Naseem the Coward

Tuesday's Guardian had a report on Naseem Hamed, who is a boxer. Last May he was convicted of dangerous driving. According to witnesses he was driving "like a maniac". His sports car smashed into another vehicle at 90 miles per hour. The driver of the other vehicle - Mr. Burgin - had every major bone in his body broken and suffered injuries to his brain. Hamed fled the scene - a cowardly and contemptible thing to do - leaving Mr. Burgin and his wife trapped in the wreckage of their car. Naseem was arrested at his home as he was trying to leave in another sports car. And for this? He was sentenced to a 15-month prison sentence and served a mere 16 weeks. People have gone to jail for longer periods for not paying their TV licence or for refusing to pay the poll tax. Why is it that these sort of road traffic offences appear not to be taken very seriously? Naseem could easily have killed Mr. Bulgin. No doubt he did not intend to kill anyone, but driving as he was, and running away afterwards, show that he didn't give a flying whatsit about the danger he posed to other people.