Today’s award goes to an Australian stoner.
An allegedly stoned and unlicensed Melbourne teenager, accused of ramming a police car and breaking an officer’s leg, has been granted bail.
Benjamin Saurini, 19, previously said he couldn’t see the police vehicle because his car windows had fogged up from smoking cannabis after a session with friends on Friday night.
Saurini allegedly took off when he thought he was going to be “jumped” by officers on patrol, but panicked and side-swiped their car.
He is accused of pinning a senior constable against the car, breaking his leg.
Saurini allegedly read a news article about the injured police officer the following day and realised he was in trouble, dumping the car and removing its number plates.
However, the teen handed himself into police after investigators called his parents.
There’s more at the link.
Son, if you’re fogging up the interior of your car so much you can’t see what’s going on outside, you’re doing it wrong. To do a stoner any good (?), the smoke has to end up inside your lungs, not your car!
I’m tempted to give a second Doofus award to the Australian criminal justice system. The kid’s been let off without any major punishment at all, as you’ll see if you read the full article. Can’t figure that out. He breaks a police officer’s leg in an attempt to get away, and gets off with a slap on the wrist? In this country, he’d be doing hard time – and justifiably so, IMHO.
Peter
If the local police group doesn't squawk I'd accept that his getting off is a product of local information. There's a world of difference between "local no-good gets stoned, breaks officer's leg" and "Local doofus in need of a few years to grow out of it does dumb shit, breaks officer's leg. Officer requests leniency so he doesn't have to deal with one more long-term layabout when teens gets trapped in system."
*shrug*
I remember being a teenager. And may God save me from a relapse.
The youngster deserves a couple of years at hard labor. Not his entire life, but enough time breaking rocks to make him think long and hard about his future.
We don't do hard labor anymore and I'm nearly certain that the Aussies don't. But laying on a bunk, getting punked is not the sort of punishment that this young man deserves.
Agree with both of the above. One wonders 'what' connections he had to get off that lightly…
But in California… or Washington, or Oregon, or Austin… the kid would get off just as easily.
Several other places, like the liberal hell-hole I live in, also.
Because he's a minor!
Remember, California commuted all life-in-prison-without-parole and death penalty cases of prisoners convicted of extremely heinous capital-class crimes committed under the age of 18 because 'children.' Other states have been tossing out heavy convictions because of 'race' or 'class' or 'he/she was doing drugs and thus not of sound mind' or other stupid and asinine reasons.
Or, equally, in the US the child could have been a Kennedy or Clinton or some other political dynastic clan and gotten away with it. (Cough, Biden, Cough…)
Minor doofus incident: I was at Firehand's blog (Irons in the Fire) and thought I was here, and promptly addressed Firehand as Mr. Grant.
Yeah, it's been a LONG week for me.
Unfortunately that's a pretty standard punishment here. Don't start reading about how the sudanese and somali gangs don't exist, or how little punishment they get when caught. Not good for the heart.
You and I, and some others disagree.
I saw today that the shitbag cop who killed that poor bastard crawling down the hotel exactly in compliance with all the stupid orders screamed at him by thugs with guns was let out of jail 7 years early, because cop. Meanwhile cops who can't fire their guns without harming innocent bystanders are never charged with attempted murder or any crime at all. No duty to protect.
I like what you write and always will. Not an idiot, but still my experience has always been, if you fail to hold people accountable, you just got yourself a tyranny.
We're doing that one cop shooting at a time where the forces of order decide a cop's right to go home invalidates and trumps your rights to do the same thing.
Under the Texas Penal Code, said doofus could have been charged with any and all of the following:
1) Intoxication assault (Felony-3)*
2) Evading arrest or detention – motor vehicle (F-3)
3) Leaving scene of an accident with injury (F-3)
4) Tampering with physical evidence (F-3)
Third degree felony in Texas is punishable by 2-10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000
If the cop was in uniform, you could credibly charge this as Assault on a Peace Officer, which is a Felony-2 (2-20 years). Which would probably be the initial charge, with the DA's office taking a plea to Intoxication Assault with a higher sentence.
Ummm, the article says that the doofus has been granted bail.
That headline says NOTHING about conviction, sentencing, and punishment – where are you guys getting the idea that he "got off with a slap on the wrist"?
In fact, the article itself says "Saurini was earlier charged with 14 offences", and that he will appear in court at a later date to assess bail compliance.