Opinion

Lifetime disqualification

Murderers, rapists and others of the most serious criminality are not expected to pay all their life for their crimes. One of the tenets of our sentencing criminals is to leave, or even create, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, to begin anew, and this is crucial to rehabilitation. All bar those who've committed the most heinous crimes are given an opportunity to wipe that slate within 20 years.

In my column in The Herald today I ask why the same does not apply to a Salamander Bay man who is a habitual driving offender. John Michael Valentine is 29 years old and he has never held a licence, and so his first driving offence years ago would have been unlicensed driving. Since then he has been caught as a disqualified driver many times, and each time the term of his disqualification has been extended. Last Monday at Maitland Local Court it was extended by two years to 2065, in which year Valentine will turn 84. He was also sentenced to 22 months' jail, and while the non-parole period of that sentence is 14 months the fact that Valentine was on parole when he was caught driving while disqualified last week does not augur well.

Hey, and what was the purpose of the $700 fine levied on Monday? To add to the disadvantage and misery of Valentine's family?

There is no light at the end of the tunnel for Valentine, no prospect of a clean slate, and I suspect that it is the hopelessness of his situation that stands in the way of his rehabilitation. Not only are we failing Valentine, what appears to be our inflexible sentencing is failing his children and the community. Don't we have everything to gain by negotiating a visible end to the driving ban? Whose interests do we serve by forcing a person in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s to pay for crimes they committed in their 20s?

Posted By: Jeff Corbett on 7/06/2010 9:57:00 AM | Comments (44)

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Date: Newest first | Oldest first

How can banning one from driving when they were not to be driving in the first place suppose to work . It seems they did not care they were not to be driving anyway.

Posted by leopards_girl, 6/06/2010 11:13:18 AM, on The Herald

Just shoot them and have done with it. Seriously, the Chinese have it sorted when it comes to serial crims - a bullet in the back of the neck, then off to the table to have anything useful whipped out and distributed to the needy. Spare me the crocodile tears for this piece of refuse.

Posted by Scott Hillard, 7/06/2010 10:04:10 AM, on The Herald

You seem to have returned from the weekend refreshed and in good spirits, Scott.

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 7/06/2010 10:20:59 AM

The message it sends to the community is that you can not drive without a license and expect to get away with it. Bloggers will write about it and people far and wide might respect the law.

Posted by Ricky, 7/06/2010 10:05:45 AM, on The Herald

At the first court hearing for a driving offence I committed, the magistrate allowed me to attend the Traffic Offenders Program, which is a series of weekly lectures on many aspects of driving. One of the main messages is that driving is a privilege, not a right, and you must do so responsibly. You can only lose your license for doing something silly, and 6 or 9 months of walking and using public transport makes you appreciate it.

Posted by Ollie, 7/06/2010 10:21:02 AM, on The Herald

I do feel for this man's family and children, however I have no sympathy for the mother of his children. Why choose him to be a father? Clearly he has nothing to offer the community he lives in. He is a very sad case of a man. Actually he really isn't a man. It is so sad that 'boys' like this never reach their full potential as a human, and realise the wonder of life and think about what can I do to make this world better? I think our justice system's premise of wiping the slate clean boils down to our eternal hope that people will reform. Naive or not we all have hope. I do admire the Salvation Army officers who work with people like him in the hope they can help turn there lives around.

Posted by leahkf, 7/06/2010 10:33:02 AM, on The Herald

You don't get 50 years without a licence for a few offences Jeff. This guy is a habitual offender, He clearly disregards the law and all other road users when he gets behind the wheel. I feel a 14 month jail term is also a bit soft on him, Its about time we become tougher on these serial offenders.

Posted by Nafe, 7/06/2010 10:44:02 AM, on The Herald

Not having a driver's license isn't the end of the world...on yer bike mate!

Posted by stevo106, 7/06/2010 10:52:44 AM, on The Herald

"serious crimes" are getting lenient sentences is what you are actually saying. the community has not failed valentine, he has failed the community. his arrogance towards the community by continuously driving whilst disqualified has been continuously punished. you reap what you sow. would you still feel such compassion if he had killed a child when he did a runner to avoid being pulled over?

Posted by judgedredd, 7/06/2010 11:05:54 AM, on The Herald

hey scott...where do you get your information?

Posted by suzhousid, 7/06/2010 11:06:25 AM, on The Herald

He should call in to the sterilisation clinic on his way to jail and have his licence / ability to breed revoked at the same time.

Posted by IndyJonesJnr, 7/06/2010 11:15:07 AM, on The Herald

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