One Year in Jail: Driver who Struck Teen
A 37-year-old woman who had over the legal alcohol limit in her bloodstream when her car struck and injured a teenage motorcyclist was jailed for a year today [Jan.12].
The sentence was handed down against Angela Ambrosini, 37, whose car was involved in the accident at the corner of South Road and Brighton Hill on March 6, 2010 at around 11.30 p.m.
Shakir Amory, then 16, was critically injured in the accident and required months of hospitalisation to recover. His mother said he had injuries including “multiple fractures and injuries – both legs, left wrist, jaw, collar bone, collapsed left lung, and head injuries.”
At the time the teen’s mother, a devout Christian, asked the public not only to pray not only for her son, but also for Ms Ambrosini, who was arrested following the accident on suspicion of drunk driving.
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Category: Accidents and fires, All, Court Reports, Crime, News
doesn’t make sense locking her up for first offence. she could have been fined and made to pay 20 or 30 thousand dollars in damages. I’m not defending her actions but the justice system is screwed up. you can get a conditional discharge for deliberate assault and battery i.e bashing in a guys head during a drunken brawl.
I’m inclined to agree with you. Why should she cost us, the taxpayer, $80,000 for her years stay in prison. Perhaps a 5 year conditional discharge & $40 or $50K restitution to the victim would be more in order. In any case the restitution amount should more than cover medical expenses.
I know you are not condoning and I agree that there is a lack of consistency as far as punishments are concerned. But I agree with Hudson completely. First offence or not, let this be a lesson to her. If the system gave her no jail time it would be like the Police saying, we know you were drinking and driving… we know you seriously injured someone… but hey, the first one’s on us.” Guaranteed she’d go out and drink again. Her next victim may not be so “lucky”.
I do feel for her – I really do. Lord knows she did not go out to intentionally hurt this poor boy. That said, driving drunk is against the law, and we live in a society where increasingly we know that we can get away with breaking it. At some point, the buck has to stop and people have to be held accountable for their actions – even if they were unintentional. May this be a lesson to us all. Personally, I’m in favour of zero tollerance. It makes it much simplier to say “Yes, I’ve had a drink so I can’t drive” than to guess “Yes, I’ve had a couple, but I think I’m fine to drive…”
Correct me if I am wrong; (critics take it easy).
Did she not leave the scene. If she did, she deserves her punishment.
She did not leave the scene.
It does make sense sending her to the slammer, although she will probably not serve the full year.
My father was killed by a drunk driver many years ago and the driver got slap on the wrist and a six month ban from driving.
I am happy that the young man survivied and is on the mend and is able to forgive her.
I hope this sends a message to all those people out there who continue to drink/drive and don’t care whether or not they injure or kill someone.
The “first offence” argument takes me back to a 5 year sentence handed down a couple of years back to an individual found in possession of a loaded gun at 3 in the morning just before this whole gun violence exploded… The argument was that it was his “first offence”. I’m sorry, first offence or not, almost killing somebody while driving under the influence is a serious, serious crime and deserving of imprisonment. With choices come consequences…
Furthermore, didn’t this lady leave the scene of the accident? A family member of mine lost their life some years back when a drunk driver hit their bike head on and left him by the side of the road to die, denying him the one act that may have saved his life: loosening the strap of his helmet which was subsequently found to have cut off his air supply.
Drunk driving is an epidemic in Bermuda… just as we demand that the book be thrown at individuals for gun offences we should be demanding the same for drunk drivers…
She did not leave the scene of the accident, and in fact from all reports it appeared she expressed great remorse right from the start. Not that any of this excuses driving while drunk, which almost cost an innocent young man his life. There has to be a consequence.
But the sentence here has to be weighed against other situations where the injury done to another is a deliberate act of violence. In this case, a 1-year term is given for an accident with bad circumstances (driving while drunk); but it was an accident.
In a case where the injury is by deliberate violence, how much greater should the punishment be? In my mind, I think the punishment should be at least 5 times as great. In other words, if you grievously harm someone deliberately, that should be worth at least 5 years in prison, if in this case the sentence was one year.
Well then let’s get the penalties for other crimes increased!! Drunk drivers need stiff penalties to get their attention. She should not be “rewarded” for not killing someone. In some ways I wish we could argue in court that if you drink and drive it IS to be considered a DELIBERATE act of violence – as you CHOSE to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated.
RME, the discussion here is whether the sentence was fair and reasonable. Within the past week the courts here have given people convicted of drunken driving $1,000 fines and one-year bans. In at least one of those cases the driver caused a collision while drunk. So, whether you like it or not, the simple act of drinking and driving cannot be the thing that caused the prison sentence in this case. It’s the fact that injury was caused to an innocent person.
My point is that if we are imprisoning a person for one year in these circumstances, where the injury was accidental, it has to follow that in cases where the injury is deliberate, it must be substantially higher.
Just to be clear, what was so “accidental” about this? Did the driver accidentally break the law by getting behind the wheel drunk? Keep in mind that the mandatory 1-year sentence is meant to deter drinking and driving and prevent these types of “accidents”.
Even if the courts aren’t uniform in their sentencing, I don’t see why anyone would be angry with this one. Drinking and driving is against the law for a reason. It’s dangerous to yourself and others.
No, she didn’t leave the scene.
She did not leave the scene! Get your facts straight before you paint the wrong picture of a person’s character.
So is 1 year long enough. I don’t think so. The judge should know her true character and the character of the officers in charge of this crime. A criminal shouldn’t be protected.
She was confident she was going to get probation her house and assets should be sold to compensate the victim. She still has a healthy life after 1 year in jail but the victim suffers forever. I sure wish I was there to give a character statement. She should be there a decade. Everyone has good but she doesn’t have enough to walk free of this crime. If her appeal goes thru. Shame on those who let her out. She needs help and counselling. This is a good start.
True ‘real’ but the individual commtted an offence and then committed another.
Don’t drink and drive. But most do.
I don’t UNDERSTAND the laws of BERMUDA only 1 year and not even a full year then she is gone home or free and this young man is messed up for the rest of his LIFE come on.
No drinking and driving means NO DRINKING and DRIVING i don’t care who you are.
i agree with you 100%…
she should have got more time in my opinion.
i dont care if it was a first offence or not. it shouldnt have happened!
Co- Sign.
There are way too many fatalities caused by drunk drivers and Bermuda really needs to adopt a Zero tolerance policy.
So would you lot be in favour of a retro law I seem to remeber a guy who had been in two different accidence were in at least one an injury occured and he had been drinking and had coke and he got a slap on the rist.
LOL
Really I know a case where a young man died when wreckless man hit and killed him and he got probation and he was already off the road and had drugs on him when he was checked at the hospital. He also had injuries but it was his actions that caused the accident and he got probation.
So the system needs to be consistent with what penelties that they give people that break the law.
I agree 100% that consistency is important and penalties have to be applied fairly… we can’t look backward though, only forward.
It is hard to believe that people are saying that jail is too harsh for a first time offence – there is no excuse for driving drunk – she injured another person because of her inconsiderate and potentially lethal actions.
She did not leave the scene, has been very remorseful, and the couple glasses of wine is not what necessarily what caused the accident, the road were wet and the car slid! I am not in any way condoning getting behind the wheel after a couple drinks, but just laying out the info….
Ok she is remorseful…how you know the glasses of wine never caused the accident. I’m sorry….thought she was alone in the car…you have some serious details. If it was your child would you be singing the same song?
Bermudian, your feelings can not compare with those who sat around the hospital that night, after a beautiful family gathering that day. The one who did not deserve any of this is the victim who was injured that night. If you visited the accident spot that night and saw the result, you would wonder how there was not another death on our roads. No matter how you feel you can not relate to the hours, days, and months waiting for a loved one to be restored to health. He will have to live with the results of this event for the rest of his life. There are no winners here, and both remorse nor forgiveness does not excuse the lady’s actions that night. The court has decided, your part is to learn to deal with that.
Ok…Jump down my throat like you all do too others. I asked to be corrected, not incarcerated.
And you wonder why the island is in a non-functional mode.
While she may be a beautiful person who is completely sorry for her actions the sentence must stand.
We as Bermudians must start addressing the real issue of what drink driving is doing to our society.
I think the punishment fits the crime. And should deter others from drink driving.
While we’re at it I’d like to see the punishment for the offense stiffened.
GET CAUGHT OVER THE LIMIT AND YOU’LL WIN:
1. A $3000 Dollar Fine (Courtesy Of Magistrates Court)
2. 18 Months Off The Road
3. Mandatory AA Courses
4. 30 Hours Of Community Service (Lets Put The Drunks To Work)
*This coming from someone who’s actually been found guilty of the above offense
Crazy…
Am I missing something here? You’ve been convicted of this offense? Did you get a year in prison? Is that your experience? Or did you not get time because you didn’t happen to hit someone? Does it matter if you’ve hurt someone or not in the process or that you actually committed the act of drunk driving? I think not… I don’t believe the sentence should stand it is truly a harsh one. It is truly unfortunate what happened in the accident and the aftermath. But I do believe in the current mandate of the court which is not displayed in the judgement of this case.
The ATI mandate was implemented for just this sort of case. Alternative to incarceration judgements have been awarded to many who have ‘intentionally’ robbed, invaded homes, and hurt people not once but over and over again due to their dependence on a substance including alcohol, hence under the influence. These defendants are repeat offenders and are offered a second sometimes third chances. But this is currently only the case in Drug Court.
Although Ms Ambrosinni was tried in a criminal case, it is unfortunate that she was not afforded a second chance by order of either of the consequences that you mentioned above alternatively to the sentence awarded.
Almost everyone has done something at least “one time” in their life that they have regretted and wished they could turn back the clock….but what if we all were awarded one year in prison for those mistakes? The truth is that if one is under the infuence and impaired, they should not drive. How can that person make a conscience decision to drive or not to…they’re impaired…the damage resulted as the consequence of that decision is unfortunate. I read that the passenger pulled her from the car…why are they not tried with allowing her to drive?
Now if one is given the chance to not drive drunk again with alternative concequences and is found in front of the court again….I say throw the book at them. They were given a chance.
This is a sad situation in deed. For both families.
Sounds like your rehabilitated. Why not share with us whom you are and we all can talk about closure.
You Know Who I Am, I’m Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man!
u live up to your name
This case is pretty similar to that of another guy who struck a motorcyclist when drunk, caused severe injuries, etc etc. He got no prison time and, if I recall correctly, just a year or two off the road. He might have even left the scene after it happened.. If the Gazette’s website was searchable I’d post a link to his case story…
Makes you think why/how similar cases get such different outcomes!
I will never understand the logic in Bermuda when it comes to drunk driving, particularly when it leads to personal injury. If a man shoots another and kills/wounds him we are all up in arms about how disgraceful the whole thing is – and rightfully so. However, we seem so apologetic when it comes to drunk driving. Look at the facts – a person is severely injured (and in other cases, killed) – the person responsible is considered mature and responsible enough to be 1) driving a motor vehicle and 2) drinking alcohol. They would have to be totally stupid not to know of the harm in combining the two. Thus the culprit has made a conscious decision to drive, knowing the risks associated. The result is the same as any given shooting victim (ie maimed or killed)and the culprit still has the same reckless disregard for life. So why the hell should this person be given ANY sympathy for their actions? (notwithstanding those on this site who like to pray for criminal’s families)
This sentence is SOFT. Noone likes a cold one more than me, but if I’m gonna have even one, the car stays at home – There is NO EXCUSE!
GOOD POSTING!!!
I agree. As Crazy says….Community Service should be part of the sentence ,take alcohol education classes and mandatory ignition breathelizers. Drinking kills people.
Haven’t heard much on this but we will never stop drunk driving (drugs, bullying, etc) if mothers keep passifying their children publicy after they’ve got caught or died. Shame on Ms. Ambrosini’s for complaining about her daughter loosing her job? Shame on the mothers of the dealers crying “my baby” after they get shot up. Women, tell it like it really is. And even if this lady is of good character, just admit a mistake was made and then stand by her through the consequences. That’s real love.
I agree also, As for the mother complaining about her daughters job, she should be ashamed of herself, what about that young man almost losing his life, wonder what she would have said if that would have happened.
What if she hadn’t hit him but been caught at 2.5 times the legal limit? Would a year’s prison term still be acceptable?
Still not long enough
Not good enough!!
The sentences handed out in Bermuda are far too soft!
You all know that.
I am really sadden by this. What I am about to say may upset most of you! Why is it that you can comment on this? Yet you don’t call up your MP’s and ask them the same questions that you are now!
They don’t come around on the BEST of days. They make their selves QUITE VISABLE only when they need US.
The MPs don’t listen if it’s not on their radar….If they were smart they would read this or have their staffers read this and just speak about it!
Is the House in session? Mp’s? Hell, the public moan about a p…t….a..never…m…
If Ewart were here, this would not happen.
huh? wha? Ewart who……..life is great now!
for who? i dont see any diff
Co-Sign!!!
Yeah.my bad. A few more UBP people cross the floor, cross the centre line, get on the ‘Garvy Train’……….
2011, man this must be heaven…..
Heaven Terry? I didn’t think it will be this HOTT
Well Tigga, guess you never go out ….bwhaaaaaa
Hey dood…It wasn’t me…..
The Devil made me do it….bwhaaaaaaaaaa.and the proof is in the pudding.
Ooops sorry…can’t find “pudding” on my Customs list……..
Got some brown stuff………….get det daug away frum me…..vatz wiff yoo lutt……
Personally..i think best cure for DUI… give’m a year probation (or more), license suspension, and the kicker.. ban from bars or ban from drinking. They do it in the states, and i can guarantee that’d catch some bermudian’s attention! add that to better enforcement late at night so people fear being caught.
Lots of talk about penalizing the drunk driver.
What does the victim get in compensation for pain, suffering, possible disability for the rest of his/her life? I am not talking stupid settlements like litigation happy USA for a hot cup of coffee but the victim deserves something IMHO. In cases such as this prison time won’t serve much of a deterent. A heavy monetary penalty to the victim & a very long loss of a drivers license will.
BTW, if I sound in support of the woman in this case, I have no idea who she is.
she should be banned for life… no driving at all
Insurance is for that. If no insurance is in place the Government has the IMF fund.
LOL
Sorry this should be MIF fund.
LOL
Why would you even make a statement like that in your last sentence. Bizzarr too me.
Civil litigation is the way. Simple.
Why? There are those here who will read in words that are not there. Yes, I know that the victim will have to file a civil litigation suit to get some sort of monetary compensation but now, with the driver in jail, no job, shattered career when she comes out, how will the victim get anything if there is nothing to award?
Ban em from bars and drinking?
How you gonna do that.
Oh my Lord….Sarah!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that the news has come on and shown the outcome of trial..maybe all those that had something to say about the sentence received will have a change of mind when they hear of the extent of his injuries and how the car landed on top of him…what is more astounding is the comment that her mom said ss she came out of court…How dare she…if you didn’t see it at 7:00 check it out at 12:00
Goodness, I have never seen so much sympathy for the offender. Someone said ‘it was just an accident and the roads were wet’. Excuses, excuses, excuses. She could be the most wonderful person in the world but she chose to drink and drive and almost kill someone, she now has to suffer the consequences of her actions and she got off pretty easy.
I’m glad that wasn’t my child because I’m not as forgiving. Not that I would personally do anything to Ms. Ambrosini but I’d be sure to seek the highest legal punishment possible that would also serve as a deterrent to others.
One day humanity will evolve past the level of needing a chemical to release other ‘feel-good’ chemicals that are already in the brain and body. Zero tolerance is a simple solution in the meantime.
Doubt it, do you know how long man has been drinking wine?
Earliest know wine drinking dates to at least 5,000BC.
After 7,000 plus years we are still abusing alcohol more than ever.
What she say ‘it is what it is’.
@ Reality, you have to realize, that this is an example of the polorised society we live in. The little “pretty” white girl made a mistake and broke the law, boo hoo. TOO BAD!! 1 year was not enough if you ask me. The vitims mother prayed for the Ambrosini girl, while the Girls mother allegedley blurts out “My daughter has lost everything including her job” – you have got to be kidding me!! As mentioned above, she broke the law, as any gun totting thug did! She must pay the price!
Um…i think you just agreed with everything i said….re-read my comment. Also, I draw no indifference because of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, economic status or how many cats you have. You break the law, you do the time. Simple.
Yes I do agree with what you said, and NO you did not make reference to race. But I did, to clarify to you why you are seeing so many comments of sympathy. Ever wondered why the prison population in America is disproportinatley Black? Well there is your “Reality” check.
Thats the states and can not be attributed here due to the make up of the pop just my two cense. And the guy I mentioned above was black and he got off with a slap and that was it. As I once said to another your racism is showing remeber there are always three sides to a story his, your, and the truth. Perspective is the key. Just to add she broke the law and should be punished and as a white person I do not agree with the mothers remarks. I am now woundering if the situation was reversed would you be simpithetic to the boy. Race has nothing to do with this tragity that has marked them both for life.
LOL
Your missing my whole point… I don’t personally care the race of either person, I support the LAW. My reference was directed to the outflow of sympathy for this girl and the mothers comments being the un-spoken (In her case spoken) “sense of entitlement” certain sectors of the community have but I don’t expect many of that persuasion to even realise how they come across. My reference to the disproportunate prison population in America is directly related to this same out-pouring of sympathy for this girl you see posted here. It’s a known fact that white persons have a far better chance with a white jury than a black with a white jury in America(Hence the very disproportunate numbers) Now lets pretend this young Girl mentioned here had an all White Jury. Based on the postings here, she would have walked free.
The flaw here is that it was not up to a jury was it it was up to who? Your rant still shows YOUR thoughts on the topic. And I still don’t see your point a jury here would be a make up of the population demographic would it not? So really the whole American bit you thew in has no barring you must have had some other intent whether you knew it or not. As far as out pouring what do you think of the guys committing gun crimes/drug related/gangs/ the above drung diver I mentioned he was in the paper around the same time as the Canadian. Your silence is telling. For the record I think ace girl got what she deserves (a perminate record). The lady who hit the girl I feel should have been punished as I still can’t beleive she got off. But thats the difference I feel that PEOPLE should be given like sentences in like circumstances.
LOL
PEACE OUT
Co-Sign that too!!!
Sorry meant to Co-Sign this comment….
… and given the pictures of the accident scene, it was very fortunate the nobody, Ms Ambrosini included, was not killed.
I really for the life of me cannot understand how anybody can argue that this sentence was too harsh! Seriously, people!?
Is there any surprise to see who drags race into this issue?
I am very surprise by most the comments displayed on this topic. How many of you saw this evenings news? Where the mother of the accused approached the mother of the victim and told her because of this situation her daugther has lost her job and her life is ruined. Who is the real victim here? The victim will never be the same again. The accused did leave the scence of the crime but shortly thereafter turned her self in. So please check the facts and I can confirm this is true!
Trust me she got off easy.
@Mixitup, as you always seem to need to bring race into the conversation how can you justify the ‘outrage’ our “polarised society” lives in when a ‘successfull’ black man does the exact same thing and gets no prison time at all? Maybe this ‘outrage’ you talk about is being directed at the apparent inequality of outcomes our (laughable) judicial system gives out? There seems to be no rhyme for their reason when it comes to dealing with things like this… How can you justify inequality in this case?
I spoke specifically about this case and the comments. Yes the inequities and there are MANY (a whole other topic here) like that English expat worker who just recently flew back home after killing that guy and maining two others on southshore in Warwick? Then leaving the scene? Don’t go there with me.
i agree with mix it up…. remember the little black girl kill on her way to school, and the white driver talkin on her cell phone… how much time did she get?
it is what it is…
My poiint exactly – the punishments for these crimes are far from being ‘equal’. How can the magistrates continue to give such vastly different outcomes for cases that are more or less the same? If the law says 1 year in jail…ALL offenders should be put in jail for a year…
Easy isn’t it?
she actually wasn’t talking on her phone…that’s only what you read…but thanks for the race reference….again.
Yes thanks for the race reference again!
Your welcome! Unlike you who live in the rose fields, I speak from the realities I see and hear walking in MY shoes. There is a sense of un-earned entitlement in certain sectors of the community, confirmed by the Garbage the mother of the Ambrosini girl spewed. Almost like a “I can’t beleive you are doing this to US.” Some of these posters are so oblivious as to how they come across, then when put on the spot they scramble looking for their Halo’s and run for the hills with their bags of explainations in tow – give me a break please!
Yeah, because I am pretty sure if it was your child you would be begging and pleading for your child to be given more time and possibly even lashed for their crimes while also confirming to the media how bad of a child they are and how they deserved to be locked up…
No actually, I would have simply said ‘No comment” to the media.
Look in the mirror what do you see am I your enemy………….
LOL
Mixitup you forgot your bag of explainations now head for the hills………..
LOL
Im not afraid to tell it like I see it buddy. I don’t scurry for the bushes when race is brought up like you all do. That seems to be your problem, got something to hide?
Your problem is that you see everything as a race issue instead of a human issue. Not all people that don’t agree and/or look like you are your enemy.
I know you have been conditioned to believe such a thing by Commissiong and Co, and I also understand that such a belief brings easy answers to life’s problems and in some cases an easy scapegoat and diversion fromthe actual debate, but it doesn’t make it true in each and every instance where a situation arises between a black and a white person.
Life is simply not that simple…
Thats one thing I will not be accused of is running from the issues where it be race ,government, or calling it like I see it funny enough looking at the thread it you who ran stright to the race thing not the human issue it is. If heaven is real you will not like it as I’m sure some white people will get in……..
LOL
well if she wasn’t talkin on her phone the your saying she knocked her down with full intention? … i knw if me and white grandmother committed the same offence i would receive a harsher punishment…. SAD but true… the books don’t lie sweetie!!
Very sad umm. I remember a little girl that was killed on her way to school. I have no idea what race she was or what race the offender was. To me race made no difference to the tragedy of a loss of a young life. I went home after hearing the news and hugged my kids.
What is also sad is that you remember a little BLACK girl killed by a WHITE lady. I dont see the relevance. I remember a school mate who was killed by a drunk driver many years ago on East Broadway – I know my friend’s race, but not the offender. I used to see his dad about town and dont think he really cared about the race of the driver either – his son was still gone. I remember a colleague killed by a drunk driver – I know my colleagues race, but again, my grief was not dependent upon the race of the driver. I remember a lot of tragedy on Bermuda’s roads, whether through drunk driving or otherwise and have NEVER been satisfied with the outcome of their trials. As I stated before, drunk driving displays a depraved indifference for human life. ‘Depraved indiffernce’ is the criminal standard for Murder in the US, but enough about that.
As always in Bermuda, the message that we can take when it comes to these tragedies is lost on some.
Agreed
Your forgetting the black guy with the coke and had been in two accidence and had caused injury and he got nothing and what got something to say about that. At the end of the day the judicial system needs an overhall. You racists make me…………
LOL
its funny how you can recount all these cases about black people and then sit up and call someone racist…. im not at all racist… im actually mixed… you look like a hypocrite… and my point wasnt actually about race it was about inconsistency with the system….
Please look at your posts again you must have missed something your post states that you a person of mixed heritage which by the way acording to some black people on this island does not exist would get a harder punishment than a white lady due to I dunno not race right? I recall them because I do not deny that some people of both races get off easy not just one or the other like you suggest the books don’t lie go read them. I’ll hold up the mirror and tell the name of the hypocrite that you see…………..
LOL
just because someone see the obvious doesnt make them a racist…. you really should go around calling people names just because you dont agree… its really pathetic… things just need be equal…
you really shouldnt go around***** sp
call it as I see it just like you think you do freedom of speach and all that. Again let those read all the comments and they will make their up their own mind I am good with what I say and stand by it. If you you can’t see what I talking about guess thats why white in the slavory day did not see anything worng with it either think about it. Till then go on thinking only white are racist in this island I’ll just LOL at the irony……….
LOL thanks for the entertainment.
Remember the black Bermudian who destroyed one white Bermuian’s knee then went and killed another black Bermudian, one of my good mates actually, 6 or so months later. The black Bermudian in question served no time in jail and/or off the road for these drunk driving accidents.
Or maybe you would like to discuss the Rebecca Middleton case instead?
You can turn into race all you want, as it appears that is your whole line of argument/defense for any and all subjects. All that does is highlight the lack of intellectual ability to debate that you possess.
The fact of the matter is that the justice system in Bermuda operates in a manner which seems to favor the perps more than the victims. There needs to be mandatory sentencing with no sort of exceptions allowed.
But frig it…let’s take the easy way out and blame skin color instead…
Exactly. Racists are funnnny…………..
LOL
whos racist?
I think Tigga answered that above……..
LOL
I believe in like punishments for like crimes race is not a factor. No where in this thread have I stated that she should not have been punished or excused her actions, Nor have I stated that the mother of this girl was morally correct in what she said. The mother of the boy deffinatly has the moral high ground I do not know if I would pray for the girl not saying I wouldn’y eather guess I would have to be in their shoes.
if your soo tired why bring it up, hypocrite
After seeing the newspaper article…and after reading a lot of rubbish..my personal opinion is that a year is way too long and harsh of a sentence..
No winners, except the lawyer, at all in the whole sorry affair. The drunk driver has spent a fortune on the lawyer. She has lost a career. The victim will win any civil case for compensation but if she is in jail how is any payment to the victim to be made if she is broke & in jail? The taxpayers pay the bill, about $1500 per week for her to be in jail so we lose too.
It is sort of like the father who gets thrown in jail as the first option for not paying child support the first time. It doesn’t help the child any with a father not working.
I could see the jail term if there was no remorse, or there was a history of DUI’s but not first time.
None u must be a driver that drives drunk…
People steal from their employer and receive a harsher sentence than one year. We are talking about a HUMAN life.
no I don’t…but thank you. just typical..I’m merely voicing an opinion.
She was twice the legal limit!!!!! There have been past cases where a friend was found responsible for killing a friend whilst driving drunk and they both received one year prison sentences. This young man (thank God he survived) will have lasting effects for the rest of his life! What is a one year sentence in comparison to his lifetime sentence.
This lady’s mom was so self-centered in her comments to the media. SHAME ON HER! That’s most likely why this lady had an obvious disregard for the consequences of her actions. Really, she will only serve a third of this sentence. Suck it up and deal with it! Just like this young man will have to do – Live with it!
I think I get it now. Mixitup wants white people to get harsh sentences. Now we know what’s behind it.
I think she should have been giving prison time as well as pay restitution. This boy will suffer long-term effects such as memory loss. This was all because of Ms. Ambrosini bad decision to drink and drive. Although, I’m sure this was not done intentionally she should be held responsible for her actions.
And in regards to her mother’s comments that was just totally ridiculous. This boy could have died and all you can say is that your daughter has lost her job as if you are angry with the victim. Reality Check take your frustration out on your daughter.
Lastly, God Bless all involved as they now can move forward.
@ “My View” ..I totally agree… Shame on her mother for what was reported on last evening’s 7:00 news… Very selfish of her.. Her daughter will come out and get another job, poor Shakir will have to deal with all sorts throughout his life. Had it been the other way around, she would’ve wanted the long arm of the law to harshly deal with the person that almost took her child’s life. What is wrong with people?
I totally agree! @ all the people complaining over her sentence being too harsh..we are not talking about previous cases, be it last year or last week!! We are talking of the sentence as it relates to the aforementioned article…I’m not sure if you are aware that cars weigh over 1000 lbs…can you imagine something like that landing on top of you? Can you imagine having not one but two broken legs and having to spend 4 months in the hospital having to learn things all over again that you learned when you were 2, having to face further surgeries and on top of that losing part of your memory???
Unfortunately yes Ms. Ambrosini has not faced a “win win” situation either having lost her job and now receiving a prison sentence…But she had a choice..she had a choice not to be 2.5 times over the legal limit! she had the choice not to get behind the wheel of a car period!!!! let’s not just blame it on the condition of the road.. WET or DRY she had no business behind the wheel of the car period! cut and dry! ..plain and simple!!! Did Mr Amory have a choice riding home, minding his own business? Did he ask to be knocked of his bike with the car landing on top of him?? In this instance that choice was stripped from him by some one elses bad judgement!!!
Whilst no amount of compensation, be it monetary or someone serving time will give him back what he has lost (in this case part of his memory) Ms. Ambrosini stands the chance of being out in less than a year and she can go on with her life..Mr. Amoury still has surgeries ahead of him along with not knowing if the injuries received will affect him later in life.
So who’s the winner? Whilst I can’t account for lesser penalties received for other drink driving incidents I just say let this sentence serve as a deterent for those that think it is their RIiGHT to get behind the wheel of a car regardless of their condition!!!
If the roles were reversed what tune would you all be singing?? I can tell you, you would be singing to the tune of a different drummer….
That is YOUR assumption you know what that is right ass u-mption. Something on your shirt buddy racism when will you come out of the denial phase you are in.
LOL
LOL are you reffering to my comment? not sure? wnat to be sure before I respond?
Depends I realize things can be interpreted incorrectly as this dialog is over the email as it is. Your last statement (Singing a different tune) I asked the same question above. If this was about to white people that way I take the race out of the equation would you or mixitup even commented. Would the majority of the public even be interested in this story? Like wise if two black people were involved? If you answer that then you will see where I am coming from. Perspective is key to all things. Reading mixitup’s comments I don’t think there would be as much hostility or better put indifference to sentence as he/she shows I do not think they would have even graced this topic at all. Infact I think people are crucifying the girl based on the mother’s reactionary statements more so than anything. I do not condone the mother’s statement or the daughter’s actions as they are in the wrong here lets make that clear. Fair Judgments are based on interpretation of the law and past judgments involving them are they not? In this case a sentence was pasted hopefully this will set a standard where as it has been pointed people of both races have gotten off scott free that is what a fair judgement is correct? So no I would not be singing a different tune. My response was based I what I know of the race dynamic and the tone of the discussion presented here. To say that people as you infer based on your comments in this thread would change their tune you are referring to the against the sentence rather than the fors as you seem to be for the sentence. I would like to know how do you know that? What are you basing your thoughts on? Could it be race related a prejudice perhaps? Just be straight up is it due to the color of the offenders skin that make this worse for you and mixed. I challenge both black and white racism weather it is know to be or to show is that not what PLP/ CURB and CURE want a fair just place to live or is it based on a grudge that has been going on for hundreds of years. My question is when will it stop when will there have been enough payback and then payback for the payback. It starts and ends with individuals who can reject the pattern. Till then racist or haters will continue to be who they truly are. Hypocrites make me……………..
LOL
@ LOL ..here is a bit of history about myself…My great grandmother was a white Irish women who married a black man..as that was many years ago you can only imagine what she had to endure…She then had my grandmother who was biracial..she endured hardships because of her mixed race…my grandmother married a black man…Than along comes my mother she was “fine” in the sense that she had my grandfathers complexion so she wasn’t taunted about being a “mongrel”or a “mutt” a name they used for mixed kids…My mom than married a black man as well..and had little old me that is brown skinned..who would have thought that just two generations ago part of my family was completely white…now here I am in 2011 married to a white man with my little biracial kids with the “not so straight” hair like their fathers but more curly and wild like their mothers…My guess is that you have misconstrued the intent of my last sentence…and maybe read more into it than intended..I’m not 100% sure if you are drawing the inference that maybe my statement had a racist inuendo attached?? but as you can see by my brief history I am far from racist…having had stories related to me of what my ancestors had to endure and what I have witnessed and what I have experienced for myself that is hardly the case…My thoughts are expressed from EXPERIENCE not what I have heard or been made to believe…I have lived it…racism is alive and well whether we care to admit it or not just as all questions and statements that are poised by all legitimate and worthy of asking whether we all agree or not..Even in this day and age I am not accepted fully into the “lily white” world. My husband has lost both friends and family because he chose to marry “that woman” (me) and vice versa..I’ve had to endure from my side as well, people thinking that I think that I am better because I chose to marry “on that side”..I could go on but I really don’t feel the need to have to explain myself any further…my comment was not based on race..but simply right and wrong…in the real world one must suffer consequences when they do wrong, rules are put in place for a reason…whether your red, yellow, black or white they are put in place for a reason…So yeah I would have commented….
I’ll give you some history on me then I am married to a black woman and half two kids one from my wife before me that I have know since three she is full black and a younger child who is “mixed” which by the way I have had it said by some black Bermudians to my face that she is not mine because there is she is black as there is no such thing as mixed so I guess it goes both ways only some in my wife’s family but not closely related also share this attitude. We have not lost any true friend mind you and I would not allow anything like he married “that woman” to go unchallenged they had no choice but to except it. To my knowledge everyone in my family is good with it. However my family has all way had all types. I am sorry your experience has not been like mine. Your last statement sounded loaded which you brief history makes me feel that you do have some resentment however. That’s the feeling that breeds problems. Maybe you should talk about it more to get it off your chest just a suggestion I do my best to listen to my wife on these matters and provide alternate views as much as I can and agree with most of the things she has seen. She is very even handed as I hope I am. However racism will not be tolerated in my family Bermuda is to small for bickering over some one’s skin colour something that can not be changed. We both work hard to provide for our family. As I stated before I think she got what she deserves the test is if similar cases have similar results for as we have seen in the past this has not been the case. If I misunderstood you intent or inferred to much then I am sorry..
LOL
PS I do not know of this “LILy White World” you speak of is it somewhere over the rainbow? Remeber to laugh it promots good health.
Okay you got me!!! That made me laugh!!! Have a good day!
SO IT’S OK TO HAVE A GUN ON YOU LIKE THAT PERSON DID LAST YEAR AND NOT GO TO JAIL, BUT YOU GET DRUNK AND YOU GET SENT TO JAIL. NO WONDER BERMUDA IS THE WAY IT IS! THIS ISLAND IS GOING TO THE DOGS. GLAD I’M OUT OF HERE.
She got drunk and almost killed somebody! One Year is not enough time if u ask me!
PS – I hope your flight isn’t delayed!!
That person had a gun and could have killed somebody too! The legal system in Bermuda is a joke. I am not saying that Ambrosini shouldn’t be in jail, I am merely wondering how the person caught with a gun last year got absolutely nothing in the way of a jail sentence. It’s wrong and unfair.
@ Disgusted well tell it to the Judge or Oprah!! why are you going on and on about an issue that is not the point of discussion at this time? Please focus..this topic is not about something that happened a few years ago(albeit that yes, maybe the person should have been sentenced, unfortunatley they weren’t so let’s move on)..stop getting on the case of people who are voicing their opinion..your fuss needs to be with the person that meted out the sentence….
Thank U!! For crying out loud.
You are not whining about the guy who had a gun in his bag & it was found when he was on his way BACK to the US are you?
If that is the case, he had it in his bag from a previous trip. You can have a gun in checked baggage on domestic flights. He had a quick turnaround from a domestic trip to a Bermuda business trip & forgot the gun was still in the bag. Bermuda Customs did not find it on his arrival. The security people AFTER you go through US Immigration here spotted the gun.
So what is the big deal? Never forgotten that something was somewhere before? Of course he got off light. The judge was satisfied that it was an honest mistake.
Did you not read in my reponse before you gave your angry tirade that I cannot be held accountable for sentences metted out? That’s for the judge to decide so don’t get angry because YOU don’t like my response..Not familiar with the case to which you are referring as MY response refers to said article..So glad your gone as well with your attitude..maybe you should check out an anger management class where you now reside!!!!
Quoted “My daughter has lost everything including her job”. Excuse *^^& me. Shakir’s family have lost alot. Shakir may not play football again – who knows, he could have been a pro baller. I really think she should be locked up longer than a year. Her mother needs to be put in a boat and sent back to wherever the hell she came from. Let’s show her some Bermuda hospitality and attach a Bermuda Flag to the boat and set her off… I just think if this was my child and she said that to me – I’d be in court today probably handcuffed for ripping her damn head off her shoulders… We need to stop acting like our Grown Ass children don’t do anything wrong. I am 46 years old and will not drink anymore unless someone else is driving me home. I’ve preached to my children and they cannot take the car if they go out because it’s no way in hell I am going to have them make a silly mistake like this!
She should definitely have to pay for Shakir’s medical expenses that were not covered by insurance because his family are not at fault. All future costs should be sent directly to her. I hope when she get’s out that she’s shipped out that same day as well and not allowed to have another work permit put in place to work here again. Any savings, pensions or whatever made here in Bermuda should go directly to Shakir’s family – END OF STORY!!! LET ME HAVE FIVE MINUTES WITH THIS WOMAN – OH, JUST THE THOUGHT OF IT, I’M IRRITATED!
Ms Ambrosini is BERMUDIAN!
She can’t be…she’s white…unless someone has been telling me porkies all these years about what and who constitutes a “real” Bermudian…
I was going to say…love how it is just assumed she is here on a work permit.
And it only White people who are racist……….
LOL politics gotta love’m
Forgive her for error, but 70% of the white people on this Island are not born Bermudians. It gets confusing!
Do you actually have a source for your figures? Or is it just more prejudicial nonsense which you believe gives you the right to throw around baseless accusations towards others that don’t look like you.
I wish I could be like you and other posters on this site. I mean I wish I had the conscience which permitted me to use any racist tendencies, prejudicial thoughts and inherent intolerance to start calling everyone who differs from me (in thought and pigmentation) hateful and racist.
Glass houses and stones…
Thats a fact buddy! Not a racist commment! Go to your dept. of statistics, they will confirm it for you.
For some particular reason I don’t believe you…That is a fabricated statistic which allows you to spew off racial nonsense…
Show me the link on the DoS website…I looked and could not find it…
Don’t worry to much you won’t find it I have a friend in the DoS mixitup is wrong. Oh and Mix my family’s been here longer than most who are MPs that have really only just came from West Indies and other Caribbean countries. Also just a tid bit Bermuda had no indigenous people we are all foreigners. Once again I say racists and politicians make me laugh. You remind me of a guy I knew who joined the PLP around 2006 in a month of being a member everything was about race. Make one wonder if some David Kuresh (or Curesh not sure of the spelling) type stuff is going on there..
Keep the Kool Aid coming.
LOL
Im sure your friend “the Janitor” is not to into what actually goes on at DOS, they just mop the floor and head home. But again those stats are true. Hell you can look around and see that.
Glad to know your family has been here that long, even better that your ancestery is easily traceable, remember, ours is a bit more challenging as SOMEONES evil ancesters enslaved ours and attempted to erase our past. You maybe able to trace their priviledged off-spring right here on Bernews?! LOL
So what now your trying to dis a black Bermudian please your a punk racist no wonder you’ve got nothing. Priviledged stop reading Tim Wise and PLP stories the lies and fakes. Which are nicest lables you will ever get. Why don’t you go back to where you came from. oh thats right you don’t know where you came from hahah. Why don’t you lean some real history and study the time in Africa before salvery you might find somethings out. Its called cause and effect. Oh right you might not even knoww how to read as the white man jacked that up for you whatever punk.
Forgive the spelling I did not think it would matter to you anyway…….
LOL
“But again those stats are true. Hell you can look around and see that.”
Firstly, please advise as to what statistic I should request when I go to the DoS in order to validate your ridiculous “claim?” I bet you won’t reply to this query
Secondly, WTF do you mean you can look around and see that? How can you look at someone and determine wheter or not they were born her or not?
And also not all Bermudian white families were involved in the slave trade the same way not all black Bermudian families aren’t involved in the gun play business. But hey stereotyping is cool.
Please enlighten me.
FYI if you say anything about a white ppl your racist according to some people… and its probably because they are actually the racist ones….
guess it take one to know one. I’ll tell my wife she would be interested to know that. Silly little mind ……..
LOL
Now you know how most white ppl feel.
> Argue with a black person…you’re racist…
> Disagree with a black person…you’re racist…
> Criticize a black person or their actions…you’re a white supremacist that seeks to reinstitute slavery…
It’s impossible to have a debate because if a white person takes a different side you’re labelled a “priviliged” (despite the fact that I received no inheritance and own no property, but actually pay a hefty rent to a black Bermudian who owns multiple properties) white supremacist who yearns for the days of slavery and oppression.
I must applaud you guys on here and in politics though that utilize this “debating” tactic, as you are highly successful in ultimately shutting down any type of meaningful debate and divert away from the subject at hand through refusing to address the message and just attacking the messenger while throwing around emotinally inflammatory remarks about slavery, oppression and supremacy which again does nothing but shutdown one side of the argument.
Like I said I got to give you props on your as your politricking skills are on point but are nothing but detrimental,dangerous and counterproductive in a democratic society such as yours.
Well done…
By the way if anyone can please adequately describe this mythical “privilege” that ALL white people are supposed to retain for the mere sake of being white please do…
As mentioned before I own no property and have no equity from my own work or any supposed inheritance I am automatically supposed to receive. My father has passed man years ago now and I did not receive any inheritance much less the millions of dollars and/or multiple properties that some believe that all white people automatically receive upon the death of a senior family member.
I am the first in my family to attend a post-secondary institution, and I am not even 30. My parents were not accountants, lawyers or any other “professional” profession and also they own no property of their own despite our family being in Bermuda since the 1850′s (that would be after the abolishment of slavery). They were/are working class folks with my late father taking on any trade available during his lifetime. Actually my mother is in the process of being made redundant with no other employment opportunities to fall back upon and again no large savings to rely on if times get any tougher. So where is my so called equity that I am supposed to receive that Lynne Winfield and many other racial pundits state is inherent to every white person alive? Where the F is it? Cause me and mine are in serious need for some “privilege” nowadays.
I am now following their footsteps as I am now also forced to pay the majority of my pay cheque to another person in the form of rent. This expenditure alone prohibits me from amassing any great amount of savings that I will be able to pass onto my future children, if any that is. The funniest thing is that the vast majority of our landlords (as we have been forced to move many times due to the forever increasing rents) that we have paid enormous amounts of money to over the years have been black Bermudians who own more than one property. I report directly to two black superiors in my job profession while the CEO of my company is also black and have recently been overlooked for a promotion as the position was granted to a black individual who ISN’T even Bermudian but is married to a Bermudian. You don’t see me stating that it was racist and that somehow I deserved it more because I am white and thus superior. No I just accepted it isn’t my time as of yet.
So please enlighten me as to where I can find this white privilege or at least where I can sign up for my “white only” benefits and begin my “privileged” existence. Cause up to now I feel like I have been fooled, duped, tricked into believing that whites must work and earn what they receive like all other ethnicities. Fool me once..
But like I said stereotyping is cool and definitely not prejudicial and racist. I mean especially when it comes to white people. They ALL deserve it…right?
PS: Not all white people are Gibbons, Triminghams, Coopers or part of the 40 Thieves. But I am 100% confident that someone will call me a liar and fabricate statistics and truths, just like “mixitup” to justify their hatred towards others that don’t look like them and then state that such stereotypical views are not racist but actually acceptable as they are just calling it like it is. You guys seriously need to assess your own inner hatred that you harbor for others before even attempting to label others as being and acting in the exact same manner that you do.
Typical loud and wrong. It would be smart to get your facts straight before going off on a ridiculous rant – they are Bermudians!
I don’t think Ms. Ambrosini’s mother’s comment discounts any of the hardships that her daughter caused Shakir, nor was it a comparison to what he has lost. It was a simple statement of what she was feeling at the time. Put yourself in her shoes. Regardless of whether the punishment was deserved, it is still upsetting for a mother to know her child is going to jail, and her comment expressed that upset feeling. It also didn’t suggest that she thought her daughter didn’t do anything wrong. Take a break.
“Aggravated” Why do you automatically assume that Miss AMbrosini and her mother are non- Bermudian ??? Yes, I suppose the fact that they are white and have good grammar may have confused you…….do know that this is a Bermudian family through and through thank you very much.
I’m not condoning any of this behaviour, but I could have guessed that the “system” wanted to make an example out of the ‘”pretty” little white girl’ (as someone had previously quoted) with a foreign last name nonetheless….. her fate was decided even before she stepped into that court room.
maybe because it not a common name in Bermuda… (could have married a non local though) …. but then again WHO really is a True Bermudian…. any who i dont care where they came from… the mom should apologize for her statement, and sadly the daughter should have at least got 3yrs…
Why you get less time for rape which is an intentional act against another. Again think about it I’m the one calling for a judical overhall who seem to just want to punish whites do tell.
LOL
From what I’ve been made to understand Ms. Ambrosini will probably end up doing 3 or 4 months before being released, given the fact that the parole board will probably be more lenient than the judge. (who btw was making an example out of her given the recent road deaths) Doubtful she’ll do a full year. In fact she can probably rest assure that she’ll be sipping a Premium Non Alcoholic O’Doul’s by May 24th. If you ask me its a nice moment of reflection for a deed done wrong.
I would just like to say thank you to the people from the past (abnd Isure a small minority in the present) that have helped to create this mess and the PLP who have greatly helped with race relations over the year. Thank you you have made this thread possible. Oh and before I forget really? you can say what you want about white people just try to be right about them and stop taking the stereo type which is so popular amongst certain types of people here for truth. After all if it was true all the “mixed” people around here would be set and so would I. If you can only judge by skin what does that make you. You can stay there I get the mirror for you again. You have no idea how much you and some others on this thread sound like white people from the 40′s/50′s maybe if you record yourself and then play back some kkk stuff from that time you’ll see what I mean……………
LOL