This came in on the newsfeeds and tells how Marc Lutman, 19, took his father’s driving school car without consent and crashed it, killing his best friend in the process. He was 2½ times the legal limit when tested.
It’s a tragic story, but the fact that Lutman’s father was a driving instructor is totally irrelevant. That’s the Daily Mail for you, though.
The law in this country really is in a mess when you read the full story. Lutman was the driver, to be sure, but the deceased – Ian Deer, also 19 – appeared to be at least as responsible for what happened. Lutman didn’t want to drive, but was eventually coerced into doing so by Deer. In fact, Deer was messing with the dual controls (dangerous enough by itself) and even pulled Lutman’s arm off the steering wheel just before the crash. He was not wearing a seatbelt, and text messages received by Lutman made it clear that it was Deer’s idea to take the car keys.
Deer’s mother does not blame Lutman for the crash.
Lutman’s whole life is now ruined by a 3 year and 4 month jail sentence (it would have already been seriously damaged by what he had done, and what he never tried to deny responsibility for). I’m not defending him in any way, but far worse offenders from the dregs of society get away with much more lenient sentences. Lutman, on the other hand, was a good student at Leicester University, with a bright future ahead of him.