Typical British justice

[STEED]

One rule for us and one rule for them. If that was joe public it would be a different story.

Drink-drive Pc's fall from grace
A police officer who admitted driving two cars, including a patrol car, while over the legal alcohol limit has been given a community sentence.

Pc Ian Fielding, 44, who had once been given a bravery award, was celebrating promotion on the night of the offences.
Fielding, who served with West Mercia Police, was given 200 hours' community service and a 30-month driving ban.
He also faces instant dismissal in what Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court heard was "a spectacular fall from grace".
District Judge Bruce Morgan said a custodial sentence was not needed as Fielding had already suffered through the loss of his career and pension.
"It is quite clear one moment this officer was the hero of the hour and in a very short space of time he now may be considered to be a villain," he said.
'Fall from grace'
The court heard that on 7 January Fielding went to a party and a pub in Worcester to celebrate promotion to the helicopter squad.
He had organised to sleep there instead of returning to his home in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, but later decided he wanted to go home.
He first crashed his Ford Focus down an embankment and was seen by a witness scrambling out of a ditch.

This was a fall from grace of quite spectacular proportion
Shane Crawford, defending

He then went back to West Mercia Police's headquarters in Hindlip, Shropshire, and drove a marked police car but was spotted by a colleague.
He drove off but eventually returned and handed himself in.
A breath test found he had an alcohol level of 79 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath in his system. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.
In mitigation Shane Crawford said: "This was a fall from grace of quite spectacular proportion.
"He had up until this point had an exemplary record.
"The very laws he is now guilty of he sought for all of his working life to enforce."
In December 2002, Fielding disarmed a gunman in Worcester city centre.
The court heard this left him with post-traumatic stress.
Shortly before the drink-driving incident two close family members died, leaving him to deal with arrangements, Mr Crawford said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...re/5220556.stm

Published: 2006/07/27 12:49:38 GMT

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