Gypsy-Rhiannon
03-02-2005, 05:02 AM
I think this is awful....
The parents of a 12-year-old boy who was knocked down and killed by an illegal immigrant called for a change in the law yesterday after seeing him jailed for eight weeks.
Aaron Chisango, who has been refused permission to stay in Britain four times, had drunk one litre of whisky a few hours before hitting Jamie Mason. He did not have a driving license and was driving an uninsured car.
Because of time spent on remand, he will be freed in a few days but still cannot be deported because he has applied for a judicial review into his immigration refusal.
Yesterday Jamie’s parents joined calls for the introduction of a mandatory minimum prison sentence for any driver who kills, regardless of the circumstances.
His mother, Hayley, and stepfather Steve Leighton, said they were “absolutely devastated” that Chisango, 27, could not be charged with causing the youngster’s death because the prosecution could not prove he was driving carelessly or dangerously, despite him being one and half times the drink-drive limit.
And they were critical of the immigration authorities for failing to deport Chisango, a qualified nurse and Zambian national, who has been denied British citizenship four times during seven years living in England.
Mr Leighton, 44, a service engineer, said: “Any driver that unlawfully drives a vehicle should be fully responsible for any consequences of him driving.
“Chisango should never have been in the country, never mind in that car. We are simple people, and we believe he caused Jamie’s death by his actions through his driving.
“If he had not got in that car, Jamie would have been alive today.”
They have gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition to present to the Prime MinIster calling for tougher penalties for similar incidents.
Mrs Leighton, 42, added: “The asylum system is shambolic because the Government seems determined to protect the rights of immigrants over us that live here.”
Jamie’s sister, Tracey, 31, who watched as he was run down, said: “Jamie was such a happy and polite boy, everybody loved him wherever he went. Everyone who ever met him is absolutely horrified by what happened.”
Wolverhampton magistrates’ court heard that Chisango, who was studying at the University of Central England in Birmingham, had been staying with friends in Wolverhampton and drunk almost a litre of whisky the night before the tragedy on January 8.
He was on his way to buy a camera at 11.50am the following day driving a Rover 620 when he hit Jamie, who had been crossing the road near to Miss Mason’s home in Long Knowle Lane. He died in hospital a short time later.
A breath test showed Chisango was one and a half times over the legal limit and he was charged with causing Jamie’s death. However, because he was travelling slightly over the 30mph speed limit - the court heard a maximum of 39mph - the Crown Prosecution Service dropped a charge of death by careless driving through lack of evidence.
Chisango, who lives with his sister in Telford, Shrops, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, driving without a licence or insurance. It is understood that Chisango arrived on a visa and after it ran out failed three subsequent appeals to stay.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/03/02/nchis02.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/03/02/ixhome.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005100149,00.html
The parents of a 12-year-old boy who was knocked down and killed by an illegal immigrant called for a change in the law yesterday after seeing him jailed for eight weeks.
Aaron Chisango, who has been refused permission to stay in Britain four times, had drunk one litre of whisky a few hours before hitting Jamie Mason. He did not have a driving license and was driving an uninsured car.
Because of time spent on remand, he will be freed in a few days but still cannot be deported because he has applied for a judicial review into his immigration refusal.
Yesterday Jamie’s parents joined calls for the introduction of a mandatory minimum prison sentence for any driver who kills, regardless of the circumstances.
His mother, Hayley, and stepfather Steve Leighton, said they were “absolutely devastated” that Chisango, 27, could not be charged with causing the youngster’s death because the prosecution could not prove he was driving carelessly or dangerously, despite him being one and half times the drink-drive limit.
And they were critical of the immigration authorities for failing to deport Chisango, a qualified nurse and Zambian national, who has been denied British citizenship four times during seven years living in England.
Mr Leighton, 44, a service engineer, said: “Any driver that unlawfully drives a vehicle should be fully responsible for any consequences of him driving.
“Chisango should never have been in the country, never mind in that car. We are simple people, and we believe he caused Jamie’s death by his actions through his driving.
“If he had not got in that car, Jamie would have been alive today.”
They have gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition to present to the Prime MinIster calling for tougher penalties for similar incidents.
Mrs Leighton, 42, added: “The asylum system is shambolic because the Government seems determined to protect the rights of immigrants over us that live here.”
Jamie’s sister, Tracey, 31, who watched as he was run down, said: “Jamie was such a happy and polite boy, everybody loved him wherever he went. Everyone who ever met him is absolutely horrified by what happened.”
Wolverhampton magistrates’ court heard that Chisango, who was studying at the University of Central England in Birmingham, had been staying with friends in Wolverhampton and drunk almost a litre of whisky the night before the tragedy on January 8.
He was on his way to buy a camera at 11.50am the following day driving a Rover 620 when he hit Jamie, who had been crossing the road near to Miss Mason’s home in Long Knowle Lane. He died in hospital a short time later.
A breath test showed Chisango was one and a half times over the legal limit and he was charged with causing Jamie’s death. However, because he was travelling slightly over the 30mph speed limit - the court heard a maximum of 39mph - the Crown Prosecution Service dropped a charge of death by careless driving through lack of evidence.
Chisango, who lives with his sister in Telford, Shrops, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, driving without a licence or insurance. It is understood that Chisango arrived on a visa and after it ran out failed three subsequent appeals to stay.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/03/02/nchis02.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/03/02/ixhome.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005100149,00.html