Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith wrote to the Attorney General, Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC this month to ask him to review the unduly lenient sentencing on a drunk driver who tragically killed a constituent’s 19-year-old son whilst under the influence of alcohol.
The defendant overtook another car on a country road in West Sussex and hit teenager Aidan Venison head on who was driving a motorcycle on the other side of the road. He was sentenced in October and out of prison in just 4 years and will have his driving licence back after another 5 years.
The MP was first contacted by Aidan’s mother (a constituent of Arundel & South Downs last year) who wrote to him about how her beloved son had been cruelly taken from her by a alleged drunk driver and how the impact of his selfish and mindless actions had taken on the family.
Andrew Griffith MP said:
“The actions of this selfish dangerous drink driver have devastated and changed the lives of Aidan’s family forever. They have been robbed of this young man’s life and the memories that he would have made and the future he would have had. No one can imagine the pain that they are feeling and the injustice that they feel with this lenient sentence.I have written to the Attorney General to raise Aidan’s case and plea for an urgent review of this unjust punishment and I will continue to push for stronger sentencing and greater consistency in how these crimes are treated. As well as my letter to the Attorney General, I am backing an amendment to the current Sentencing Bill which would remove for life the driving licences of those convicted of death through drunk driving.”
