Disabled parking row knife attack

dr. what · Post by **dr. what** » 2006-01-16 04:06pm

A man who wrongly parked in a disabled parking space at a supermarket had his throat cut by a genuine disabled driver, a court has heard.

David Williams, 49, from Newport, slashed Christopher Barrell's throat with a four-inch knife at Tesco's in Cardiff Road, Newport.

Williams, a former civil servant, admitted causing actual bodily harm and having a bladed weapon in public.

Cardiff Crown Court imposed an 18-month sentence suspended for 18 months.

The court heard Williams, who was recovering from hospital treatment, was furious at not being able to find a disabled space in the supermarket's car park.

When he saw 42-year-old Mr Barrell sitting in a disabled bay without a permit, he jumped out of his car and shouted at him.

Mr Barrell replied: "Sorry, I won't be long," before Williams produced a four-inch lock knife."

Prosecuting, Harry Baker, said: "Williams reached into the car and slashed Mr Barrell's throat.

"Alarmingly, he went back to his car, lit a cigarette and waited 30 minutes for his wife to arrive."

'Completely blank'

Police arrested Williams after viewing CCTV footage from the supermarket and finding Mr Barrell's blood on the lock-knife.

He said Mr Barrell had been "cheeky" but alleged he could not remember the assault.

Defending, Simon Goodman said: "His memory of the incident is completely blank."

The court heard Williams, his wife and son were all registered disabled, and Williams's medical problems included depression and treatment for psychiatric illness.

Sentencing, Judge Roderick Denyer said: "If you put a knife to a person's neck there is a serious risk of killing them.

"Your wife and son are also disabled and you have to care for them.

"If I locked you up it would have a devastating effect on them."

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-01-16 04:09pm

Hmmm ... sympathy meter for the slashing victim is reading ... zero. Sorry, but I can't work up sympathy for one of those fucktards who parks in a handicapped parking spot because he's too goddamned lazy to walk a few extra metres.

dr. what · Post by **dr. what** » 2006-01-16 04:13pm

Darth Wong wrote:Hmmm ... sympathy meter for the slashing victim is reading ... zero. Sorry, but I can't work up sympathy for one of those fucktards who parks in a handicapped parking spot because he's too goddamned lazy to walk a few extra metres.

Tend to agree in principle although the slashing of the throat was a trifle...er...excessive.

Now--slashing his tires.....

Ubiquitous · Post by **Ubiquitous** » 2006-01-16 04:17pm

That would be my initial reaction until my aunt got a disabled badge last year for ... being a fat arse. Nice woman and very sweet, but fat as a small moon.

The rules for getting a disabled badge seem to be very, very lax. In my opinion it should be limited to those in wheelchairs and those why find it difficult to walk through a proper medical condition.

The extra walking would do my aunt some good.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2006-01-16 05:26pm

Darth Wong wrote:Hmmm ... sympathy meter for the slashing victim is reading ... zero. Sorry, but I can't work up sympathy for one of those fucktards who parks in a handicapped parking spot because he's too goddamned lazy to walk a few extra metres.

Attempted murder is just a wee bit excessive for parking in a handicapped space, no?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-01-16 05:27pm

ALI_G wrote:That would be my initial reaction until my aunt got a disabled badge last year for ... being a fat arse. Nice woman and very sweet, but fat as a small moon.

The rules for getting a disabled badge seem to be very, very lax. In my opinion it should be limited to those in wheelchairs and those why find it difficult to walk through a proper medical condition.

The extra walking would do my aunt some good.

And let me add gravity is not a medical condition.

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-01-16 05:52pm

Well, I get pissed off at the local shopping centres etc, because the parking hierarchy from closest to the door to furthest away...

Baby/pram parents parking.
Eldery Parking.
Regular Parking.
And then, some 10-50m from the doors depending on the location: Disabled Parking.

Ubiquitous · Post by **Ubiquitous** » 2006-01-16 05:55pm

Our local Tesco has recently re-partitioned the car park and in the process added about 20 new Mother + Pram places. My question is though: can someone be ticketed for parking in one of those like they can for parking in a disabled spot without a permit? It does say 'orange badge' holders only for the mother + pram spots, but I have never seen one of those badges. Are they government ones or Tesco ones?

LongVin · Post by **LongVin** » 2006-01-16 05:56pm

You can qualify for disabled parking for being depressed? WTF? That is complete BS. Handicapped parking should only be reserved for people with actual physical disabilities.

Spetulhu · Post by **Spetulhu** » 2006-01-16 06:39pm

LongVin wrote:You can qualify for disabled parking for being depressed? WTF? That is complete BS. Handicapped parking should only be reserved for people with actual physical disabilities.

The whole family is disabled, so there might still be a parking card in the car. And the article didn't say what hospital treatment the stabber was recovering from.

LauraG · Post by **LauraG** » 2006-01-16 09:11pm

Darth Wong wrote:Hmmm ... sympathy meter for the slashing victim is reading ... zero. Sorry, but I can't work up sympathy for one of those fucktards who parks in a handicapped parking spot because he's too goddamned lazy to walk a few extra metres.

It's a smidge extreme, as reactions go, but I admit I've thought along those lines in the same situation before.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2006-01-16 09:34pm

Spetulhu wrote:
LongVin wrote:You can qualify for disabled parking for being depressed? WTF? That is complete BS. Handicapped parking should only be reserved for people with actual physical disabilities.
The whole family is disabled, so there might still be a parking card in the car. And the article didn't say what hospital treatment the stabber was recovering from.

A woman in her 70s who lives in my apartment complex has a handicapped plate on her car that belonged to her now-dead husband. Curiously, she does not park in either of the 2 handicapped-reserved slots in front of her building, even though it means a shortler walk for her.

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2006-01-16 09:37pm

dr. what wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Hmmm ... sympathy meter for the slashing victim is reading ... zero. Sorry, but I can't work up sympathy for one of those fucktards who parks in a handicapped parking spot because he's too goddamned lazy to walk a few extra metres.
Tend to agree in principle although the slashing of the throat was a trifle...er...excessive.

Now--slashing his tires.....

Think man, he'll never get the space as the car will be immobilised by the slashed tires, far better to go for the neck, put the car in neutral, take the handbrake off then push the offending car away.

Oni Koneko Damien · Post by **Oni Koneko Damien** » 2006-01-17 12:21am

Darth Wong wrote:Hmmm ... sympathy meter for the slashing victim is reading ... zero.

Agreed on that, but still, the reaction seems a tag excessive, it would almost be like breaking the nose of someone who butted in front of you in a grocery-store line...

...though come to think of it, that would be rather satisfying, and make the fucktard think twice before ever attempting that again.

In that case, I'd stop short of attempted murder, and satisfy myself with slashing their tires and keying 'Police Suck' on the sides of the vehicle.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2006-01-17 06:29am

FSTargetDrone wrote:A woman in her 70s who lives in my apartment complex has a handicapped plate on her car that belonged to her now-dead husband. Curiously, she does not park in either of the 2 handicapped-reserved slots in front of her building, even though it means a shortler walk for her.

If the plate was not issued to her then it is not legal for her to use it to park in a handicapped spot for her own convenience, even if it's still on the car. Since the person it was issued to - her husband - is now deceased it's technically not valid for handicap parking purposes anymore. Most likely, she'll have to change it next time she changes her plate.

But bravo to her for obeying the rules. And being healthy enough at 70 to (presumably) not need a handicap plate herself.

Oni Koneko Damien · Post by **Oni Koneko Damien** » 2006-01-17 11:57pm

If I recall correctly, one of my managers, through coincedence, managed to get a vehicle with disabled plates. He found out the hard way that you also have to have a disability *card* on your person to prove disability status. Basically, a police officer can wait by your vehicle for you to return, and if you don't have a card, you'll still get the regular fine for parking in a disabled space, plates or not.