Guernsey Press

Death crash driver is jailed for a year

TEENAGER Kirk Bishop was imprisoned for a year for a car crash in which his close friend was killed.

Published

TEENAGER Kirk Bishop was imprisoned for a year for a car crash in which his close friend was killed. In the Royal Court yesterday, the 19-year-old admitted causing the death of his passenger, Danny Machon, 17, by driving dangerously at Forest Road at about midnight on 15 November 2003. He was also banned from driving for five years.

But the victim's father, Ian Machon, 51, said that he did not want Bishop, who had known his son since primary school, to be jailed.

'I did not want him to get any time in prison because prison is not going to do him any good ' I would have liked him to get 10 years off the roads,' he said.

Bishop is the first Guernsey motorist to be sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for such an offence for more than 15 years.

The head-on crash happened at a blind bend near the Forest Road Garage. Bishop's car was overtaking when he hit another being driven by Carl Falla. Both vehicles were speeding.

In the same court, Mr Falla received a '250 fine and nine-month ban for driving without due care and attention.

'I think they should both have had the same sentence ' they were both doing the same speeds on the same roads,' said Mr Machon.

'I think they both should have been done for dangerous driving.'

But following a lengthy investigation and exchanges of expert evidence, the dangerous driving case against Mr Falla was dismissed ' he had spent '7,000 denying it.

Mr Machon, his wife, Sandra, and their daughters, Emma and Sarah, together with other relatives watched yesterday's proceedings from the court's public gallery.

He wants a review of the law so that a blanket driving ban could be enforced upon conviction for such an offence.

'The problem is, if he was not in prison, he could go to Jersey this afternoon and have a hire car waiting at the airport. I think the law should be changed ' a whole Channel Islands ban should come into force and they should be banned from driving anywhere.'

The family are devastated by the tragedy.

'We are gutted with losing the lad ' our only son,' said Mr Machon.

He wants speeding youngsters to take note of what happened to his son through no fault of his own.

'Just don't do it. I would hope there would be some good that comes out of it, but I doubt there will be.'

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