looks: "It breaks my heart to know I will never recognise my old self.

"Instead, I have this new face I never chose to have."

Taylor Donnelly also said that as "I lay down at night to go to sleep and the images all come back to me", while Angelina Corsino recalled the emotional turmoil her family and friends had also faced following the crash.

"I made them scared, worried and sad," she said.

"I hated myself for making them feel that way. I hated the fact that I was causing them so much pain, even though it wasn’t actually my fault and I couldn’t control it."

The US authorities said during the investigation they learned Brolly had been arrested for dangerous driving in Northern Ireland in June 2019.

He had led police on a 16-mile chase at speeds up to 114 mph before crashing and fled on foot. He pleaded guilty in court and admitted consuming six or seven pints of beer before driving.

But he fled to America to avoid sentencing and a warrant was issued for his arrest in Northern Ireland, with his UK driving licence suspended.

Judge Jeffrey L Finley last week told Brolly he would spend 15 to 30 years in prison for causing the crash.

He also ordered Brolly to pay restitution of more than $62,000 (£50,000) to the victims for unpaid medical fees.

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2022/05/23/news/co-derry-man-jailed-in-us-for-causing-crash-leaving-school-girls-with-life-changing-injuries-2718516/

On 19/11/2023 04:04 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> A CO Derry man has been jailed in the United States for at least 15 years after he crashed his pick-up truck while drunk leaving four school girls with life-changing injuries.
> Shane Brolly (25) from Dungiven attempted to overtake the teenagers' vehicle at 70mph while driving heavily intoxicated in Pennsylvania last year.
> His vehicle struck their car head-on, leaving one teenage girl suffering brain damage, while the other three sustaining other life-changing injuries.
> Brolly, who had been living illegally in America on an expired work visa, pleaded guilty in January to charges connected to the crash in Northampton Township on March 27 2021.
> The court heard that blood tests showed he was more than twice the legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania after he had been drinking for several hours before the crash.
> He ignored pleas from others not to drive home from the bar, as well as offers for an Uber and place to stay that evening, and took his cousin's truck.
> The four teenagers, now all aged 18, were hospitalised for several weeks following the collision. Last week they told the court of the devastating impact the crash had left on their lives.
> The driver of the car Julia Aquilone (18), who was the most seriously injured, said she had to learn to walk again twice following multiple surgeries.
> "I lost my ability to play soccer, a sport that I have loved and played for over 10 years," she told the court.
> Julianna Mazzoni said she now hated the way she looks: "It breaks my heart to know I will never recognise my old self.
> "Instead, I have this new face I never chose to have."
> Taylor Donnelly also said that as "I lay down at night to go to sleep and the images all come back to me", while Angelina Corsino recalled the emotional turmoil her family and friends had also faced following the crash.
> "I made them scared, worried and sad," she said.
> "I hated myself for making them feel that way. I hated the fact that I was causing them so much pain, even though it wasn’t actually my fault and I couldn’t control it."
> The US authorities said during the investigation they learned Brolly had been arrested for dangerous driving in Northern Ireland in June 2019.
> He had led police on a 16-mile chase at speeds up to 114 mph before crashing and fled on foot. He pleaded guilty in court and admitted consuming six or seven pints of beer before driving.
> But he fled to America to avoid sentencing and a warrant was issued for his arrest in Northern Ireland, with his UK driving licence suspended.

"UK driving licence suspended"

"living illegally in America" (so no Pennsylvania license).

IOW, just another fully-unqualified chav-cyclist.
>
> Judge Jeffrey L Finley last week told Brolly he would spend 15 to 30 years in prison for causing the crash.

That's where lots of chav-cyclists should be.
>
> He also ordered Brolly to pay restitution of more than $62,000 (£50,000) to the victims for unpaid medical fees.
> https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2022/05/23/news/co-derry-man-jailed-in-us-for-causing-crash-leaving-school-girls-with-life-changing-injuries-2718516/

Yet another post from May Sun that was inadvertently on-topic for uk.r.c.

QUOTE: Judge Jeffrey L Finley last week told Brolly he would spend 15 to 30 years in prison for causing the crash.ENDS

Why can't we have sentences like this in the UK rather than endless slaps on the wrist?

Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE: Judge Jeffrey L Finley last week told Brolly he would spend 15 to
> 30 years in prison for causing the crash.ENDS
>
> Why can't we have sentences like this in the UK rather than endless slaps on the wrist?

Once upon a time in the UK we used to hang people for stealing sheep. It
was nullified by the juries passing ‘not guilty’ verdicts.

Vindictive sentencing doesn’t work, either here or in the US. Such
sentencing might, however, give social inadequates a warm glow.

--
Spike

QUOTE: He also ordered Brolly to pay restitution of more than $62,000 (£50,000) to the victims for unpaid medical fees. ENDS

That's dirt cheap for severe injuries to FOUR teenagers in the USA.

On 20/11/2023 09:32 am, Spike wrote:

> Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

>> QUOTE: Judge Jeffrey L Finley last week told Brolly he would spend 15 to
>> 30 years in prison for causing the crash.ENDS
>
>> Why can't we have sentences like this in the UK rather than endless slaps on the wrist?
>
> Once upon a time in the UK we used to hang people for stealing sheep. It
> was nullified by the juries passing ‘not guilty’ verdicts.
>
> Vindictive sentencing doesn’t work, either here or in the US. Such
> sentencing might, however, give social inadequates a warm glow.

Deterrent sentences are all well and good when deployed against
deliberate offences such as robbery, murder, burglary and so on.

They are of less obvious utility (four syllables - look it up, May Sun)
against "offences" which are plainly not committed deliberately, such as
anything whose title involves use of the work "careless".

Example 1: It would be perfectly alright - and justifiable - to
confiscate and visibly destroy the chav-bike of any chav who rode on on
a FOOTway or through a red traffic light. No second chances.

Example 2: It would be pointless to do any more than hand out a purely
token penalty to a driver whose vehicle overstayed on a pre-pay parking
meter by 23 seconds.

[Yes, all that was for May Sun's benefit. And he does read them all, no
matter what he ridiculously tries to claim.]

On 20/11/2023 11:38 am, Simon Mason wrote:

> QUOTE: He also ordered Brolly to pay restitution of more than $62,000 (£50,000) to the victims for unpaid medical fees. ENDS
>
> That's dirt cheap for severe injuries to FOUR teenagers in the USA.

Were the victims medical professionals whose fees for services rendered
to others had not been paid?

Obviously, as a mere chav-cyclist, he'll have had no valid insurance.

But if the victims were the ones who had been treated, the money will be
owed to the medical facility who provided the treatment.

The aftermath of the crash caused by Shane Brolly in the US.

https://focus.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/thumbor/gDVySPS0SyBWihl7QpWga8EiKqg=/fit-in/960x640/prod-mh-ireland/0afe0964-9771-11ed-a773-0210609a3fe2

The oncoming driver was lucky to survive that one!

On 20/11/2023 01:50 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> The aftermath of the crash caused by Shane Brolly in the US.
>
> https://focus.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/thumbor/gDVySPS0SyBWihl7QpWga8EiKqg=/fit-in/960x640/prod-mh-ireland/0afe0964-9771-11ed-a773-0210609a3fe2
>
> The oncoming driver was lucky to survive that one!

That's chav-cyclists for you, eh?

QUOTE: USA NEWS MEDIA

A man who drove recklessly after a long day of drinking in Philadelphia last year will spend 15 to 30 years in prison for causing the Bucks County crash that left four Neshaminy High School students with devastating injuries.

Shane Brolly, 25, pleaded guilty in January to charges stemming from the March 27 crash in Northampton Township. Brolly had borrowed his cousin's truck and was driving without a license when he crossed into opposing traffic to pass another vehicle, setting off a chain-reaction crash.

Traveling at about 70 mph, Brolly moved from the northbound to the southbound lane along the 300 block of Bridgetown Pike, which is a no-passing zone. He slammed into an oncoming Mazda SUV with four teenage girls inside, who had been celebrating the start of their spring break. The girls' vehicle rolled several times before coming to a stop about 50 feet off the roadway.

The impact sent Brolly's truck back into the northbound lane, where it struck the vehicle he originally had attempted to pass. Crash investigators determined Brolly never hit his brakes and was still accelerating when the collision occurred, authorities said.

Brolly, a native of Northern Ireland, was living in the United States illegally on an expired work visa at the time and had been staying in Philadelphia.

He had a blood-alcohol content of 0.21 at the time of the crash, more than twice the legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania. Investigators determined he had been drinking heavily for several hours before the crash. After the staff at Paddy Whack's Irish Sports Pub in Northeast Philly refused to serve Brolly anymore drinks, he ignored pleas not to drive home from friends and others at the bar.

The crash occurred around 10:10 p.m., approximately 20 minutes after Brolly and a passenger in his truck left the bar.

“You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley said at Brolly's sentencing on Thursday morning.

The four Neshaminy High girls, all 16 or 17 years old at the time of the crash, were hospitalized for several weeks and had to miss school. One of the victims suffered breaks to bones in her jaw, leg, knee, and wrist along with other injuries. For weeks, she was limited to eating liquefied food through a straw.

She and and her friends told the court on Thursday about the effects the crash still has on their lives. Another passenger said she recently had a fourth surgery to repair her broken leg, which derailed her hopes to play soccer in college or to attend a school away from home.

The girls had spent the day out shopping and were planning to have a sleepover before the crash. They were about five minutes from one of the girls' homes when Brolly's truck struck their SUV head-on.

Brolly's passenger, Eion Quinn, suffered serious internal injuries and multiple abrasions from the seat belt. Brolly was hospitalized with unspecified injuries in the aftermath of the crash.

The three people in the third vehicle were treated at the scene and released.

Neighbors in the area of the crash heard a loud noise and rushed outside, where they heard screams and cries for help coming from the Mazda. One of the neighbors was able to remove the SUV's sunroof to help free three of the girls until emergency personnel arrived to get the fourth girl out of the vehicle.

During the investigation, authorities learned Brolly had been arrested for dangerous driving in Northern Ireland in June 2019, when he led authorities on a 16-mile chase at speeds up to 114 mph. The chase ended when Brolly crashed and tried to flee on foot. He pleaded guilty that September and admitted he'd consumed six or seven pints of beer before driving.

Brolly fled to the U.S. to avoid sentencing in the case and had a warrant out for his arrest in his home country while he was living in Philadelphia. His vehicle operator's license from the United Kingdom was suspended and he did not have a valid driver's license in Pennsylvania.

Witnesses told police that Brolly and Quinn had purchased two 12-packs of beer in Montgomery County around 4 p.m. and drank most of them while hitting golf balls at a Philadelphia driving range – five of the 24 beer cans remained unopened in the truck after the crash.

After golf, Brolly drove the two men to a bar in Philadelphia, where they ate lunch and each had at least one beer. Then they headed out to pick up another friend before going to Paddy Whack's. During the drive there, Brolly sideswiped another vehicle and paid the driver $100 not to report the incident, prosecutors said.

Brolly, Quinn and the third person arrived at Paddy Whack's around 7:20 p.m.., where Brolly drank another two beers, several shots and mixed drinks, investigators said. Surveillance footage from the bar showed Brolly stumbling and spilling drinks as he walked.

When Paddy Whack's staff cut Brolly off, he became agitated. People tried to calm him down and they asked him not to drive. One woman offered to get Brolly an Uber ride home, and a friend told Brolly he could spend the night at his home, authorities said. But he left anyway.

In addition to the prison time, the judge ordered Brolly to pay restitution of more than $62,000 to the victims for unpaid medical expenses.

In the time since the crash, a GoFundMe campaign for the four Neshaminy High School students has raised more than $150,000 to support their ongoing treatments. ENDS

https://www.phillyvoice.com/neshaminy-high-school-girls-injured-crash-shane-brolly-dui-sentenced-prison-northern-ireland-philly-bucks-county/

On 20/11/2023 04:12 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

You posted this YESTERDAY.

See your GP. You ought to be very worried about your almost non-existent
retention of items in short term memory.

> QUOTE: USA NEWS MEDIA
>
> A man who drove recklessly after a long day of drinking in Philadelphia last year will spend 15 to 30 years in prison for causing the Bucks County crash that left four Neshaminy High School students with devastating injuries.
>
> Shane Brolly, 25, pleaded guilty in January to charges stemming from the March 27 crash in Northampton Township. Brolly had borrowed his cousin's truck and was driving without a license when he crossed into opposing traffic to pass another vehicle, setting off a chain-reaction crash.
>
> Traveling at about 70 mph, Brolly moved from the northbound to the southbound lane along the 300 block of Bridgetown Pike, which is a no-passing zone. He slammed into an oncoming Mazda SUV with four teenage girls inside, who had been celebrating the start of their spring break. The girls' vehicle rolled several times before coming to a stop about 50 feet off the roadway.
>
> The impact sent Brolly's truck back into the northbound lane, where it struck the vehicle he originally had attempted to pass. Crash investigators determined Brolly never hit his brakes and was still accelerating when the collision occurred, authorities said.
>
> Brolly, a native of Northern Ireland, was living in the United States illegally on an expired work visa at the time and had been staying in Philadelphia.
>
> He had a blood-alcohol content of 0.21 at the time of the crash, more than twice the legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania. Investigators determined he had been drinking heavily for several hours before the crash. After the staff at Paddy Whack's Irish Sports Pub in Northeast Philly refused to serve Brolly anymore drinks, he ignored pleas not to drive home from friends and others at the bar.
>
> The crash occurred around 10:10 p.m., approximately 20 minutes after Brolly and a passenger in his truck left the bar.
>
> “You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley said at Brolly's sentencing on Thursday morning.
>
> The four Neshaminy High girls, all 16 or 17 years old at the time of the crash, were hospitalized for several weeks and had to miss school. One of the victims suffered breaks to bones in her jaw, leg, knee, and wrist along with other injuries. For weeks, she was limited to eating liquefied food through a straw.
>
> She and and her friends told the court on Thursday about the effects the crash still has on their lives. Another passenger said she recently had a fourth surgery to repair her broken leg, which derailed her hopes to play soccer in college or to attend a school away from home.
>
> The girls had spent the day out shopping and were planning to have a sleepover before the crash. They were about five minutes from one of the girls' homes when Brolly's truck struck their SUV head-on.
>
> Brolly's passenger, Eion Quinn, suffered serious internal injuries and multiple abrasions from the seat belt. Brolly was hospitalized with unspecified injuries in the aftermath of the crash.
>
> The three people in the third vehicle were treated at the scene and released.
>
> Neighbors in the area of the crash heard a loud noise and rushed outside, where they heard screams and cries for help coming from the Mazda. One of the neighbors was able to remove the SUV's sunroof to help free three of the girls until emergency personnel arrived to get the fourth girl out of the vehicle.
>
> During the investigation, authorities learned Brolly had been arrested for dangerous driving in Northern Ireland in June 2019, when he led authorities on a 16-mile chase at speeds up to 114 mph. The chase ended when Brolly crashed and tried to flee on foot. He pleaded guilty that September and admitted he'd consumed six or seven pints of beer before driving.
>
> Brolly fled to the U.S. to avoid sentencing in the case and had a warrant out for his arrest in his home country while he was living in Philadelphia. His vehicle operator's license from the United Kingdom was suspended and he did not have a valid driver's license in Pennsylvania.
>
> Witnesses told police that Brolly and Quinn had purchased two 12-packs of beer in Montgomery County around 4 p.m. and drank most of them while hitting golf balls at a Philadelphia driving range – five of the 24 beer cans remained unopened in the truck after the crash.
>
> After golf, Brolly drove the two men to a bar in Philadelphia, where they ate lunch and each had at least one beer. Then they headed out to pick up another friend before going to Paddy Whack's. During the drive there, Brolly sideswiped another vehicle and paid the driver $100 not to report the incident, prosecutors said.
>
> Brolly, Quinn and the third person arrived at Paddy Whack's around 7:20 p.m., where Brolly drank another two beers, several shots and mixed drinks, investigators said. Surveillance footage from the bar showed Brolly stumbling and spilling drinks as he walked.
>
> When Paddy Whack's staff cut Brolly off, he became agitated. People tried to calm him down and they asked him not to drive. One woman offered to get Brolly an Uber ride home, and a friend told Brolly he could spend the night at his home, authorities said. But he left anyway.
>
> In addition to the prison time, the judge ordered Brolly to pay restitution of more than $62,000 to the victims for unpaid medical expenses.
>
> In the time since the crash, a GoFundMe campaign for the four Neshaminy High School students has raised more than $150,000 to support their ongoing treatments. ENDS
>
> https://www.phillyvoice.com/neshaminy-high-school-girls-injured-crash-shane-brolly-dui-sentenced-prison-northern-ireland-philly-bucks-county/
>

QUOTE: After the staff at Paddy Whack's Irish Sports Pub in Northeast Philly refused to serve Brolly anymore drinks, he ignored pleas not to drive home from friends and others at the bar. ENDS

Est 2004 - that's olde worlde in the USA.

https://www.hallrentalreviews.com/sites/www.hallrentalreviews.com/files/styles/flexslider_full/public/node/venue-images/2319/paddy_whacks_irish_sports_pub_welsh_rd_hall_rentals_01.png?itok=Q2QD6R9R

On 20/11/2023 05:04 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> QUOTE: After the staff at Paddy Whack's Irish Sports Pub in Northeast Philly refused to serve Brolly anymore drinks, he ignored pleas not to drive home from friends and others at the bar. ENDS

> Est 2004 - that's olde worlde in the USA.
> https://www.hallrentalreviews.com/sites/www.hallrentalreviews.com/files/styles/flexslider_full/public/node/venue-images/2319/paddy_whacks_irish_sports_pub_welsh_rd_hall_rentals_01.png?itok=Q2QD6R9R

?????

QUOTE: Brolly was almost three times over the legal limit. He had spent the day drinking while playing golf before visiting two pubs, and was so drunk later that a barman refused to continue serving him.ENDS

His golf "performance" must have been have been awful in the state he was in.
But then WHY did he have to ruin the young lives of FOUR teenage girls - scum needs that FORTY years that many have mooted.

On 20/11/2023 07:20 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> QUOTE: Brolly was almost three times over the legal limit. He had spent the day drinking while playing golf before visiting two pubs, and was so drunk later that a barman refused to continue serving him.ENDS
>
> His golf "performance" must have been have been awful in the state he was in.
> But then WHY did he have to ruin the young lives of FOUR teenage girls - scum needs that FORTY years that many have mooted.

Why do you keep calling that chav-cyclist a "driver"?

He had no license or licence. All he was qualified for was a chav-bike
like yours.

QUOTE: A DRUNK-driver from Northern Ireland who crashed into a car full of schoolgirls leaving one of them with brain damage faces the prospect of spending the next 40 years behind bars. All four girls in the car were severely injured in the March 2021 smash in Pennsylvania caused by Shane Brolly, who had downed up to 22 drinks before getting behind the wheel of a pick-up truck.ENDS

TWENTY TWO drinks and then drives off in a pick-up truck?
Let's hope that this FORTY YEARS stretch turns out to be correct.

On 20/11/2023 09:09 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> QUOTE: A DRUNK chav-cyclist from Northern Ireland who crashed into a car full of schoolgirls leaving one of them with brain damage faces the prospect of spending the next 40 years behind bars. All four girls in the car were severely injured in the March 2021 smash in Pennsylvania caused by Shane Brolly, who had downed up to 22 drinks before getting behind the wheel of a pick-up truck.ENDS
>
> TWENTY TWO drinks and then drives off in a pick-up truck?
> Let's hope that this FORTY YEARS stretch turns out to be correct.

He's a mere chav-cyclist and nothing more than that.

Scoffing at the law and disregarding the rights and interests of others
is what chav-cyclists do. Repeatedly

Then when caught, they complain that they are being hard done by and
that their life is being "ruined".

QUOTE: “You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley told Brolly at his sentencing on Thursday morning.ENDS

That would have been at least a whole life term in jail. Maybe death penalty.

Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> QUOTE: “You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts
> of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley told Brolly
> at his sentencing on Thursday morning.ENDS

> That would have been at least a whole life term in jail. Maybe death penalty.

Why not multiple death penalties?

They could dig him up every now and then, and execute him again.

--
Spike

On Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 8:28:51 AM UTC, Simon Mason wrote:
> QUOTE: “You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley told Brolly at his sentencing on Thursday morning.ENDS
>
> That would have been at least a whole life term in jail. Maybe death penalty.

He's a very lucky boy.

QUOTE: Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Pennsylvania. Despite remaining a legal penalty, there have been no executions in Pennsylvania since 1999, and only three since 1976 (all occurring in the 1990s, during the governorship of Tom Ridge). ENDS

On 21/11/2023 08:28 am, Simon Mason wrote:

> QUOTE: “You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley told Brolly at his sentencing on Thursday morning.ENDS
>
> That would have been at least a whole life term in jail. Maybe death penalty.

Only in the more orgasmic of your dreams and fantasies (and that's
saying something).

Even criminal chavs like yourself on chav-bikes don't deserve the death
penalty for homicides short of (deliberate) murder.

On 21/11/2023 11:29 am, Simon Mason wrote:

> On Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 8:28:51 AM UTC, Simon Mason wrote:

>> QUOTE: “You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley told Brolly (the fully unqualified chav-cyclist) at his sentencing on Thursday morning.ENDS
>>
> That would have been at least a whole life term in jail. Maybe death penalty.
>
> He's a very lucky boy.
>
> QUOTE: Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Pennsylvania.

For going through a red traffic light (as chavs on bikes regularly and
frequently do,the world over)?

Really?

*Very* late at night, about ten years ago, I mistook a right turn on a
multiple-carriageway highway in Philly and soon found myself going the
wrong way. There was no cue-giving traffic (luckily) and I was able to
immediately stop, execute a three-pointer and go back the short distance
to the junction and regain the correct route.

Should that have been a death penalty offence?

[To be clear: my mistake seems to have been undetected.]

> Despite remaining a legal penalty, there have been no executions in Pennsylvania since 1999, and only three since 1976 (all occurring in the 1990s, during the governorship of Tom Ridge). ENDS

Well... despite its being named after "brotherly love", Philadelphia, or
parts of it, are pretty much the definition of a USA urban hell-hole
(cf. also Baltimore and even Washington). There are lots of murders and
they can't all go unsolved. One would have expected that a few of the
resultant convictions would have been punished with the top penalty.

On Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 11:29:46 AM UTC, Simon Mason wrote:
> On Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 8:28:51 AM UTC, Simon Mason wrote:
> > QUOTE: “You are a lucky man that you are not here facing numerous counts of homicide by vehicle," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley told Brolly at his sentencing on Thursday morning.ENDS
> >
> > That would have been at least a whole life term in jail. Maybe death penalty.
> He's a very lucky boy.
>
> QUOTE: Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Pennsylvania. Despite remaining a legal penalty, there have been no executions in Pennsylvania since 1999, and only three since 1976 (all occurring in the 1990s, during the governorship of Tom Ridge). ENDS

The far right Brexit swivels want to start hanging innocent people in the UK as well.

60% at the latest polls.

QUOTE: A man who served 17 years behind bars for a rape he did not commit now says he may have to pay thousands to the prison service.

Andrew Malkinson, 57, was found guilty of raping a woman in Salford in 2003 and the next year was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years. Although he could have been let out after serving seven years if he had admitted the offence, he went on to serve a further 10 years because he insisted on his innocence.

Yesterday, his conviction was quashed by senior judges at the Court of Appeal after DNA evidence linking another man to the crime came to light.

Mr Malkinson has now revealed that he may have to pay for the cost of food and accommodation while he was behind bars from whatever compensation he receives. It is understood that is has been standard practice in miscarriage of justice cases since the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 came into force.

"Somehow the prison service has lobbied the Government in the early 2000s. The result is that even if you fight tooth and nail and gain compensation you then have to pay the prison service a large chunk of that for so-called 'board and lodgings', which is so abhorrent to me. I am sickened by it," he told BBC Radio 4.

The rule that “board and lodging” had to be paid, was imposed by judges following the case of two men who were wrongly convicted of the murder of paperboy Carl Bridgewater in 1978. Cousins Vincent and Michael Hickey were freed by the Court of Appeal after their convictions were found to be flawed in 1997 and compensation was paid to them.

Mr Hickey received £1.02m and Mr Hickey was awarded £550,000 but 25% was deducted from the section of compensation that they were given from loss of earnings. It was because it was considered that they had living expenses while in prison. The maximum payout available to someone who has been jailed for more than 10 years is £1million.

Meanwhile, Mr Malkinson has also described an apology by the police force which handled the original investigation as "meaningless". Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Jackson said: "We are truly sorry to Mr Malkinson that he is the victim of such a grave miscarriage of justice in being convicted of a crime he did not commit and serving a 17-year custodial sentence. While we hope this outcome gives him a long overdue sense of justice, we acknowledge that it does not return the years he has lost. I have offered to meet with him to personally deliver this apology."

But Mr Malkinson also told the BBC's Newsnight programme: "The Greater Manchester Police apology... it's meaningless to me, absolutely meaningless. An apology without accountability, what is that? It's nothing, it's nothing, it means nothing." ENDS

Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> The far right Brexit swivels want to start hanging innocent people in the UK as well.

> 60% at the latest polls.

Given your increasing support for harsh punishments, can we take it you are
on the side of the far right Brexit swivels?

--
Spike

SWIVEL: DNA evidence means we can start hanging people again.

QUOTE: A Devon man wrongly accused of raping a woman in Manchester has spoken of his anger over a DNA mistake which led to the charge.

Charges were dropped against the man when it emerged that a DNA sample was contaminated in the laboratories of Teddington-based LGC Forensics.

The man also said he hoped that the real rapist would be caught.

LGC Forensics said it deeply regretted that forensic evidence was contaminated in one of its laboratories.
'Justice for victim'

The man, who was facing a trial accused of raping the woman at Plant Hill Park, Blackley, in October, said: "I am relieved that I have been found not guilty. But then I always was not guilty."

He added: "I am angry that I was falsely accused. I am angry about the amount of pain it has put me and my family through.

"I sincerely hope that justice comes for the victim and that the true rapist is caught."

His solicitor Philippa Jeffries, who called for a public inquiry, said the man is considering legal action.

She said: "It would appear our client's DNA was never present in the sample taken from the rape victim.

"As such our client was never implicated in this offence until his DNA was introduced to the victim's sample whilst being processed at their laboratory in Teddington.

"We remain fearful for any defendant indicted on DNA or other scientific evidence that has been processed, is being processed or will be processed through LGC's laboratory."

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is reviewing some cases in which the same company processed forensic evidence.
'Tragic incident'

GMP Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood said when the man was arrested he was "absolutely adamant that he had never been to Manchester so that gave us some concern".

Mr Heywood added: "We went back to the supplier who was absolutely adamant that this was not the case so we charged the man with Crown Prosecution Service support.

"This week we were contacted by the supplier who said unfortunately the sample was contaminated."

Mr Heywood said he believed this was "a tragic but isolated incident".

A statement from LGC Forensics said: "LGC has already identified the cause of this contamination and has taken steps to ensure that it cannot happen again.

"Our procedure for tracking, identifying and reporting potential contamination will be immediately reviewed and updated."

The firm declined to reveal the circumstances surrounding the mistake. ENDS