Worst hit and run ever? Brighton... (vids)

according to Sussex police, who want to question the drivers of a taxi, a silver van, a Ford Focus and a black parked car.

A 31-year-old man from Brighton was arrested on Tuesday after trying to hide on a roof in Donald Hall Road in the seaside town, and was detained on suspicion of dangerous driving causing serious injury, attempting to pervert the course of justice and aggravated vehicle taking, Sussex Police said.A 56-year-old woman, also from the town, was held on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Both are in custody.

Hitting a man in a fiat 500 at that speed? You'd have to be on meth not to notice.

It's like something out of GTA IV. Surprised he lived.

Hairdresser's car suggests the driver is probably female.

Shitty thing is if convinced, he'll get a relatively short sentence. By comparison, his victim has potentially life changing injuries.

Sentencing for serious motoring offences is one of the hardest sentencing tasks.

They have to keep the sentencing in line with other on-motoring crimes.

There was no intention to injure. He was just doing something bloody dangerous with a high risk of injuring someone. He is no less culpable if he hadn't hit anyone in the road. They will give his a much longer sentence because he has hit someone, but that isn't really sentencing for the level of guilt but because of the consequences.

With motoring offences many people apply a standard of "could this have been me?". He was going like a bat out of hell. Most drivers wouldn't. What if he hadn't been speeding but had simply not seen the guy at all because he was on his mobile phone? That is illegal and dangerous but many drivers do that. Would that deserve a lesser sentence?

The failing to stop is a separate matter from the dangerous driving. His driving up to the point of the accident isn't better or worse because he failed to stop.

There is a shocking video but that doesn't making his driving worse than the hundreds of cases where there isn't.

I have tried to have a sentence for causing death by careless driving increased for a 17 year old driver. The solicitor-general agreed to refer it to the Court of Appeal but the Court of Appeal said the sentence was right. Do I think teh sentence was right? No. However I recognise that if the driver had been careless with a bit of industrial plant, he wouldn't have gone to gaol at all.

Doubtless we will get to hear all the details, but what (as is likely) if he has a string of previous convictions, was on drugs, was disqualified, etc, etc? Would that increase the likely sentence?

It's very strange seeing those TV cop shows where they pursue the most outrageously dangerous examples of driving and then you hear at the end that they got 12 points and a 12 month ban, when people get banned for totting up for 6 months for doing 38 in 30 zones and the like. I think there's a big lack of logic and predictability generally in the way courts (and Parliament) deal with driving offences.

I know a guy that drives a 500... Abarth.

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I walk up that road every day as I live about ten minutes from there. I'm aghast and can't understand why someone would take that corner so fast and he didn't even slow down after they smashed into that poor guy.

Do people tend to speed there, or is it usually slow moving?

Admittedly I was walking down that road at the weekend and a car sped past me and I muttered 'knobhead' under my breath as it was just a stupid speed for such a busy and narrow area...I'm glad they have been caught now.

Doubtless we will get to hear all the details, but what (as is likely) if he has a string of previous convictions, was on drugs, was disqualified, etc, etc? Would that increase the likely sentence?.

It's very strange seeing those TV cop shows where they pursue the most outrageously dangerous examples of driving and then you hear at the end that they got 12 points and a 12 month ban, when people get banned for totting up for 6 months for doing 38 in 30 zones and the like. I think there's a big lack of logic and predictability generally in the way courts (and Parliament) deal with driving offences.