Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
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THE Justice Minister is proposing an increase in the maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving from 14 to 20 years.
Naomi Long outlined the plans in a meeting with victims’ families who have long campaigned for change.
It is among a series of recommendations following an extensive review of sentencing policy.
Mrs Long held a virtual meeting with the the families of Enda Dolan and Lesley-ann Mccarragher to discuss the recommenda
MEETING Long tions for cases of death by dangerous driving. Queen’s University student Enda, 18, from Killyclogher in Co Tyrone, was walking to halls of residence in South Belfast when he was killed in 2014.
The driver David Lee Stewart, who was high on drink and drugs, drove with the teenager on the roof of his van for around 800 yards before stopping.
He received a seven-year sentence, which was later increased on appeal to nine years including four-and-ahalf years in prison. Enda’s father Peter Dolan welcomed the minister’s proposals as a “step in the right direction”. He said it was an “emotional” day and one of “relief ” after years of campaigning on the issue.
He added: “It’s not going to change anything from our point of view.
“Enda is not going to walk in the door. But it might help somebody further down the line.” The Department of Justice said it expects the proposed legislative changes will form the basis of a Sentencing Bill in the next mandate after next year’s election.preparatory work is to continue in the interim.”
GHISLAINE Maxwell is “withering” away and losing her hair as she is allegedly being abused by a prison guard, her lawyer has claimed.
Attorneys for the British socialite, who is being held on child grooming and abuse charges in New York, have complained about the “onerous” conditions they say she is being kept in.
In a letter to the courts, lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said Maxwell is also being deprived of sleep, served inedible food and being “physically abused” by a jail guard.
She claims that when Maxwell, 59, complained about her treatment she was punished for it.
“It is impossible to overstate the deleterious effect of the conditions under which Ms Maxwell is detained,” Sternheim wrote.
“She is withering to a shell of her former self – losing weight, losing hair, and losing her ability to concentrate.”
The lawyer claims Maxwell is subjected to repeated searches and surveillance by guards, which Sternheim claims is to make up for the Bureau of Prison’s failure to prevent her ex, paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, from committing suicide in 2019 while he awaited trial. Alleging Maxwell was “physically abused” by a guard during a search of her body, the lawyer claimed it was carried out away from cameras in her cell. “When [Maxwell] asked that the camera be used to capture the occurrence, a guard replied ‘no’,” Sternheim claimed. “When Ms Maxwell recoiled in pain and when she said she would report the mistreatment, she was threatened with disciplinary action.” Days later, in response to her complaints, Maxwell was then allegedly ordered into a shower by guards and told to scrub the walls with a brush. Maxwell, a friend of Prince Andrew’s, has been accused of child sex abuse, grooming and perjury and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting trial. She has denied all allegations. Epstein’s victims have accused Maxwell of acting as his recruiter in the 1990s, convincing girls to visit his properties in Florida, the Virgin Islands and New York, where he would abuse them.