Right or wrong ?

[locksmith]

I can't make my mind up if its right or wrong or is it neither?
 
Swindon Town FC has defended its decision to allow a footballer, whose drink driving led to the deaths of two small children, to train with the club.
        Luke McCormick will join Swindon Town football club for a trial when he is released from Leyhill prison in June.
        But the club's chairman, Jeremy Wray, insisted his decision was more about rehabilitation for the footballer than for the club's benefit.
        "I'm not in desperate need of a goalkeeper.
        "This is someone who's served his time in prison and is now looking to reintegrate into society.
        "He goes back to the profession he was in before, can we help him by allowing him to come and train with us and rebuild his life and hopefully put something back?
        "He is full of remorse. He has spoken to the PFA about working with young players and explaining the pitfalls of drinking driving.
        "This is not about football, it's about Swindon doing what's right in the community - for rehabilitation."
        McCormick was jailed for seven years and four months in October 2008 after the deaths of Arron Peak, 10, and his brother Ben, eight, in a crash on the M6 in Staffordshire.
        Mr Peak, from Partington in Manchester, was at the wheel of the family's Toyota andalso suffered serious injuries that left him in a wheelchair.
        McCormick was returning from a team-mate's wedding and was found to be twice the legal drink-drive limit at the time of the crash.
        He had been seen with his friends drinking beer and downing shots of Sambuca at the reception.
        The 28-year-old has been training with the Swindon club while on day release from prison since January.
        The dead boys' mother, Amanda Peak, has said the club's decision to take on the former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper feels "like a kick in the stomach".
        "Swindon might be a family club but now they are hiring a man who has torn my family apart," she told The Sun newspaper.
        Mr Wray added: "Our view is that it is very easy to say that it's too difficult a subject to bother with.
        "We thought long and hard about it, and it has to be made clear that everybody's thoughts can only go to the family of those two young boys and their father who was badly injured.
        "Tragedy is a word used too often, but this was a tragedy and it can never be changed.
        "He (McCormick) will live with what has happened every day of his life but he has the chance to give something back, to show the tragedies of drink-driving."

[Tefer]

Tough one.


Everyone deserves a second chance but these poor kids will not, it must eat away at you that you caused the deaths of two innocent children.

[Raymy]

So are we saying the guy is never allowed to work again?

Why donct we just keep him at the pleasure of the state then? The boys' mother is understandably upset, but she has to move on. Harsh but its the truth. But In no way can she advocate that he never be allowed to make a living ever in his life. If not training with the team (who are not contracting him from the report, only training) then what should he do exactly? Go into a different profession? Good luck with that. Join the forces? Same.

I don't think its a tough one at all. In fact I think the club should be commended for engaging in what will surely be a PR nightmare for them.
He did his time, he's out (almost) he should be afforded every chances that convicted murderers, robbers, rapists and gangsters get every day elsewhere, so why not let this guy go back and try and rebuild his life? The mother says no and thats fine, I donct blame her, but for any other person looking at it objectively, I ask, what should the guy do exactly?

[chilly]

well by rights (if i had my way) he would be too old to play poofball when he got out. Bastard should be 65 when he gets out

[Fazer Jake]

He should be serving time still, proper unjustice for the family they lost their family forever and hes swanning round playing football

[rustyrider]

What I find wrong is that he got 7 years but is out already, even if it is on day release.  If he was sentenced to 7 years 4 months, I reckon that he shouldn't be out until 7 years 4 months after he was sent down which I work out to be February 2016..

[Chillum]

Sometimes good things are borne out of tragedy.

Who's to say how many young people he might manage to persuade not to drink and drive? How many lives might he save by doing this?

It seems he's convinced people that he is sorry for what he did. He can't undo it, but I think it shows a lot of character to try and help others not make the same mistake.

You often hear about ex-cons going to schools to teach kids what can happen if they stray off the path - it often works better than hearing it from rozzers as the kids can relate to them more.

[Grahamm]

I can't make my mind up if its right or wrong or is it neither?
 
        "Swindon might be a family club but now they are hiring a man who has torn my family apart," she told The Sun newspaper.

Ah, it's from the Scum. What's the betting that they asked her leading questions until they got a good quote?

My sympathies to her for her loss, but we have a judicial system and prison service to punish people, once someone has served their sentence they have "done their time and paid their debt to society", they shouldn't be punished again, nor barred from legitimate work because of it.

[alan09]

but the point is he has'nt done his time less than half if we're led to believe, he should have got alot more than 7 years but then i speak as a father & grandfather, if it had been my kids i'd have wanted him locked up for life. but would we be having this conversation if say he was a bricklayer or a painter & decorator, are the objections because he's going to be playing football or because he's going to be earning loads of money, me thinks its more to do with the money than the football. but my thoughts are with the parents & fully understand where they're coming from.

[Raymy]

Well said grahamm


But let's not let that get in the way of a good lynching eh?

[goldfazer]

Ignore that it's footie. It what he does/did for a living, and probably can't do anything else. He's done his time  - whether or not you agree he did enough - he's now a free man.

[solorider]

because he is on day release have you thought that the probation service may have approached swindon town fc,the team did say they did have a long thought about it before considering to take him on,and at the moment he is only on trial when he has released.
i dont condone what he did but as mentioned he has done his time (or nearly) and he will live with what he has done for the rest of his life.end of the day the laws concerning drink driving and killing soneone when driving are a little weak and could be made a bit more harsh to fit the crime

[rjd1]

twat should o got longer in prison
no one forced him to drink drive

he kills 2 kids an puts their dad in a wheelchair for fuk sake

sorry is such an easy word to say

i think what is an will hurt them the most is the fact that he will be in the public eye enjoyin life while the kids are still dead and dad in wheelchair yes they must move on an live their life but will be hard seeing him in tabloids or on tv

unless you are a parent its very hard to say move on an deal with it hope none of us ever have to suffer as this family have

[Raymy]

Well, there we go, nobody makes mistakes on here it seems, and should you have the gall to make one, never should you work again or try to rebuild your life at all.

How about this, he'[s been locked up for the last few years, thereby taking a chunk out of his career which was already short to begin with, and given its with swindon, he'll make little more than most on here. So it might be fair to say that he has been aiming towards this since school. When others around him got trades and further educations, he got football. When he hits 35 or maybe 40ish cos he's a goalie, what is he to do, its hard enough to get work without an eduation or trade, never mind one when you are approaching middle age and only of use to for a short period, if at all. Why should he get a good job when there will be younger more qualified people going for the same thing?

Doesn't sound like a path to an enjoyable life to me, but hey he might get lucky. He, for all we know, may have manic episodes and struggles to function like he used to as a result. He may even have some underlying injury that may hamper his progress in the game. He might even turn to alcoholism or drugs to block out the pain of the crimes he committed. But i suppose to some that would be too good for him.

Burn the witch we say.

We had something similar in my family. We never fully recovered. We had to move on. There's no other way. It only eats you from the inside out if you don't.

[wraith600]

well by rights (if i had my way) he would be too old to play poofball when he got out. Bastard should be 65 when he gets out

   got to agree

[pitternator]

I think its  a stupid insensitive thing for a family orientated club to do...full stop.
I have my own crusade for causing death by drink/ drug / careless/ dangerous driving...the penalties for which seem ridiculously low.
TOWert...sure stand up fer the guy , its your opinion, but wont enamour you to anyone.
For the destruction this selfish swine has caused, IMO he has not suffered anywhere near enuff...and yet again send sout the totally wrong message to young people who will still risk drink and driving....
 
to my mind this case just highlights again we should introduce much tougher sentancing for killing people with a motor vehicle.....

[Grahamm]

to my mind this case just highlights again we should introduce much tougher sentancing for killing people with a motor vehicle.....

I won't disagree with that, but the way to change things is to lobby your MP and get them to propose a change in the law.

Until that happens, though, people deciding that "We think person X hasn't been punished enough, so we're going to do it because the law won't" is on a slippery slope to lynch mobs.

[pitternator]

I never mentioned lynching any one !   FFS !   

[Dave48]

Just a few observations....Here we have a young man who through his actions has caused misery & suffering to a family on the road. According to the law he has been sentenced & punished whether we agree with the length of sentence or not, in the long run its not going to bring back those killed nor reduce the pain & suffering of those left behind. Sadly this happens all too frequently,but when it involves high-profile sports personalities it becomes a media frenzy/witchhunt.
Perhaps the real fault lies in a society that pays young footballers astronomically high wages-How often do we hear of popstars and personalities cracking under the pressures& using drink/drugs?
At the same time why do we allow people to drink a legally specified amount of alcohol & still drive when other countries have a zero limit?
Our roads have never been more congested & in such a poor state of repair,whilst vehicles generally speaking have become safer .At the same time general driving standards are so incredibly poor right across the spectrum from those who have just passed the"test" & think theres nothing left to learn to those who have been driving for years & often with bad habits/deteriorating senses particularly uncorrected vision defects.
You only have to look at magistrates/crown court sentencing for driving offences to realise that sometimes life has a low value attached when people cause death by careless driving/serious injury but escape a custodial sentence.
No the real problem is deep-seated. A driving licence is a privi
lege not an entitlement. Most people going through motorcycle training know this because of the nature/length of the process from L-plates to full unrestricted licence. Car test is out dated & irrelevant to modern conditions.
We have laws on the statute books like use of mobile/hand held devices that are virtually unenforceable due to reduced police presence on the roads yet we all know the possible consequences of a moments inattention.
When & if we ever get a courageous government that is prepared to act in the interests of the common man without outside influence & financial backing from the all-powerful drinks industry etc we may have the start of a fairer& safer society particularly on the roads.
This young man is going to have to carry the guilt & memory of his actions forthe rest of his life. Perhaps his future example & message to youngsters will help prevent this type of tragedy in future.

[Slaninar]

Justice is a very relative term.

For a normal, decent man, a month in prison is more than enough. Having to live all your life with the shame and realisation of what you've done: that's worse than a death penalty.

For an iresponsible scumbag, even 50 years in prison is worthless, because when he/she is out: does bad bad thins again.


Nothing will bring kids back to life. There's a saying in my country:
"Horsethieves are not being hung because they were stealing horses.
They are being hung so that horses would not get stolen".

Not sure if it's well translated. If people know they'll end up in prison for drinking and driving, and this man was also sent to prison, that's the best you can do. For some that is not enough, but you can't do any better. People will do stupid things and some of those just can't be undone.

[Grahamm]

I never mentioned lynching any one !   FFS !   

FFS! Read the rest of the thread

[Grahamm]

Nothing will bring kids back to life. There's a saying in my country:
"Horsethieves are not being hung because they were stealing horses.
They are being hung so that horses would not get stolen".

Sure, hanging one person who has stolen a horse will stop them stealing another one, unfortunately "make an example of them" sentencing has been tried time and again, yet has never succeeded in eliminating crime.

[Slaninar]

Nothing will bring kids back to life. There's a saying in my country:
"Horsethieves are not being hung because they were stealing horses.
They are being hung so that horses would not get stolen".

Sure, hanging one person who has stolen a horse will stop them stealing another one, unfortunately "make an example of them" sentencing has been tried time and again, yet has never succeeded in eliminating crime.

Exactly. Crime has other social aspects. In today's society I can't see it diminishing. Anyway, as a matter of principle: the man WAS sentenced, served his time (as an example, nothing can undo what he's done) and should be allowed to live (and work) now. Or just kill him. This blaming "family football club" is utter bollox. Then just go and shoot the bloody goalie, if you won't let him live.

[Looney tune]

Not an easy one to comment on, especially for peeps who have kids of their own. If it was my kid he hit, well I  ...... ....  .... a sniper and ..... ... bastard. Thats from my heart but my head would say he has done his allocated time for the crime now lets lobby the people who dish out such shit sentences.
If he goes on to play footie and work with youngsters in under privaledged areas and  turns the lives of countless kids using his life experiences, turning them into respectful adults, what would you tell their parents ?
He will live with what he done every day of his life and hopefully the pain of what he did will never leave him.