Killer driver's sentence slashed 'because he is French'

[Jazzy]

A French motorist who killed a "loving" father-of-two while using the wrong side of the road has been freed because he normally drives on the right.

Alexis Sebastien Fleury, 25, should be blamed less than an Englishman for the fatal accident because he was driving correctly under French rules, a top judge said.

Fleury's sentence for causing the death of 62-year-old David Crane, a charity fundraiser who cared for his disabled wife, was slashed in half, meaning he will walk free next week.

The judges sitting at London's Criminal Appeal Court said that Fleury had lower culpability for the "mistake" on account of his nationality.

Mr Justice Irwin said: "As a Frenchman, used to driving on the right hand side of the road, he remained on the right hand side of the road after his U-turn."

The judge continued: "He did a U-turn in the dark in England and, for moments or minutes, forgot that he was not driving in France.

"The culpability of a British driver in the same circumstances would have been very high indeed. For somebody from France, the culpability must be reduced."

Mr Crane, of Rolvenden, Kent was on his way home from work at 11.30pm on August 3 2012, when his Skoda Fabia was hit head-on by Fleury's grey Renault Laguna on the A28 near Tenterden.

Mr Crane, described as "a very good man", suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Source

Do you agree he had lower culpability because he's used to driving on the right? Why / Why not?

 

[Sinon]

Come to our country, abide by our rules. If you can't drive on our side of the road without fucking up like a moron, you deserve to rot in jail when you kill someone due to your own stupidity.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Come to our country, abide by our rules.

This.

Maybe this person shouldn't have been allowed to drive in the first place.

 

[Jazzy]

Come to our country, abide by our rules. If you can't drive on our side of the road without fucking up like a moron, you deserve to rot in jail when you kill someone due to your own stupidity.

I agree with you. When I went on holiday from the U.S. to London, they said the rental car was included in the trip price. Hell, I had a hard time remembering to look the right way when crossing the street. There was no way, I was going to attempt to drive a car!

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Come to our country, abide by our rules. If you can't drive on our side of the road without fucking up like a moron, you deserve to rot in jail when you kill someone due to your own stupidity.

I agree with you. When I went on holiday from the U.S. to London, they said the rental car was included in the trip price. Hell, I had a hard time remembering to look the right way when crossing the street. There was no way, I was going to attempt to drive a car!

Seems like they hand over the keys to anyone over there

 

[Jazzy]

Come to our country, abide by our rules. If you can't drive on our side of the road without fucking up like a moron, you deserve to rot in jail when you kill someone due to your own stupidity.

I agree with you. When I went on holiday from the U.S. to London, they said the rental car was included in the trip price. Hell, I had a hard time remembering to look the right way when crossing the street. There was no way, I was going to attempt to drive a car!

Seems like they hand over the keys to anyone over there

They just asked if I had a passport and a valid drivers licence.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

What does your USA drivers license have to do with driving in England, its a whole different ball game over there.

 

[Jazzy]

What does your USA drivers license have to do with driving in England, its a whole different ball game over there.

I have no idea. That's what they required if I wanted a rental car.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Me thinks the rules need to be changed.

 

[Sinon]

The only difference as far as I know is driving on different sides of the road. If you're capable of driving in general you should be capable of driving in a different country.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

The only difference as far as I know is driving on different sides of the road. If you're capable of driving in general you should be capable of driving in a different country.

Thats a pretty HUGE difference if you ask me. All instincts and habits need to be thrown out the window.

 

[Sinon]

Well, yeah. But it's not like you need to re-learn how to drive. The basics are the same, and for the most part road signs are the same/self-explanatory. As long as you can figure out that you have to drive on one side of the road going one way, and the other side if you're going the opposite way, that's about it.