Typical of the type of halfwit that smokes cannabis

How is he an animal? It is recognised it was a mistake and possibly blame is apportioned to both parties. It is unfortunate that the woman came off worse in this case.

While he's a dimwit for his driving arragements, he was allowed to communicate with the mother and he is entitled to his opinion. He is being appropriately punished and no matter how much he blames whoever, his punishment will remain the same.

Knee jerkery actions such as 1, does not help.

I'm sick to death of drivers failing to stop properly at Give Way signs. Seems they tend to forget about the car's bonnet being a potential hazard to other cars.

#2 Angus - Can't you get the point in the story of how awful this communication is? I'm all for people having basic human rights, and yes accidents do happen, but surely you'd see how offensive this letter would be to the grieving family? Here's the main point of the story again for you to read:

Sheedy pleaded guilty to the Australian equivalent of causing death by dangerous driving in February, and to having cannabis in his bloodstream at the time. He also admitted being a learner driver unaccompanied in a vehicle and not displaying learner plates.

Got how this letter would be offensive yet?

Angus

You're funny.

I have absolutely no doubt that this was a terrible accident. Good on him that he took time to show his remorse in a letter. In saying that, the parents have been through enough and sending them another letter In the content that he has is callous.

Though angry that his sentence has been extended by 5 months, he shouldn't have lashed out at the parents in this way. Especially when it was nothing to do with them!

Someone who drives a car whilst under the influence of drink or drugs have no cause for complaint when something such as this happens.

Sorry #2, but the guy was a moron for doing this and deserves to have his time extended. 5 years & 5 months is nothing compared to what the families have lost!

And don't have a go at me just because you can see I am also a Jambo! Look at the bigger picture.

The word animal does not describe this outcast,Animals dont do these things,Unless they have to eat.

Another busy topic for me.

As far as I am aware only 2 studies have been carried out world wide into the effects of driving while under the influence of cannabis, one by an american university and the other by the FDA. Both concluded that driving after using cannabis did NOT increase your chances of having an accident. on balance the accident was more likely due to inexperiance rather than drug use.

2, APPROPRIATELY PUNISHED, "ma erse" the guy was drugged up and killed 2 people, he should be in jail for atleast 20 f,n years,the parents should send the letter to the proper authorities and get the 5hits sentence extended.

So it doesn't slow the reactions then???

No-one here knows the story behind this so comments are pointless, Just the same I might as well join in. If the victim pulled out infront of an oncoming car without regard to her own ( and child's ) safety then she was to blame! Yes, he was driving fast but it doesn't mention the speed limit. He may have had traces of Cannabis in his blood, but it can be detected weeks after taking it! If he was incapable of driving due to drugs, then that is a different story and one we do not have the facts to.

#10 Allan
I would prefer if people didn't take the chance. If cannabis alters your mind frame at the time, how can it be safer than if you didn't take it? This guy wasn't qualified to drive so shouldn't have been on the road in the first place. I think the tone of his letter says it all, really.

#13 Sorry bu the fact that this was blamed and put in jail, tells me that it was his fault and that is a fact!

Cut all communications. He has no compassion.

Turning the other cheek with his type just doesn't work. A swift letter of to the court complaining about continuing "hurt" to the deceaseds' family should be suffice to extend this rotter's sentence.

He's the kind that would jump on a plane and continue being a nuisance.

TOOWOOMBA CHRONICLE
This sir comes from hief Running Water Coral Ranch 50 not as you state.
I am sorry about the dope and the killing but that is always the case. Drive dont drink or dont smoke hashhsis or dope or beer in plenty. or park the car till you can see one motor bike as one and not two.

#2

He had no driving licence, displayed no L plates, had no licenced passenger instructing him as he drove, he was drugged, driving at almost the national speed limit in Queensland for motorways,(and in fact the accident happened at a roundabout, where the speed limit would have been about 40 miles an hour, or less if it was a suburban street, so he was at least 20 miles an hour over the speed limit at the time of impact) The woman and her 2 year old didn't stand a chance. Even if the child had been in the centre of the car, at the speed he hit them, the brain injury she would have suffered would have killed her. Fault on both sides my @rse, he would have come from nowhere onto a roundabout at that speed, and in foggy conditions- how was she supposed to avoid him. 60 miles an hour on a roundabout!...think about it. And for him to say that she is partly to blame, and write it in a letter, whether it is his opinion or not, #1 is right, he is an animal. And 5 1/2 years in jail is not an appropriate sentence if he has no remorse or understanding of his actions. They would have been alive today if he had not chosen to flout all the road rules, and if it had not been this family, eventually it would have been somebody else's he would have killed-and then no doubt he would have found a way to blame the other person for his bad decisions then too.
The only mistake the Rennies made was to write to him. They should have known that someone who had so little respect for others lives that he took to the road without a licence and under the influence of drugs, is likely to be sociopathic and therefore incapable of foresight, insight or empathetic hindsight.

They should stuff his mouth with cannabis till he chokes on it!

"He also admitted being a learner driver unaccompanied in a vehicle and not displaying learner plates. "

Says it all really. He thought he could drive without the right people and plates with him yet blames the other driver as she had a licence.

#13 JJ52 good point, #14 JG many legally prescibed drugs eg beta blockers render you unfit to drive, but there is no onus on the Dr prescibing them to inform the appropriate authoriteys, and currently although the police may well test for illegal drugs, they do not test for legal ones. It's also worth noting that in the previously mentioned studies, it was found that cannabis smokers tended to drive 10 - 15% slower than they normally did, thus making any accidents they were involved in less severe.

#13. The story was well reported in the newspapers in Queensland. See my post above.

This "accident" was 100% his fault.

Why? Because he should not have been in the car in the first place. Anything that happened with his car was purely down to him.

He could have been high on any drug and it would not have mattered had he not been in the car.
His actions alone caused the deaths.

If the woman pulled out without looking the accident would not have happened because he would not have been there.

Poor him? If I had my way he would be complaining about having been given life for killing the mother and child.

My 44 year old brother was murdered by joyriders last year whilst driving home from work. He was in the inside lane doing thirty miles an hour. The car came across the road at a speed of about 120 miles an hour, hitting my brother's car and another car in the next lane. My brother was killed instantly and the passenger (26 year old man) of the other car died in hospital.

The driver of the car is 16, had no licence and no insurance. The passenger in the car had killed 3 people months before in the same type of accident and got off on a technicality.

These b******* are still alive and living their lives. Our family has been left devastated by the loss of such a wonderful man. He has two young children left without a father, a wife without her husband, siblings without a brother and parents without a child. Our parents' world has been destroyed. They have lost their boy.

People like these are the scum of the earth. His sentence is NOT enough. Mr & Mrs Rennie should not waste their time on him, he is not worth it. They have lost a wonderful daughter and grandchild and nothing will bring them back. May they rest in peace.

#22

Surely the fact that smoking cannabis makes you drive slower (as you claim), demonstrates that the drug does have a changing effect on a persons driving? If the person is driving slower, does that not mean that their reaction times in an accident (ie someone pulling out in fron of them unexpectedly) would also be slower?

And there may not be an onus on doctors to inform the authorities if a drug is described that may cause drowsiness etc, it is well advertised on the packets themselves, and the doctor/pharmacist has always brought it to my attention. I also know the strength of the drug i am being prescribed.

Do drug dealers bring it to your attention? Or tell you how strong the stuff is?

No. 25 - spot on. The justice system does not hammer these types of criminals nearly enough - he has no respect for life; his or others. He should be banned from driving for life after serving 20 years. Also, damages should be paid to the victims family directly out of his pocket; courts should have the power in these circumstances to seize the criminal's financial assets & decide on how much to give the victims.

Also, on release from jail, he should be immediately set to work on putting something of value back into the community he took from. These people need to be controlled, they do not deserve the freedoms which we all take for granted. A good place to start would be on the piece of vermin who killed the 4 year old girl in Clermiston.

To Big G, Colin and Suzi. I wish the world was as simple as you no doubt are.

Suzi clearly doesn't drive or she'd know that you couldn't drive round a roundabout at 60!! The women was pulling out of a street when she was hit, she might have been near a roundabout but jeez wakey wakey.

Colin advocates the death penalty for RTA's? Colin I hope you never crash your car or mobility wagon as that '9mm to the side of the head, simpleton' may be effective but surely a bit of 'overkill' ahem see what I didn't do there mug?

And to Big Gimp on #24. That comment is typical of heavy drinking, overweight, under educated 1/8 wits who is clearly never smoked a joint.

Ah that feels better

A lot of the comments above are really scary.

Obviously these threads attract the loony element.

Eye for an eye, shoot em etc.

I thought the Scots red necks were caused by the

weather.

Anyone who does drugs in my book is a total degenerate and this confirms my opinions even more so.

#29 Shaken(but not hard enough)
The following was taken from the Sydney Morning Herald.(1 July 2007)

'He also had a long history of driving offences and was caught in possession of dangerous drugs while on bail after the accident.

The accident happened in heavy winter fog, when Sheedy failed to slow down to negotiate a roundabout and did not give way to Ms Shalice's car.

His car became airborne and ploughed into her vehicle."

You are right, you can't drive at 60 miles an hour on a roundabout. Which is why he killed the woman and her child.
I'm glad you feel better after your rant. Unfortunately, you now look like a total @ss too.

* 29 well said

#27 Just informing you of the facts as stated in these reports, if you know of any other studies as opposed to old wives tales and percieved wisdom which give a differing view then I would be happy to hear of them.

No doubt now we are going to get all the nutters on who believe that people who enjoy a toke should all be shot or shipped out to some druggie infested island.

Do agree though that this guy should not have been driving and deserved his sentence. However, those saying he should be shot or worse for his actions are clearly loons.

#33

we all do illegal/wrong things or are you going to deny that? in my opinion cannabis users are no worse than alcoholics and gamblers

34#

"The following was taken from the Sydney Morning Herald.(1 July 2007)"

Jesus, I didn't think you were that far ahead of us. ;-)

#29

Bruce Sheedy was a learner driver who was driving without supervision when the accident occurred and also had a long history of previous traffic convictions, he was driving in heavy winter fog; when he failed to slow down to negotiate a roundabout (he was doing 60 mph) hitting the other car carrying the mother and daughter.

Fortunately Queensland's attorney-general has made it clear that this drugged up junkie will have his sentence extended.

We don't know what happened - that's the long and the short of it.

There is alot of hysteria attached to driving in general.

The authorities would have you believe that they have actually put alot of thought into what constitutes 'speeding' or 'drink' driving and that the driver who has been drinking or speeding is always to blame under any given circumstance regardless of how the other party involved may have acted.

If you have ever had an accident (sober!) in a car that wasn't your fault - could you honestly say if you'd had 4 pints that the blame would have lay with you by default ? and if the blame is as mobile as to support that way of thinking; is that justice or is it window dressing to an increasingly wrapped in cotton wool society ?

I expect alot of flack for these comments but that is the nature of hysteria .. blind to any other channel of thought.

It COULD be that the lady in question was to blame for pulling out infront of him - It COULD be that whether or not he'd smoked some pot that the accident was unavoidable and was infact her fault.

James1 - I do take your point but given the improbable nature of any given collision - if he had taken another ten seconds smoking his joint the accident would never have happened either. If he wasn't there maybe some other car would have hit them faster that was being held up by this guy .. If he hadn't smoked the joint at all and made the same journey and hit them at exactly the same time perhaps the true nature of what actually went on would be revealed and not hidden behind the vale of the blame culture.

People make bad descisions all the time; most of them have a inconsequential outcomes, sometimes they have devastating effects. That is life and sometimes it is unfair.

What is contemptable is the fellows compulsion to air his views directly to the family concerned and insensitive ways in which he is raising questions.

I do not condone this man's actions in t

#34
I like to think ahead!!
Of course it was 1 June 2007, you wee comic;-)

I meant Rab Mac at #39 was a wee comic! Me, I have no sense of humour!

typical scum. He'll be out soon to do it all again.

"Sheedy pleaded guilty to the Australian equivalent of causing death by dangerous driving in February, and to having cannabis in his bloodstream at the time. He also admitted being a learner driver unaccompanied in a vehicle and not displaying learner plates."
And he has the audacity to suggest she was in the wrong!!! He should be given another 10 years and then banned from ever getting into a car again, let alone driving one.

Check this link - the picture says it all

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm...=

I only hope he has to spend the extra time in the showers with the big boys!

#41 I take it you had to let go of your tree to type the garbage that you have just typed or was this a one armed excercise?

He should not have been in the car in the first place. There is no what if about this. He and he alone killed those two people. His car and nobody elses cause the deaths.
Can I also ask what gibberish is it that you are talking about "If he wasn't there maybe some other car would have hit them faster that was being held up by this guy"

So the guy was now holding up a faster guy, who would have killed the woman and child and as he was there (holding up this guy) it was just pure luck that they were killed by him because the other guy would have killed them more? Idiot!

You want us all to share the blame for his actions. Well there is an F word that I would like to use in the sentence " Well (entered here) you!

That man has extingushed two lives and continues to cause pain to those already suffering because of his insensitive actions.

I suggest you are reading too many Harry Potter books and should return to the real world.

Cause and effect. He caused the crash and the family and victims suffered the effect.

Well, if she pulled out infront of him she was as much at fault as he was. if she gave way then she could have avoided the accident.

He was clearly in the wrong. but does not excuse bad driving from others!!

PS...cannabis stays in yuor bloodstream for weeks...no one is claiming he was stoned at the time i notice!!

#47
I'm with you on this one!
Voldemort saying 'we don't know what happened.' We do know what happened. What happened was well documented in the press in Australia at the time, is current news because his sentence has been increased, and anyone who wants to find out can minimise their Scotsman site and go and take a look by making use of their search engine.
There is nothing anyone can say that can make Sheedy any less culpable of the deaths of these people, and trying to apportion blame to the woman for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when this idiot was hurtling towards her in the fog at 60 miles an hour, needs a brain cell augmentation.

#48 He should not have been there in the first place.

Bad driving, in my view, is not the issue.
If the women had pulled out and he was not there then no accident would have taken place.
We cannot say that someone else would have hit her because there was no third car involved running up the back of the car (that should not have been there).
Why are people so reluctant to blame the person whose fault is was? It was him and him alone who caused this.

He should not have been in a car regardless of whether he was sober, drunk or out of his face on drugs or mildly high, suffering with the munchies.
His condition is immaterial. His presence is what killed those two people.

The bottom line is that had he not been there the accident would not have happened.

#36

Don't believe all the 'facts' that are presented in so called reports. You often find that the reports have been commissioned by people that would like a particular result, and as such, choose a suitable person to do the report and get the result.

But if your adamant....what about the Lakehead University (Canada) report that discovered that drivering under the influence of cannabis increases your risk of a crash by 29%?

The reports that talk about cannabis takers driving at a reduced speed also make the note that this is as a result of them being acutely aware of the fact that they have taken an illegal substance, and drive slower to compensate for this and not draw attention to themselves. So in effect they are trying to hide what they have done (hardly inspires confidence in the argument that the drug is safe)

Or what about the study by the Universite Claud Bernard in Lyon that concluded that cannabis doubles the likelihood that you will be involved in a fatal accident?

So its not old wives tales or percieved wisdom. These are all reports by people with knowledge on the subject.

So i would suggest that you investigate the history of all the reports carried out on the subject, and not simply quote the few that suit your argument.

#48
If he was driving at 60mph in foggy conditions he would've appeared out of nowhere - stoned or not that is dangerous driving. And his car became airborne before it hit - how much time do you think she had to react? I knew Chantelle, and she would not have put her daughter in danger by pulling out in front of another car.

You idiots that are defending Sheedy - I hope I never have the misfortune to be on the road at the same time as any of you.

I seem to recall that in Australia traffic already on a roundabout gives way to traffic entering the roundabout ahead of them. If this is still the case, then Sheedy should have given way - not Chantelle.

#48 Mozam who stated 'PS...cannabis stays in yuor bloodstream for weeks...no one is claiming he was stoned at the time i notice!!'

In the same Sydney Morning Herald report I quoted before it says-

'Blood tests revealed he was strongly affected by cannabis smoked shortly before the crash.

He also had a long history of driving offences and was caught in possession of dangerous drugs while on bail after the accident.'

So yes, they are claiming that he was stoned at the time.
Canniboids can be detected for weeks in the bloodstream but the closer the time from when it is smoked, the mosre evident it is in the system.

And in case anyone wouldlike further clarification on events this also appears.

'In a written judgment, Court of Appeal President Margaret McMurdo said: "Two completely innocent victims in an oncoming vehicle were needlessly killed by the respondent's dangerous driving, no doubt contributed to by his voluntary ingestion of cannabis."

He should do the decent think and donate his brain, now, to scientists who study the effects of cannabis on that organ. He obviously doesn't need a brain.

To Suzi of posts:
#18,23,34,42,43,49,54,55

I note you did not refute my claim on being a non driver. I see are still wearing a hole in your soapbox and far from looking silly (Ms 1st July) you reaffirm my opinion that naysayers and detractors will always be wrong as there is two sides to every story.
PS succinctness is best!

What kind of legal system has put this killer away for only FIVE years? He has killed two people by ignoring the law on being accompanied and displaying plates (learner driver). He was driving appallingly fast in bad visibility. In every way he showed complete disregard for the lves of others.
That he had smoked cannabis is a red herring that just heats up the issue. There is no reliable research to show cannabis smoking makes drivers unsafe. It's not at all the same kind of thing as alcohol.
But this man is a killer and should have got life. His reaction now proves even more that his sentence is a tragic miscarriage of justice.

#51 The FDA (Food and Drug Administation, a branch of the Federal government in the USA) investigation into the subject was undertaken over a period of years, and suppressed by the Clinton administration untill it was made public under freedom of information. As the US federal gov is no supporter of cannabis for any reason, including medical, we can deduce that they looked for every reason they could to produce a report that would state that driving under the influence of cannabis would lead to an increased risk of having an accident. I am not familiar the the sources you quote, but suspect that they are as valid as the theory that eating bread leads to criminal behavour ( after all 99.9% of convicted criminals have eaten bread ), but I'll check them out non the less.

#57. What are you on about? For goodness sake, get a grip.
Succinctness might be best, but you still talk a load of p!sh, man, and would be better silent than succint.

It would appear there are some here who would benefit getting back in touch with their highway code, you being one of them roundabouts operate with yield control to give priority to circulating traffic.

Sheedy's white Lancer sedan slammed into the side of their red Barina near the roundabout, which would mean Chantelle Shalice was already on the roundabout at the time of impact therefore she had right of way.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.htm

The same rule applies in Australia, as it does in the UK!

My comment #62, was meant for #57 Shaken!

29, 35, 37: You appear to be using the death of two people to make some point in favor of smoking weed, under the guise of self-righteous remarks about the death penalty.

Five years, and this is Australia. Maybe in Europe he would have received a new car.

#57 and all the rest of the rubish you have posted Shaken

I am sure there two sides to every story.
I sure the victims in this would love to give theirs.
Pathetic attempt to wind up people on this thread by the way . 0 out of 10 Must try harder

To Suzi of posts:
#18,23,34,42,43,49,54,55
Nice to actually see some facts posted on this thread.
This guy deserves life not 5 yrs
I would ignore Shaken's posts as he is obviously some sad little troll

Ah # 64 and 65. The point is that nobody actually read the facts. The people that your are celebrating the mediocrity of take the easy way out.

By blaming cannabis they remove themselves from the reality that it could happen to anyone. Cars crash, people die. Every single day. This is fact. By demonising one aspect of a case we can all feel superior to the perpertrator and deride the prison sentence. Let me ask you all one question (if you drive)

What if it was you on a foggy night and you were speeding (people do) and you hit someone and they died. Would you want the death penalty? Life? The point is that dope probably didn't have effect on the outcome and by focusing on this you belittle the tragic nature of 'accidents' the parents moved on. Why don't you?

#60

So my argument is not valid, but your's is?

Despite us both quoting studies that have produced conflicting results, the best counter argument you can come up with is something about bread?

#60 Allan
I think the difference between cannabis and the prescribed drugs you mentioned (which I accept can also alter a driver's reactions etc.) is in the word "illegal". I don't know what effect cannabis has on a person (alcolhol affects everyone differently) as I've never taken it. In drink driving cases we have often heard of how the driver says he is a better driver after he's had a few. Is that OK too then?

#66

I think people did read the facts. The article is not about the fact that he took cannabis, got in a car and killed someone. The article is about the fact that he wrote a letter to the family blaming his victim and implying that none of it was his fault.
The guy is a low life and he will be out of prison in 2 years if he can get parole, and then he will no doubt get back behind the wheel-illegally, as he was before the accident- and carry on as before. Prior to this event he 'had a long history of driving offences', but you think it was just a tragic accident and could happen to anyone? I don't have string of driving offences after 20+years on the road. Do you? I wonder how charitable you would be toward an unregistered and unlicenced drugged driver with a previous history of driving offences, who wiped out members of your family and then turned round and blamed them for being on the road at the time his car went airborne and ploughed into them.

James1 I don't refute your claim that I came down from the trees to write this one armed .. you clearly have a good grip for my skill on the keyboard. Regretfully that is where your skills of observation stop ... slightly short of the end of your nose.

As I said I don't condone his behavour and I do think he is a low life ... just look at him !!

All I am saying to you hysterical sorts is that this sort of thing happens everyday and will continue to happen everyday until such time as they ban freewill in the car. Shaken, although I'm not entirely parallell is hos/her views which were quite well thought out and balanced.

You just thought nothing, zero, and started shooting ... mob justice, kneejerk, and populist.

You try hard not to swear now ... child.

Shaken # 66

You are spouting bullstein. Car accidents happen for a lot of reasons, but, if your are driving at an excess speed for all the prevailing circumstances, i.e. fog and under the influence of an illegal drug, your chances are increased exponentially.
What is 'speedy' Sheedy's gripe? He's not denying that he drove the car and caused the accident is he? He committed a very serious crime and got shafted hard for it; in my opinion the shaft should have been deeper, at least he is still alive.
If it was a member of my family, 5.5 years in jail would be the least of his problems.

Very sad. The old couple thought they were doing the Christian thing and writing to this person who killed their son. In a way keeping things in G-d's hands and hoping for the killer to evolve and be a better person. Their hopes are dashed as he lashes out on folk who lost everything.
My heart goes out to them. In the states 4 yrs ago in august my brother was strangled beat to death and his body dumped. His murderer was an illegal alien on drugs and got 13 yrs. More time, if he wasn't on drugs. I thought about contacting him offering him a dialogue and perhaps receive hope that he is changing for the good. I do not believe prisons reform people, they are academic institutions of crime. The criminal gets worse. My only hopes are when he gets deported to Mexico after his sentence, he has a short life, short enough not to kill anyone else or he gets a faith and devotes his life to this faith. Since it is a slim chance that he evolves, i'll have to leave the matter in g-d's hands. My parents have found a new 'normal' in their life, no parent deserves losing their child. This Sheedy feels no regard for the loss of these folks bairn. That is psychopathic. I hope these folk were smart enough to write via a third person ie. a lawyer so they receive no more unwanted mail from him. Sometimes hell is on earth, i hope these folk find peace here before its their time to go.

Say it with me now... ACCIDENT (ak-si-duhnt) an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap. Sheedy is without doubt a brainless twonk who should never be allowed to drive again, but cannabis smoker or not, he did not set out to kill anyone so utterly puerile suggestions of life imprisonment or the death penalty are merely knee-jerk reactions and the desire for revenge. His 2nd letter to the parents shows his immaturity and callousness, but these aren't (unfortunately) punishable offenses. BTW, quoting newspaper reports as being the absolute truth is a tad naive... as is believing anything coming from Lunkhead U!!!

#70 Still don't know where you are coming from?
My observations skills may be limited but they identified you correctly as an do gooder idiot who does not have a grasp of the real world.
Everyones a victim and we should all have a group hug is your type.

There is nothing hysterical in my thinking some person has caused, unneccesarily, the death of two others and continues to cause grief by trying to blame the victims parents.
For you to even try to defend this is unbelievable.

There would appear to be something wrong in the wiring of your brain if you think this man is a victim. Without him being in the car this would not have happened. No might have, no possibly, it would not have happened.

Your mammby pammby, lets shrug our shoulders and say there but for the grace of god go I. Let him go because somebody else would have killed them in the car behind, is total tripe.
He should have got life for what he has done.

James1 - I refer you to comment 73 ...

I am not defending it as I have said counteless times I am merely pointing out that you are clearly in no position to have a balanced view.

I wonder if you have sped in a car or perhaps made a silly descision in which someone COULD have got hury or even died? I'm not a betting man but I'd wager everyone has - so it is not there but the grace of god go 'I' it is here by the grace of god this column is not talking about you having killed someone by doing something stupid.

Read 73 again ... Catherine has put far better what I have been trying to get accross. Now read it again until you get it ....

Get it ?

Didn't think so ...

Character assasination is sooo not you darling ..

This is shocking that he can get away writing to this family the way he did. The family have my sympathy.

#73 Ak-si-duhnt.(duhnt is the sound you make when you hit someone elses car at speed)

An aksiduhnt is what happens when a person goes out in their car and bumps into another one for one reason or another when they are sober, qualified and not under the influence of drugs. When they are not legally qulified to get behind the wheel of a car, decide to take drugs and speed, and then crash into innocent people as a result of their inability to control said car, for whatever reason, that stops being an aksiduhnt and becomes a charge of 'causing death by dangerous driving.'
I don't think any of you would be quite so casual about it if it were your loved ones, and if you were, I would say that you are better people than me.
I wouldn't advocate the death penalty for any crime, but writing a crime off as an accident is not giving voice to the victims, who are not here to speak for themselves.

Shaken,

I just hope I don't have the misfortune to be on the same road as you.

This bastard's actions are nothing sort of despicable. It's like telling the family of a lung cancer victim that the person deserved to die because he/she smoked.

Get a life.

#50, just curious, aside from the laws regarding his permit status and his sobriety, neither of which I am defending, but why exactly should he not have been allowed to drive?

#73 who is the font of all knowledge, can you cast you wise ways over my scenario and tell me if this is an accident?
I take a loaded gun (car) (which I am not meant to have) as I am in the process of applying for a licence for it. I decide to shot the gun along the street because no one is in sight. I am not aiming at anyone you understand but somebody walks out their door, not looking, and my bullet hits and kills them. Oops! Is my face red? Was this “accident” avoidable do you think? If I say I’m sorry, will that make it ok? After all, that person stepped out their door without looking. Surely they must share the blame?
What do you think? Do I not have a right to shot bullets along the street? I have done it before and never killed anyone. This is my first time I have killed someone. Accident?
With regard to the driver, why according to you, oh wise one, should he never drive again? Is it no longer an accident? Have you forgotten already you post. “Say it with me now... ACCIDENT” etc. Remember now? Why should he not write to the parents blaming their daughter for his predicament? It was an accident, unintentional and not his fault!
To repeat for the feeble minded. Had he not been driving those two people would not be dead. 5 years is too lenient a sentence but he deserves every day of it. It was all his doing.

#79
Previous driving offences barring him from driving would probably be the place to start, but don't you think that lack of licence and lack of sobriety(drug taking) would be enough to be going on with even without the previous driving offences?

Smoking weed affects perception, judgment and reflex, just as alcohol does. Indeed, this is its intended effect.

This is not a mere accident, it is negligent vehicular homicide. Not only was he high, he was driving too fast for conditions. Everyone is negligent at one point or another. If it results in death, you go to jail. Tough luck. Even tougher if you get a sentence that fits the crime and not a cakewalk like this one. If you are not also a sociopath, you do not write to the dead peoples' family and tell them it was the victims' fault.

The weed advocates here just prove everyone else's negative opinions of them, and set their own cause back.

James(1) ... your such a ranter .... read 73 again and repeat ...

Take some deep breaths, if necessary in and out of a brown paper bag and just calm down ...

You clearly still don't get it and the loaded gun example is great. It demonstrates your complete misunderstanding of the point and desire to polarise it to the hysterical degree that you seem to find comfort in sniping from.

What is lacking from your well chosen example is context. That would be that presumably the chap in your example wasn't the only one driving and therefore it would be fair to say, in your example, he wouldn't be the only one shooting! I put it to you that if we were talking about guns instead of cars, that shooting down the street would be as common as driving down the street pro rata context. If that was the case then 'yes' it would still be an 'accident' as the intention to kill or maim is not there.

Bottom line is ... this guy, this low life who did this thing deserves a long time in jail - we're agreed. I'd prefer to keep 'murder' and the 'higher' level strictly with probable intent based sentencing. Sure hang draw and quarter a true cold blooded murderer. I couldn't care less ... but I'd ask you where you draw the line if you want to bring accidents into the same sort of frame. Careless driving? Driving with a cup of coffee? - All 'drink' driver may as well be done for attempted murder according to your book?!

This, even a hysterical warped bafoon of a man like you, must admit would be proposterous ... ?

I've got a couple of pasl in QLD, wonder if they could arrange a sore face for this chancer when get's relased.

five and a half years in not long enough. this was closer to murder than an accident, this guy was not only driving fast in fog he had no llicense, he had no qualified driver with him, and goin by the article had smoked cannabis

i see a few comments above claim that smoking cannabis does not affect your driving, well i dont smoke it but as with most people i know a few who do and after any of them has had a joint i wouldnt go in a car with them driving

I would like to put everyone straight on the facts of this case.
I lmoved from Edinburgh to live in the town where this accident happened as a paramedic.
This man was a well known drug abuser, he hasn't got a drivers licence only a learner, which was already suspended. He was traveling in excess of 60mph in a 30 zone, he didnt even slow down for the roundabout, his car was airbourn before hitting the other car!
He is complaining his sentance was increased by 4 months, he should of got life, not 5 years for killing 2 innocent people by his bad driving and drug taking!

Sounds like this loser has been in jail just long enough to get the "it's everyone else's fault but mine" attitude so prevalent in today's society. I hope the Rennies do not dignify his self-centered, snotty letter with a reply. However, I think this killer's address should be made public so we can all drop him a line or two of our own so we may express OUR feelings on the matter.

Hopefully when he goes before the parole board next year, they will take into account the letter he sent the family, blaming the victim for the accident.
I notice that when he first wrote to them full of remorse it was before his case was due to go back to the appeals court, and then when things didn't go his way he sent the vitriolic letter claiming it wasn't his fault and blaming his victim.
He drove right over the top of a roundabout when he lost control and slammed into their car at high speed and somehow their being in his way was their fault. I think we can safely say that he is a sandwich short of a picnic.

angus and the others youve kinda missed the point a wee bairns been killed here you not parents then he should never be released again these idiots takking drugs and being drunk whilst driving is absolutly disgusting and to take innocent lives because of your misjudgement is unforgivable. and why didnt the gaurds sensor his mail bringing back his nightmarish antics to the grandparents and accusing the innocent

a lout in aberdeen was given 4 months yesterday for smashing into a resteraunts front door luckily no one was killed he should have been given at least ten years!!

Allan "hand of god" you are wrong on several counts. I hope no impressionable young minds are reading your irresponsible words - as you could be the death of them and more families like the one murdered by the remorseless druggy in this story.

I'm sorry your love of cannabis has interfered with your reading and judgment faculties but there are only roughly eighty studies showing that cannabis is a traffic risk drug.

I can see that even if your habit leads you to kill behind the wheel you will look for some loophole to deny responsibility. Luckily courts are more intelligent thn to go on the few select low grade studies you cite.

Why are you more concerned to protect your precious drug from deserved bad press than to empathise with the victims here, has cannabis killed your ability to feel normal and apt emotions like others on this thread do?

The tragedy here is that you really are not in reality. You do not know better than the majority of scientists in this world. The studies you have cited are dated and refuted. The scientists involved have done better work on this matter since.

Forget the drugs, forget the fog. The drivers in Australia are, in my opinion, the worst we've ever seen. We live 50 miles from where the accident happened and as tragic as it is, it's an almost weekly occurrence over here. The drivers have no regard whatsoever to their fellow road users and the police have little or no presence on the roads, moreso in places like Toowoomba or Ipswich. The Government recognise there is a problem, as do the police but Queenslands rules and regulations are somewhat lax when it comes to road safety. I think that's reflective in the length of his sentence. To blame this poor woman just smacks of the ignorance you come to expect from idiots like him. It's always someone elses fault. Perhaps if the rules and regulations were enforced a bit better over here, this would never have happened.

#91 Laura.
I lived on the Gold Coast in Qld. until recently and have to agree, the driving is pretty awful.
What some of the posters here don't realise when they say 'don't blame the marijuana' is the the social context in which these crimes happen. A growing problem in Queensland is the cocktails of drugs people like Bruce Sheedy are taking before they get behind the wheel. It isn't just marijuana, it's that plus amphetamines, plus alcohol, plus sniffing butane plus anything alse that gives them a chemical high. They mix 'uppers' and 'downers' and their heads are completely messed up. Whether their heads are messed as a result of the drugs or they take the drugs because their heads are messed up is a moot point, but it does mean that there are some unstable people out and about, and Queensland gets more than it's fair share. That's unfortunately the price you pay for having a good lifestyle, cheap cost of living and sunshine for over 300 days a year.

#11 i am with you all the way .

#89
finally someone who got the real point, all the arguments about who right and whos wrong, speed limits this and cannabis that wont change the fact that a little girl had her life taken away, not by a long shot

#29 as a hardened cannabis smoker i applaud you wheres the GIRUY #24 SMILEY

The guys an erse but the Death penalty should only be used for paedos and rapists

Why doesn't someone 'have a quiet word' with him, preferably at the bottom of a quarry.

Sorry to get off the point - but has anyone noticed the striking resemblence between Sheedy in the photo above and lovable cook Marlon Dingle from Emerdale?

The woman & lil girl are my sister n law & niece. Obviously we are devasted about the tragic events. Its changed our lives, each other morning we wake, for a miniute we dont remember & then, its hits us...
He did this to us, by gettin in car without supervision, without L plates & no license, high on cannibis on a foggy day. His car flew over a roundabout, airbourne & smashed into the roof of my sister n laws car, causing her to die instantly with serious brain injuries.

All we wanted from this Bruce Sheedy was to know that he understood the pain he has caused & what he has taken from all of us. He obviously doesn't. Not only has he sent this mail, he was arresetd after the accident on drug charges, the very drug that was involved in this accident.

i am the sister of the man who killed Chantelle and Ellora and i am very sorry for what he has done to your family. i agree with alot of people when they say he should of got more time it should have been the full sentence of 7 yrs for each of thier lives or even more.im am also sorry that he blames them for being there at the time. if it is any ones fault it is his and his alone.

I have personally been to the scene and Bruce is lying to himself to help him live with what he has done. The skid marks start before entering the round about. So unless he had a premonition she was going to pull out in front of him his statement is untrue. Also I spoke to a man who was in a car opposite where Bruce entered the roundabout. He said Chantelle’s car stopped Bruce from hitting his car and there was nothing she could do. He said he came out of nowhere at a ridiculous speed through fog.
I also don't understand why there was no sign of him trying to turn the car away from hitting her on the OPPOSITE side of the roundabout which he traveled straight through the middle of.
I think he did not even know the roundabout was there let alone a car at the opposite side.
Tell Bruce I have brought myself to forgiving him regardless of whether he accepts what he has done. I have a picture of him to remind me to pray for him everyday. I care little for the amount of time he does in prison as prison is about punishment, not justice. I hope he spends the rest of his life trying to make something of it, as Chantelle & Ellora would have. Don't waste it on drugs.
Also thank you to Bruce’s sister I don't hold you or your family responsible for Bruce’s choices. We can't always control our families’ choices in life.
As always drugs waste lives.

The last comment was from Chantelle's brother not Daffodiljill.