Ant McPartlin arrested

cafcfan said:

hoof_it_up_to_benty said:

Grapevine49 said:

I am not sure anybody is arguing there is any defence of the act of drink driving.

Society has established its perceived punishments in law for any such transgressions.

It somewhat bizarrely links the punishment to the outcome of the transgression.

It is bizarre because the outcome in reality is almost entirely down to events outside of the transgression itself.

Whether you drink drive and hit a lamppost or kill someone is entirely a matter beyond the control of the transgressor driving on the public highway.

The personality or the profession of the individual is entirely irrelevant. I am never quite sure why people try to hold people in the public eye to a higher standard of law than anyone else.

In my limited experience in working in the West End with a number of "well known" customers they are all just human beings with their own challenges no matter their "fame" or "wealth".

We all face our demons in life. You will be very fortunate if on occasion they do not derail some aspect of your work or family life.

Unless and until I have walked in their shoes will always be my approach.

Ant & Dec have established themselves as "legends" in U.K.TV land or just maybe the TV company anointed them as such as per Willoughby & Scofield or Simon Cowell.

It has carried huge rewards but there is always a price to pay. I personally am no great fan but I respect they have "stayed at the top" for over a decade. A decade of acclaim but also a decade pressure to stay there and a decade of having your life on display.

I understand his drug and drink dependency arose from taking painkillers in respect of an accidental personal injury. He is not alone on such a journey. The over prescription of increasing pain medication has created all too many dependencies.

As the dependency increases so comes the pressure of failing work and life partners. He has loyalties to his work partner, contractual obligations to meet and responsibilities to his family. As those things start to fail before breaking down irretrievably the guilt and self loathing will kick in.

Some people drink to excess for pleasure some drink to excess to forget.

Does such a life journey excuse climbing into the drivers seat of any vehicle whilst inebriated? Never. He should and no doubt will pay a heavy price. The law will takes its course and rightly so.

We have now seen the fall from grace, the rehab and now we have apparently a relapse. The demons appear to still be in play.

He has earned his money. He needs to walk away and build a life away from the public gaze for a couple of years. His work partner and the TV companies need to let him go.

Ultimately it is one person who has been fortunate in that this incident has not killed anyone or seemingly involved life changing injury.

He has a price to pay, another chance to recover from his demons and change his life. Whether he takes such opportunity is entirely down to him. Due his now former career he would seemingly be better positioned than most to do just that.

I am not sure he is deserving of any greater opprobrium or sympathy than anyone else. Let us not delude ourselves there are not still far too many in society who will climb into a vehicle in an unfit state to drive.

Is zero tolerance the answer and is it easily enforceable on a nationwide basis is a question beyond my little grey cells. Do you fit every vehicle with a breath test & DNA device linked to the ignition?

Even then I am sure someone would find a way around that. Ultimately we live in a human society and humans are a very flawed species. Some will always neglect their responsibilities to their fellow man/ woman.

What pisses me off is that the rich and powerful are not treated equally in the eyes of the law. If you can afford a decent lawyer you will invariably get a better outcome.

Don't let such fictitious nonsense piss you off. Everyone is treated equally at a mags' court. By way of illustration: did you notice Rooney not getting let off recently?

Assuming the original breath test is confirmed by a further test back at the nick, (and the fact he has checked himself back into re-hab suggests it will), the quality of his lawyer in this instance is unlikely to have any major impact other than, just possibly, for mitigation. Indeed, if he was to pitch up with a highly paid QC in the Mags' Court, the chances are the magistrates, particularly if it's a stipendary sitting alone, would just get pissed off and hand down a heftier sentence.

MuttleyCAFC said:

I think he should get a short custodial sentence if he was way over the limit. He could have killed somebody and that is all there should be to it!

As ever, sentencing guidelines are complex and certain factors increase a penalty: crucially whether the blood/alcohol reading was high, but also whether there was an accident and whether anybody was KSI or whether the driver was in charge of an HGV or taxi for example. While others, like medical conditions and a guilty plea will reduce the penalty.

Of course no one yet knows what the blood/alcohol reading was but with there being an accident and a young girl injured, if his reading was high, he might, just, get a custodial. My guess is a 28 months ban plus a DVLA medical to get his licence back and a community order.

Perhaps we should run a sweepstake?

DamoNorthStand said:

Dazzler21 said:

Not sure if anyone else has asked but why is one of the most famous TV presenters in the country driving an effing Mini?

Yeah I thought that as well. In retrospect thank god he wasn’t in a whacking great Range Rover or he could have caused even more damage!

cafcfan said:

hoof_it_up_to_benty said:

cafcfan said:

hoof_it_up_to_benty said:

Grapevine49 said:

I am not sure anybody is arguing there is any defence of the act of drink driving.

Society has established its perceived punishments in law for any such transgressions.

It somewhat bizarrely links the punishment to the outcome of the transgression.

It is bizarre because the outcome in reality is almost entirely down to events outside of the transgression itself.

Whether you drink drive and hit a lamppost or kill someone is entirely a matter beyond the control of the transgressor driving on the public highway.

The personality or the profession of the individual is entirely irrelevant. I am never quite sure why people try to hold people in the public eye to a higher standard of law than anyone else.

In my limited experience in working in the West End with a number of "well known" customers they are all just human beings with their own challenges no matter their "fame" or "wealth".

We all face our demons in life. You will be very fortunate if on occasion they do not derail some aspect of your work or family life.

Unless and until I have walked in their shoes will always be my approach.

Ant & Dec have established themselves as "legends" in U.K.TV land or just maybe the TV company anointed them as such as per Willoughby & Scofield or Simon Cowell.

It has carried huge rewards but there is always a price to pay. I personally am no great fan but I respect they have "stayed at the top" for over a decade. A decade of acclaim but also a decade pressure to stay there and a decade of having your life on display.

I understand his drug and drink dependency arose from taking painkillers in respect of an accidental personal injury. He is not alone on such a journey. The over prescription of increasing pain medication has created all too many dependencies.

As the dependency increases so comes the pressure of failing work and life partners. He has loyalties to his work partner, contractual obligations to meet and responsibilities to his family. As those things start to fail before breaking down irretrievably the guilt and self loathing will kick in.

Some people drink to excess for pleasure some drink to excess to forget.

Does such a life journey excuse climbing into the drivers seat of any vehicle whilst inebriated? Never. He should and no doubt will pay a heavy price. The law will takes its course and rightly so.

We have now seen the fall from grace, the rehab and now we have apparently a relapse. The demons appear to still be in play.

He has earned his money. He needs to walk away and build a life away from the public gaze for a couple of years. His work partner and the TV companies need to let him go.

Ultimately it is one person who has been fortunate in that this incident has not killed anyone or seemingly involved life changing injury.

He has a price to pay, another chance to recover from his demons and change his life. Whether he takes such opportunity is entirely down to him. Due his now former career he would seemingly be better positioned than most to do just that.

I am not sure he is deserving of any greater opprobrium or sympathy than anyone else. Let us not delude ourselves there are not still far too many in society who will climb into a vehicle in an unfit state to drive.

Is zero tolerance the answer and is it easily enforceable on a nationwide basis is a question beyond my little grey cells. Do you fit every vehicle with a breath test & DNA device linked to the ignition?

Even then I am sure someone would find a way around that. Ultimately we live in a human society and humans are a very flawed species. Some will always neglect their responsibilities to their fellow man/ woman.

What pisses me off is that the rich and powerful are not treated equally in the eyes of the law. If you can afford a decent lawyer you will invariably get a better outcome.

Don't let such fictitious nonsense piss you off. Everyone is treated equally at a mags' court. By way of illustration: did you notice Rooney not getting let off recently?

Assuming the original breath test is confirmed by a further test back at the nick, (and the fact he has checked himself back into re-hab suggests it will), the quality of his lawyer in this instance is unlikely to have any major impact other than, just possibly, for mitigation. Indeed, if he was to pitch up with a highly paid QC in the Mags' Court, the chances are the magistrates, particularly if it's a stipendary sitting alone, would just get pissed off and hand down a heftier sentence.

MuttleyCAFC said:

I think he should get a short custodial sentence if he was way over the limit. He could have killed somebody and that is all there should be to it!

As ever, sentencing guidelines are complex and certain factors increase a penalty: crucially whether the blood/alcohol reading was high, but also whether there was an accident and whether anybody was KSI or whether the driver was in charge of an HGV or taxi for example. While others, like medical conditions and a guilty plea will reduce the penalty.

Of course no one yet knows what the blood/alcohol reading was but with there being an accident and a young girl injured, if his reading was high, he might, just, get a custodial. My guess is a 28 months ban plus a DVLA medical to get his licence back and a community order.

Perhaps we should run a sweepstake?

Would it be guaranteed to be a magistrates court? If it isn't a magistrates court then the lawyer will play a role.

Depends entirely on the charges. It is possible for some motoring offences to be tried "either way" but only if any of the following are involved; dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving, causing death by driving when unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured and aggravated vehicle taking. In which case the matter would be kicked up to Crown Court by the magistrates if they deemed the case to be too serious to be dealt with in a Magistrates' Court. It is also possible for the Mags to decide on guilt but send the case up to Crown Court for sentencing. In "each way" cases the defendant can also elect for trial by jury in the Crown Court. (That would be a big gamble for a defendant, I'd have thought.)

To give you a flavour: over 95% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates.

i_b_b_o_r_g said:

A lot of "stars" drive them Minis. I know Weller does.

Although my Mrs had one and I don't rate em at all.

dickplumb said:

Am I the only person who can’t stand Ant and Dec?

RedArmySE7 said:

Just a quick thought, and let me make it clear this isn’t a defence...

After I had a smash that wasn’t my fault I staggered around a bit with the shock after the collision, I was breathalysed and came up clean obviously but I could definitely have appeared drunk immediately afterwards as I was quite delirious.

Not saying he wasn’t hammered, but the way he looks I’d have expected the media to have said things like “he was five times over the limit” etc. They usually have that information from the police early doors.

LawrieAbrahams said:

dickplumb said:

Am I the only person who can’t stand Ant and Dec?

I don't hate them but I don't understand their popularity. I think I now finally know which one is Ant and which one is Dec.

JohnBoyUK said:

To be fair it was the John Cooper Works mini. 2 litre turbo, 0-62mph in about 6seconds. That’s a nice motor.

charltonkeston said:

He's a freemason as well.