[quote]My point was, and is, if this site is populated by Dean supporters – and if any opinions to the contrary are not welcome (and they clearly aren’t)-- then we should just close the discussion and relabel the threads “Dean support notices/updates.”
This site obviously has an agenda to support the guy; I am only saying to be honest about it, rather than the current “freedom of speech (just watch what you say)” policy of hidden agendas and attempts at digital manufacturing of consensus.[/quote]
The following quotes were excerpted from the first eight pages of this thread. To me, there doesn’t appear to have been an immediate, massive rush to support Mr. Dean:
[quote]i just got a text message from a Chinese friend saying that an English guy killed someone yesterday and that he drives a benz…[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]But the news report said he bought a ticket to leave Taiwan after the accident and tried to have the car junked when it could have been repaired.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]My god, it’s been a bad couple of days for wai gwor rens behaving badly![/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Tried to junk his car and is trying to leave the island. Doesnt sound too innocent. Duh.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote] Trying to flee the country and scrapping his car if that is true then what a wanker. Anyway innocent until proven guilty and all that. [/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Of course the primary tragedy is for the dead guy and his family, but if the suspect did as alleged, I can definitely understand how he might have panicked and frantically, in the stunned, drunken, horrific, shocking moments afterwards, searched desperately for a way out.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Yes tragic all around. Most people dont want to be responsible for killing someone with a motor vehicle. However, if he was drunk and driving. It does make things worse. Leaving the scene is a very bad thing to do in any case. And trying to destroy evidence adds to the guilt. Plus not owning up as it appears. Course all the facts are not in yet. [/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]The general gist of the reports is that he was driving drunk, speeding, fled the scene of an evidently fatal accident, acted defiantly when confronted by the police, and displayed no remorse. The TV news has been particularly focusing on the man’s bad attitude after his arrest.
If all of those facts are correct, he deserves to receive a custodial sentence. Whether or not he spends time inside (he certainly would in the UK, but may be able to avoid it here), he’ll have to pay the victim’s family a very large amount of compensation, perhaps around NT$10 million, which apparently he can well afford.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Yes. I know the man well. He’s in for a world of trouble if he’s responsible for this accident.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]But wait, if he had not run away but called the ambulance, the victim might still be alive today. Yes, I’d be very tempted to run, very tempted.But his actions killed another person.
Anyway, his life won’t be ruined, just may end up a lot poorer for compensation to the family.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Whichever way you spin this its looks pretty bad for the guy…[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]What this guy DID do was cold and calculating. He attempted to destroy evidence of his involvment and get out of the country. I also don’t buy the argument that a prexisting ticket is indication that he didn’t intend to flee. One could argue that it may have been an incentive to try to avoid responsibility for long enough to make it to the departure date.
If it turns out that the scooter driver, who I don’t really belive was the sole provider for the family, was at fault or partly so, it just makes this guys actions that much more tragic for him. By trying to destroy the evidence and get away with this he has ensured himself a hell of a lot more trouble.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Anyways I agree . . . that he should of turned himself in as if he has money as everyone is saying then why not help the family out as you killed someone that perhaps the family are relying on. You can’t bring or help the victim their life is over but u can at least do your very best to make amends anyway you can. he took another human life not money or property a life and a human one. Whether accidentally or not this is really screwed up.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]You get drunk and kill someone in your car and you run away like an arsehole and your actions are somewhat justifiable, and the dead persons choice of head gear is questioned?[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Forget the drunk driving, It will be difficult to ever know how drunk the guy was or if he was infact driving. What we know is that the guy fled the scene and there is strong indication that he attempted to destroy evidence of his involvement in the incident.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]if I understand the story right, it seems hes pleading what will soon become know as the foreigners defense, i.e. too drunk to remember, which was also used a while back by another foreigner. I’m sure after a few days, and after the press, or police and whoever ask around a clearer picture will appear, so whats the rush, innocent till proven guilty and all that.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]There is no way to justify driving drunk and there is no way to justify leaving the scene of an accident. I don’t believe a sane person would be panicked enough to lose the notion of what’s right and wrong. Especially when someone is lying on the ground after a nasty collision. If someone has the presence of mind to leave the scene, it usually says a lot.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]This poor guy has set himself up for a universe of harsh judgements.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Leaves club at just before 5am, hotel boy is paid to drive him home, this places 2 people in the car.
Hotel boy claims he was ejected from car around the corner (he returns to work 6 minutes after leaving - seems to collaborate with this claim).
Then around 5am there is a fatal hit-and-run involving his car, but he claims he wasn’t driving.
Defence attorney scabbling to come up with plausable explanation. …[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]The Taipei Times . . . reports Prosecutors say;
- surveillance footage outside the pub showed Dean getting into the driver seat.
- Dean booked a flight to Kinmen (Jinmen) after the accident[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]Why Kinmen (Jinmen)? Was he in the mood for more drinking? 
[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run
[quote]With regard to the specifics of this case: As reported thus far, there is clearly a very strong case against the accused. The acts of which he is accused are extremely repugnant in all respects, and warrant very heavy punishment. If he is guilty as accused, I see absolutely no extenuating circumstances and will not have a grain of sympathy for whatever consequences he suffers. As a man of means, he can surely well afford to pay any amount of fine and compensation that the criminal and civil courts might possibly impose upon him. So if he is guilty as charged, these amounts should be set at their highest applicable levels, and he should serve at least two or three years in prison to properly reflect the severity of the crimes committed and their terrible impact on the lives of the victim and his family.[/quote] Foreigner in a Mercedes involved in hit and run