Judge sparks row after ordering Chinese defendant to learn English

Published 07th Mar 2010

A judge has come under fire for telling a Chinese defendant to learn English.

Judge Julian Hall made the remark as he sentenced businesswoman Wei Cai for ramming her husband's car through a fence off a busy street.

The Chinese national had angered the Judge after needing an interpreter to admit to charge of dangerous driving and causing damage to property.

He told the courtroom: ‘I shouldn’t say this, but I will.

‘I would spend the next 12 months learning English. It would make life a lot easier.’

His remarks have sparked outcry from the local Chinese community in Oxford.

One leader, who did not want to be named, said: ‘Dangerous driving is dangerous driving. Learning English is learning English, they are two separate things.

‘There is no relationship between the two, it is illogical for him to say that and I think it could be offensive.’ Oxford Crown Court heard that Cai was rowing with her husband when she drove her powerful Audi Q7 4x4 into his Audi saloon near the parade of shops in Rose Hill on August 8 last year.

Her actions, witnessed by several pedestrians, caused extensive damage to both cars and forced the saloon up the pavement and into a fence.

Matthew Walsh, prosecuting, said: ‘Witnesses saw the car accelerate at speed into the saloon, hitting it with such force it caused it to mount the pavement sideways towards the corner of the road.’

He said £500 worth of damage was caused to the fence, which belonged to Lucy Spackman.

The court heard Cai, a mother-of-one, had since reconciled with her business partner husband.

She was also ordered to take an extended driving test before regaining her licence.

Judge Hall also fined her £1,000, banned her from driving for a year, and ordered her to pay costs of £500 and a £15 victim surcharge.

Delivering his sentence, Judge Hall told Cai: ‘This was a domestic incident played out in public.

‘In driving as you did, you put a lot of people at risk, but the main target of your driving was your husband, and the result of your dangerous driving was that both of your cars were badly damaged.

‘This was a very unusual domestic incident played out in public.’

Source: ' Daily Mail '

View All Nonsense News