Devon TRF Group Forum

very sad affair, feel very sorry for the bikers family

This clearly didn't turn out how the farmer expected, but what a tragic waste of life?

This makes me think of the devon TRF'er who was confronted in a narrow lane with a farm tractor transporting one of those hugh hay rounds via the tractor forks, the forks and bale were at head  height so the farmer couldn't see the bike, he drove the bike up the hedge and the farmer spotted him just in time, (but only once the bale, forks and front wheels had passed the bike).

So be carefull peeps!

Learn something new every day:

Wanton and furious driving

1. Wanton and furious driving is an old offence - predating the invention of the internal combustion engine - contained in Section 35 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. The prosecution must prove that the defendant drove dangerously (careless driving is insufficient) and caused some injury to another person.
2. The offence is not limited to a road or other public place and is therefore useful for prosecuting cases where the bad driving occurred off-road.
3. The offence can be tried either in the magistrates' court or in the Crown Court. At the Crown Court it carries a maximum sentence of 2 years' imprisonment.
4. Penalty points and discretionary disqualification are now available to courts

http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/prosecution/pbd_policy.html#_11

Poor biker and his family...

Just hope that the courts prove useful in this occasion, but seeing that the victim wasnt an ethnic minority of dubious sexual orientation and claiming disability allowance, the perpetrator will probably just get a light weight sentence.

It was premeditated, 50 years ago he could have been looking forward to a short meeting with Mr Pierpoint

As for meeting tractors that are being steered by remote control quite a few occasions on 192 098 and 192 236 and there is nowhere to get out the way so beware

gaschef wrote:

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As for meeting tractors that are being steered by remote control quite a few occasions on 192 098 and 192 236 and there is nowhere to get out the way so beware

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 Once ever met a runaway calf and rather irate quad riding farmer on this one, calf took one look at me and ran into the arms of the waiting farmers wife!

Score one for the TRF!

-Simon

Just heard that, bloody unbelievable.  How the hell does someone who pursues a group of riders in a Range Rover, hits one and kills another by having his car topple onto them not merit causing death by dangerous driving?

Even if the bikers weren't where they should have been and the driver was (justifiably or otherwise) angry that does not merit a deadly assault with a vehicle.

He was a landowner in a RR and they were 'hooligans' on bikes - he was always going to get off......

The same way as 'they' can drive about with no lights, indicators, numberplate,brakes, MOT, road tax cheap fuel etc etc......(compare what it takes/costs to keep and HGV on the road versa a hulking great tractor and trailer)

Try riding up the road on your bike with no plate or lights and see how far you get

Get a lorry load of cow ****, chuck it all over the A30 and see if you can get away with it

Sorry - rant over........

PS

 I was born on and grew up on a farm and my dad worked on one all his life BTW

A very brave woman and a very heart-felt post.

Craig

Hoops wrote:

Is this something national should or could get involved in if they aren't already?

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 Perhaps we could make political capital by distancing ourselves from those who stray from the public highway. I do not know if the riders involved were TRF members or not. If so we would not want to be involved because we cannot condone trespass and running away, however much we sympathise.

I have strayed from the highway by accident, and as a consequence I have met angry landowners. After stopping and talking to them all but one have been very friendly and reasonable. Most have given me advice about how to regain the correct route. One funded a new motorcycle with the compensation I was awarded as result of the altercation that followed. Had I run I have no doubt he would have killed me because my pushbike would not have outrun his vehicle.

When I got lost on the Quantocks a friendly Ranger chased me down and I stopped straight away, after a chat he gave me a map showing not only where I was and where I wanted to be but also a number of other lanes new to me.

Being killed for trying to flee seems unbelievably harsh. I doubt he would have run anyone over if they had stopped, but I'm sure he would now be serving time had he done so. As it is he will have the rest of his life to consider his regrets, and despite his front of no remorse he will never forget what happened. He will certainly not get the benefit of the doubt a second time.

So. Lessons learned? Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Getting lost is not criminal, but running makes you look guilty.

You may have seen the shocking news story in this weeks MCN about the trial riders chased by an angry farmer in his land rover. They had strayed onto his land by mistake and were trying to leave. He drove at them knocking one off and killing another but he has been aquitted. 

I attach a link to the news story and then a post by his wife posted on the Piston heads site when some posters were blaming the rider. Very sobering stuff and I have nothing but sympathy for his family. A sad world that we live in where you can loose your life for getting lost.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-17113810

Posting from Piston head site:-

Right here you go guys, you want the FACTS. Then you can have them.

On the 30th October 2010 my Husband of 17 years, my husband who spent 23 years serving in Her Majesty's Royal Navy, my husband who had no criminal convictions, who worked every day of his life since the age of 16, paid his taxes,respected people, lived his life quietly and made every single person he met laugh and love him. My husband went out for a ride with his friends, one a bank manager, one a construction director, one a company director and one a mental health worker (not a bunch of imbosiles as some of you sick heartless individuals seem to assume)

He never came home! He never came home because he was killed. The facts are:- Yes they did get lost, they took a wrong turn into an open field. A stubble field. No crops, no anmimals no gates. They drove around the edge of this stinking feild looking for an exit, when they realised there wasn't one they turned their bikes around to leave. At that point they saw a 4X4 tearing towards them. Not liking the speed at which this vehicle was approaching they continued to leave the field.

The vehicle continued at high speed and chased after them, it chased them and chased them pushing them off this persons land and back onto it. In the dock he admitted driving into my husband. He may not have got up that morning with the intent to kill someone but the moment he continued driving at them that was his intention. He was asked the question "why didn't you stop when they left the field" his answer "they were on my land"

His actions killed my husband, but because this individual is of "good character" they find him not guilty. Well in my book the law just said - you get lost, you take a wrong turn onto someone's land you get your loaded gun or 4X4 and you go ahead and wipe that person out. The law now says it's fine to do that so go ahead Farmer Giles - fill your boots.

All the true and honest people are the ones who can see just what that man did that day, all the people who seem to think the actions of that farmer are justified should be ashamed of yourselves. How dare you even think you can make a judgement or comment on something so serious in such a blaze manner. Come knock on my door and I'll show you just what he did, I'll show you just what he took away.

FYI, Not at any time in the past 16 months has that man shown one single bit of remorse, Not one single apologetic word has come from his mouth. So if this was an accident would'nt you be sorry, wouldn't you be mortified that your accidental actions took a life. He's not, and never has been sorry so how the hell was it ever an accident. I'll tell you the type of person him and his friends are:- They are this so called group of upstanding pillars of the community they not only tried to intimidate me in court on a daily basis, they looked at my family with smug grins across their faces when the verdict was read out. When two of the riders walked past the farmer in court he in turn looked directly at them and smiled. What did any of us ever do? My husband didnt deserve to die in such a violent and painful manner, no one deserves that. I don't deserve to spend the rest of my life without him and to be frank and honest with you all I don't want to. I'd give my last breath away right now to someone in this world fighting to live if it meant I could be with my husband.

Where's the justice in any of that. The law stinks and so do those who stand here and justify the actions of a man who has deliberatley taken a life and got off scott free. 

I feel very sorry for the wife.

Can you imagine the case if a biker had assulted a farmer?!

Can you really trust the system? i dont think so 

Lost wrote:

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im now informed when im form filling im not to wright down RTA [road traffic Accident] its no longer regarded as a Accident but a Collesion its a RTC ? 

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There is no such thing as an accident - accidents can all be avoided.  I had my big accident in the RTA era but now (PC probably) Road Traffic Collision.

When was the last time you heard someone call a person handicapped.  "Special needs children" are now "children with additional needs" because every child is special.  My son goes to a school run by the Devon and Exeter Spastics Society but this fact is not really publicised.

Fortunately my son is a dictionary definition of a spastic so I'm entitled to use the word (but not much).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/opinion/spastic-fantastic.shtml