Latest news with #BSL
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Jailed for five years, profoundly deaf thug who drove car at two police officers
A profoundly deaf criminal who tried to mow down two police officers has been jailed for five years. George Drinnan, 39, repeatedly tried to strike PCs Matthew Rhind and Younis Yaqub with his BMW in Dundee in February 2023. The High Court in Edinburgh heard the repeat offender was driving without insurance and had been banned from driving at the time. Drinnan, originally from Dundee, was originally charged with attempted murder - but it was reduced to a charge of assault to danger of life following a trial. He was found guilty of endangering the lives of the two officers at the High Court in Stirling in February. Yesterday, he returned to the dock in the Scottish capital for sentencing before judge Lady Tait. She heard submissions from defence advocate George Gebbie who told her Drinnan's deafness would affect his ability to communicate with others whilst in custody. However, Lady Tait told Drinnan - who had the help of a British Sign Language interpreter to understand proceedings - that he needed to go to prison for his crimes. She said: 'The circumstances of these offences mean that the only appropriate sentence is a custodial one. 'The court must seek to deter such offending behaviour.' At the start of the trial Drinnan's co-accused Paul Coombs pled guilty to a dangerous driving offence committed during the same incident. He also admitted driving without insurance and while disqualified. The 53-year-old, who was also aided by a BSL interpreter, admitted reversing and striking a parked car, causing it to hit another vehicle then driving at speed towards a parked police car. His advocate David Adams said his client's hearing disability had led to difficulties in life. He said: 'He's led a rather isolated life in England. 'When he's not remanded he doesn't really have any accommodation. 'He's had a long-term drug abuse issue. 'Since being remanded he's been provided with medication which has assisted him greatly in managing it.' Mr Adams said if Coombs were to be freed, arrangements had been put in place for homeless accommodation. He added: 'The period of driving by Mr Coombs was limited - he wasn't driving around Dundee, he was in the passenger seat of the co-accused. 'He drove for a short period. 'He accepts fully he should never have got behind the wheel and he shouldn't have driven in that manner. He apologises.' Lady Tait banned Coombs from driving for a total of six years and imprisoned him for 18 months. Yesterday, the court heard Drinnan had previous convictions for dishonesty, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified. Mr Gebbie told Lady Tait that his client was 'profoundly deaf' who had difficulties communicating with people adding the disability would impact on how he would deal with life in prison. He added: 'He is unable to communicate with people who aren't skilled in sigh language. This will affect his ability to communicate with others. 'This will affect his ability to interact with others prisoners.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mac's Law: New bill would prohibit insurance discrimination against dog breeds
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A proposed law, named after a dog, will soon be introduced in the Pennsylvania House and will work to prevent discrimination against different breeds. Mac's Law would prevent homeowners from being discriminated against solely based on the breed of dog they own. In a memo, Representative Kathleen Tomlinson shared that a constituent in her area spoke up on issues that they had with getting homeowners insurance due to the fact that they owned a pitbull. ''Mac' the pit bull never had a history of being aggressive, and to be perfectly clear, he wouldn't hurt a fly. He was judged by an insurer purely because of his breed,' Tomlinson wrote. Pennsylvania parking ticket fines could change under new bill The proposed legislation would prohibit this type of discrimination. The stereotype against pitbulls isn't something that's new as it's estimated that nearly 800 cities and towns have Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL). Things like breed discriminatory legislation are the result of misinformation, stereotypes and irresponsible ownership that can reinforce it. BSL most often impacts Pitbulls, Staffordshire Terriers, English Bull Terriers, but it's been known in other areas to include Rottweilers, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers. It can also affect mutts or other dogs that resemble them. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that there are 4.7 million dog bites each year and 800,000 will require medical attention. It's also worth noting that critics argue that 100% of locations that have BSL will continue to see reports of bites as 'safety is not a breed-specific issue.' Tomlinson goes on to argue in her memo that while prohibiting discrimination, her legislation would also take into account if a dog has an aggressive history. You can read the full memo here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Courier
a day ago
- The Courier
Dundee motorist who tried to hit police with BMW jailed for five years
A profoundly deaf criminal who endangered the lives of two police officers by trying to hit them with a BMW in Dundee has been jailed for five years. George Drinnan, 39, repeatedly tried to strike PCs Matthew Rhind and Younis Yaqub at Americanmuir Road on February 6 2023. The High Court in Edinburgh heard how, at the time, the repeat offender was disqualified from driving and had no insurance. Drinnan – who was found guilty off the offences at proceedings at the High Court in Stirling earlier this year – appeared before judge Lady Tait on Friday. She heard submissions from defence advocate George Gebbie, who told how his client's deafness will affect his ability to communicate with others while behind bars. However, Lady Tait told Drinnan – who had the help of a British Sign Language interpreter to understand proceedings – he needed to go to prison for his crimes. She said: 'The circumstances of these offences mean that the only appropriate sentence is a custodial one. 'The court must seek to deter such offending behaviour.' Drinnan, from Dundee, was originally charged with attempted murder but was convicted of assault to danger of life following a trial. At the start of the trial Drinnan's co-accused, 53-year-old Paul Coombs – also aided by a BSL interpreter – pled guilty to a dangerous driving offence committed during the same incident and driving without insurance and while disqualified. He admitted reversing and striking a parked car, causing it to hit another vehicle, then driving at speed towards a parked police car. Lady Tait previously banned Coombs from driving for a total of six years and imprisoned him for 18 months. On Friday, the court heard Drinnan has previous convictions for dishonesty, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified. Mr Gebbie told Lady Tait: 'He is unable to communicate with people who aren't skilled in sigh language. 'This will affect his ability to communicate with others, this will affect his ability to interact with others prisoners.' Lady Tait also banned Drinnan from driving for seven years.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
Police confirm plans to dispose of North Glasgow station
Police Scotland confirmed plans to dispose of its Saracen office in Possilpark. The Barloch Street station has not been operational for more than five years, with local community officers and response officers deployed from nearby Maryhill. Residents are being reassured that there will be no change in how incidents are responded to or in the level of service provided to the community. Maryhill police station's front counter is open from 7am to midday Monday to Sunday. Saracen police station was built in 1974 and was designed to meet the needs of policing at the time. According to the force, the building no longer meets the demands or requirements of modern policing. It is also said to not be sufficiently flexible to adapt for how policing may be delivered in the future. READ NEXT: Glasgow City Council criticised over working hours lost to stress The station is in 'poor condition' and would require 'considerable' investment to meet health and safety standards. Area Commander, Chief Inspector Declan Todd explained the move is not a 'withdrawal from the community' but is a step forward in plans to modernise and invest in the police estate. CI Todd said: 'Response officers and community officers covering Saracen and the surrounding areas are already based in Maryhill, meaning there will be no change in how incidents are responded to or in the level of service provided to the community. 'Officers will continue to maintain a visible presence and deliver a high-quality service. In the past, having multiple stations in close proximity was beneficial due to the lack of modern technology. 'Today, officers are fully mobile, equipped with advanced technology, including fleet and mobile devices, allowing them to patrol and respond effectively without relying on a fixed location. 'Our officers spend the majority of their shift out in the community. Saracen and Maryhill are less than three miles apart. 'Maintaining buildings so close together is not necessary or financially sustainable. By merging resources, we can ensure our focus remains on delivering frontline policing and enhancing community safety, rather than retaining underutilised buildings. 'The disposal of Saracen police station is a key part of our ongoing work to improve the police estate. "Outlined in the Estates Masterplan, the West has been identified as a priority area for transformation. 'Disposing of a building that is no longer fit for purpose does not mean a withdrawal from the community, it is a step forward in our plans to modernise and invest in the police estate to meet the needs of policing now and in the future.' READ NEXT: Union warns of strike action at Glasgow Airport this summer For non-emergencies and general enquiries, people are urged to contact 101, and 999 in the event of an emergency. Those who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, or cannot communicate via speech are urged to use the text relay service on 18001101. British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact Police Scotland via 999 BSL. In non-emergencies, BSL users can access Contact Scotland BSL.
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
‘BPSCL yet to pay fine, curb pollution from fly ash pond'
Bokaro: The Bokaro Power Supply Company Limited (BPSCL) is yet to pay the Rs 2.05 crore fine imposed on it by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) in early April for environmental degradation from its fly ash pond inside Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL). Even though 50 days have passed since JSPCB's notice, all six of its fly ash pond compartments remain filled. Ash laden water continues to overflow to Garga river, and onwards to Damodar from the cooling pond. While Jamshedpur (West) MLA Saryu Roy has blamed BSL and BPSCL for their lackadaisical approach. JSPCB member secretary Rajiv Lochan Bakshi said BPSCL was yet to implement preventive measures despite the situation worsening. BPSCL CEO Sudhir Kumar Jha, said, "We are working on strengthening the dyke and outlet channel to stop the flow of fly ash into the cooling pond. ISM-Dhanbad will assess the fly ash pond and provide us consultancy for its better functioning." TNN
