The Mail Bag
Pienaar Charged with drink driving
Comments (57)
Anybody know anything more about it?
Can he be locked up for this or will be just get a fine and be banned from driving?
David McKitt, Posted 23/02/2010 at 09:52:29
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Anyone want to offer him a lift to Goodison?
Oh, and just to get a debate going. What a tit for getting behind the wheel.
Any person that gets behind the wheel pissed is an idiot weather they are Sam Higgins or any everton player!!
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Incidently, despite this charge being pretty straightforward more often than not, I’d still rather wait to see whether or not he is convicted before passing judgement on him.
Even if guilty he won’t be going to prison and will almost certainly escape community service, regardless of what he blew. A percentage of his salary will be far too appealing for the magistrates to overook (see Unsworth).
He seems like a good guy to me, and with no damage done, let’s hope that this teaches him that a taxi fare, on occasion, isn’t an extravagance. I’ll bet it was where he grew up.
About as likely to affect his football career as a garage-full of ciggies, or alleged GBH in Southport. (Is that a rough town?)
And if he was still over the next morning he must have been in one hell of a state the night before. I’d say Mark is right - it was probably the early hours and he took a red light. One year driving ban and £1000 fine.
Well just as in Baxter’s alleged misdemeanor earlier in the season, let’s just wait and see before getting all high and mighty over the implications of what he’d supposed to have done.
The game has changed a lot these days and I would have thought that going out on the piss to celebrate a win, especially with a mid week Euro game coming up, was not the expected behaviour of modern professional player?
He may not have been ’pissed’ as such....but why take the car? Surely he could afford a bloody taxi to Woolton?
Mind you he’s not exactly Ashley Cole is he? Just a bit of a fool on this occasion.
It was in the early hours at the end of a night out out.
I agree with the post that says get rid of him. This couldve been the same as Lee Hughes a few years back who killed someone when behind the wheel and pissed. I know the vast majority will make light of it but drink/driving is a killer whether you play for EFC or clean the streets. If I did it and got arrested Id lose my job and career. Piennar will just employ a driver for 12months and carry on regardless. Try telling ’God is Great’ to the Magistrate and see how far that gets him!!!
So much for God.
The grey area for me is the next morning. In theory you can metabolise 1 unit per hour, although everyone is different. 10 pints may be 20-30 units depending on choice of your ale. You can easily see how the next day without realising you can be over the limit. Happened to a friend of mine, random spot check driving to work the next day and he had not drunk that much the night before.
Maybe Pienaar’s contract doesn’t but he knew that what he was doing was illegal & when he got behing the wheel over the limit then he could not know whether his action would result in death or maiming an innocent person.
No excuse, get rid asap!
Don’t get me wrong, my cousin was knocked off her bike by a drunk driver and was very fortunate just to come away with a scar on her head after a short stay in hospital... but FFS people, calling for him to be sold and questioning his religion is well overboard. Frankly it’s clear that he did not kill anybody and leave the scene ala Lee Hughes and whilst I may not be a Christian, I certainly don’t remember Thou shalt not be in control of a motor vehicle if thou has been out on the raz. So before casting stones or calling for action against this young man, just wait until after March 9th.
For a man of average height, weight and build, roughly 2 pints will put them over the limit.
With little Stevie P, it could just as likely be the case that he had a can of Shandy Bass after dinner and it put him at twice the legal limit
If found guilty he is not fit to wear the blue shirt
With Pinnear only weighing in at 6 stone the effect was equivalent to 6 units of alcohol. What didn’t help was he was giving 2 vicars and 3 nuns a lift back to their homes and they were giving a right earful of Hymn No 63 - "If You Know Your History" when the police stopped them. Unfortunately the police were Liverpool supporters and didn’t show any sympathy !
HASSSERRRRRR HASSSERRRR HASSSSERRRR
Nyernyernyermyeriddleiddleiddle.
Shhhhhhhhh-IH-IH-IH-IH-lalalalalalalalala.
(sorry if that sounds like nonsense, I’m speaking in tongues - the important thing is Pienaar gets the message)
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I think it’s more than covered by a reckless approach to ’thou shalt not kill’....
They said it happened at 4:30 am as he was seen running a red light in Lime Street.
He was described in the Echo as a resident of Woolton (about 5 or so miles from the city centre for those non locals)
I live near Woolton its about a £12 taxi fare at night home from the city.
I am not condoning him for what he has done, it is idiotic but like most rational people I will await the details before ordering the stoning. Was he wasted, doubt it, or had he a glass or two of champagne with food and that has put him over? No one knows yet but I would bet a hefty sum that if he was massively over the limit it would have been in the story about him, papers love things like that.
Who did he kill Ciaran?, didn’t read that bit in the paper. (reckless doesn’t automatically mean life threatening)
Anyone who knowingly gets into a car under the influence of drink and drives - is a complete and utter muppet.
Everton have so far refused to comment, but you can be sure that had he actually been a great deal over or had so much as swerved near someone the red tops would be all over it.
Punishment has to be proportionate to the crime, and innocent until proven guilty... he has been charged not sentenced.
Innocent until guilty, absolutely, but if anyone is found guilty of drink driving that should be locked up.
Did you witness Mr Pienaar driving after drinking more than the legal limit that evening?
Do you carry collaborated testing equipment and managed to test him after he was stopped?
Were you the arresting officer?
Were you at the station when further tests were conducted?
Do you know any more about the case other than the myopic bit released to the press?
Are you a Judge?
Have you go any idea how the law works?
Have you an all seeing eye?
Are you a God?
If you answer no to any of the above then I think it’s unfair of you to start judging him before he’s been in front of a Judge and his case heard.
It is irrelevant that he is currently under contract at our club.
Do you know what I find funny? None of it.
If found guilty in court (rather than an internet forum), then dependent on the facts presented I’m sure the club will act accordingly.
Personally I think a token fine (which may not have any real effect on someone’s salary) and points/temporary ban is not enough - but then that is once someone is convicted of drink driving rather than when someone’s been arrested and charged.
Do you think the police just pull you up, and say " I’m charging you with drink driving, and your going to court sonny " without being able to back it up?
Also, it has been said on Toffeeweb, that he’s appearing in court for going through a red light, not being funny, but my other half jumped a red light, and got an on the spot fine, not a court appearance.
I think some of you need to get the chip of your shoulders, because the way some of you are going on, you would have thought he had been given a parking fine.
No idea what criminal damage has to do with this debate...It was about recklessness in relation to life and limb...and the law certainly enshrines such a principle in relation to driving offences...
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Yes, that’s why I put the initial caveat of ’If this is true’ ...on my first post.
Secondly (and this is for Brian Waring) The police do not have the power to find anybody guilty. The breathalyser results are merely evidence that the prosecution can place before a Court. In fact, breathalyser evidence is never enough on it’s own to secure a conviction and once arrested the police will request a blood sample because it is more accurate (breathalyser evidence is notoriously inaccurate). If you refuse to give a blood sample then you will be charged with failing to do so which carries exactly the same potential penalties as drink-driving.
A positive breath test is NOT proof of driving under the influence.Pienaar is innocent until due process finds him guilty....including if he pleads guilty.
If you blow positive at the roadside you get arrested and taken to a police station. There you are asked for TWO more breath samples on a very fancy machine that is also very accurate. This gives a reading of the amount of alcohol in your system via your breath. the limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 milliltres of breath. If you blow under then you dont get charged with anything and youre released. 36-40 you get a warning and advice. 41-50 you get the OPTION of providing blood which gets sent of for analysis and over 50 you get charged and sent to Court. In this case as hes been charged we can safely assume he provided the 2 samples at the police station and blew in excess of 50 hence the charge and pending Court appearance.
As a police officer of 20yrs I have arrested countless people for this offence and not one has been found not guilty. So I think its also pretty safe to assume that he will be found Guilty, banned from driving and given a fine which he ll pay out of his 50k a week wages!!!
I hope that clears that one up!!!
Brain Waring, twice you have claimed that a breathalyser test is incontrivertable.
Its not. You are actually entitled to a blood test in cases where you are marginally over the limit.
Although you’re lack of knowledge proves (!) not many people know this part of the Road Traffic Act.
So you’re well out of order castigating Pienaar until the details are heard in the magistrates court.
And contrary to Sean’s contribution, Do you think the police officers would have said "41-50 you get the OPTION of providing blood which gets sent of for analysis"... I doubt it!
Lets wait and see if he was given the option, and procedures are followed first. Its why its going to the magistrates court in the first place.
If he is found guilty of drink driving he should be harshly punished.
I’ll not advise on your job if you dont advise me on mine. Trust me on this.He was pissed and blew over 50.
Treat yourself to a copy of the road traffic act. It's a cracking read!!!
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1 Posted 23/02/2010 at 20:18:40
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