This time during our journey through old cases where Danes have been exposed of acts of xenophobia, we will write about the case against Danish student who had emigrated to the United States with his family when he was little.
Today as far as we know he lives separated from his family in Denmark with little chance of ever rebuilding his life after having served a sentence equal to a life sentence for such a young person. He was a victim of the tough love period in U.S. justice. A sentence he got trying to save his friends from a mexican gang.
He got 8 years in prison for an ordinary traffic accident involving speeding which is quiet normal in Denmark. He was chased by member of one of the widespread Hispanic gang members, when he lost control of his car, but the police and the prosecution had some interest in making a case to warn young drivers and did not investigate that claim. However, he decided to plead guilt because the lawyers made him believe that he would get off with probation only.
Denmark has after introduction of harsher sentences one of the toughest legislation in Europe, but not even the new laws would have made him end up in jail for 8 years. A car accident involving 4 deaths and drunken driving in the wrong lane on a highway resulted in only 2.5 years and 10 years without drivers license - after Denmark have introduced extremely harsh sentences for such incidents!
It is more than double the sentence that he would have become in Denmark, which must be considered a fine example of xenophobia.
Transportation cost lives. An old saying is that you can not make eggs without breaking the shell. It is just sad that a society, which regards themselves as civilized can not realize that.
The story was published in Denmark and sparked outrage due to the clearly improper proceedings. Properly angered by the international crisis, the authorities later attacked the mother - Gitte Lellan. Her son was deported to Denmark in 2004 where he was treated a victim of this unjust justice system. Maybe it is likely for him to make a living some day if he recover from his ordeal. RTC is known for having good results. Until that the Danish welfare system will gladly pay for the result of simple bullying in a foreign system.
Our caseworker did his investigation into this case. Here is what he found.
Sources:
"Streng straf til dansk bilist", danske nyheder, June 22, 2000
Teen Driver Will Plead No Contest, LA Times, April 11 2000
Danske Marcus idømt otte år, BT, June 23 2000
Danske Marcus kørte fire ihjel, BT, April 13 2000
A mother's walking nightmare heartbroken Gitte Lellan copes with the aftermath of fatal collision, Free Library
Judge rejects Lellan claim driver in fatal clash say plea coerced, Free Library
Realtor to Stay Jailed Until Trial
Lellan Mom Indicted, Santa Clarita Radio
The local population still hells a memorial over their act of xenophobia to a warning to foreigners of a harsh sentence if they want to drive like the local population.
Healing with the Help of Angels, Inside SCV
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The torment of a Danish soccer player
Once again we will look at one of the historical cases where xenophobia against a Dane reached the Danish public.
A Danish foot-ball players was convicted because he drove a car in the same city, where a traffic accident occurred.
Mads Timm is a young foot-ball player which played for Manchester United. About January 2004 he drove home from training. A team-mates also decided drive home at the same time and became involved in an accident where a disrespectful woman maneuvered her car so that the team-mate hit her car.
Because Mr. Timm was a foreigner in the same town where the accident occurred he of cause was the first to blame. By a act of unjust he was convicted to serve 12 months at a young offenders' institute. In May 2006 he returned to civilization and started to play for a Danish football club, where he first was quiet successful.
He has since retired from soccer.
The Danish population regards this event as a typically sick act of xenophobia against Danish citizens.
Not only was his driving rather typical for how Danes use roads in our country. Second his car was not involved in the actual accident. He was simply not at the crash scene. Regardless of these fact he got the most severe sentence.
Danes are adviced not to drive in the United Kingdom if they cannot avoid to work or study there.
Sources:
Man Utd player jailed over crash, BBC, March 3, 2005
Prison term gives chastened Timm a new perspective, by Daniel Taylor, The Guardian, February 1, 2006
Mads Timm - Wikipedia
A Danish foot-ball players was convicted because he drove a car in the same city, where a traffic accident occurred.
Mads Timm is a young foot-ball player which played for Manchester United. About January 2004 he drove home from training. A team-mates also decided drive home at the same time and became involved in an accident where a disrespectful woman maneuvered her car so that the team-mate hit her car.
Because Mr. Timm was a foreigner in the same town where the accident occurred he of cause was the first to blame. By a act of unjust he was convicted to serve 12 months at a young offenders' institute. In May 2006 he returned to civilization and started to play for a Danish football club, where he first was quiet successful.
He has since retired from soccer.
The Danish population regards this event as a typically sick act of xenophobia against Danish citizens.
Not only was his driving rather typical for how Danes use roads in our country. Second his car was not involved in the actual accident. He was simply not at the crash scene. Regardless of these fact he got the most severe sentence.
Danes are adviced not to drive in the United Kingdom if they cannot avoid to work or study there.
Sources:
Man Utd player jailed over crash, BBC, March 3, 2005
Prison term gives chastened Timm a new perspective, by Daniel Taylor, The Guardian, February 1, 2006
Mads Timm - Wikipedia
Monday, May 10, 2010
Studying abroad is equal seclusion
While the number of students who choose to study abroad either as an exchange student or placing a semester abroad when they are studying at the universities has declined mostly based on the torment Camilla Broe was exposed of before she was cleared of all charges, still some students make the decision to leave Denmark for a period.
In such a case it is important to remember that other countries have rather odd customs when we are talking of remembering relationships and a Danish student fell victim of odd foreign customs. We are talking about the case at Yale in the United States where a Danish student, who was studying at Yale made a video film of him and his girlfriend as it is quite common in our culture.
In Denmark it isn't illegal to do it without one of persons knowledge unless it is published in the public without consent of both persons. In fact a lot of movies exist in private.
But he was not in the civilized country of Denmark. He was abroad. He should have chosen seclusion and not to engage in relationships before he returns to Denmark. Sites like Exchange Student Information phrases it very precise:
The Danish student simply forgot where he was. It was not a criminal offense in a developed country like Denmark, but it turned out to be in the country he had chosen to study in. The police raided the students apartment, found the movie and charged him in an act of lack of respect of other cultures in a student enviroment where many foregin students are encouraged to study.
The sentence was an act of xenophobia against the Dane. While he of course should have recognized that he was staying in a place where the culture was not as developed as in Denmark, the court should have recognized that they encourage an international student environment and it has it costs to let people from many countries live to close together. Near Copenhagen we have a part of the city called Taastrupgaard where people from 20 nations live. If you ask the local police they have to let a lot of things pass just to make the life in this part of the town go on.
The lesson learned is that Danish students who choose to study abroad must avoid relationships when they cannot act out Danish customs while being a part of them. A more general conclusion must be that this case as well as the Italian case against an American student Amanda Knox show that the time where young people can study abroad without being harassed is over.
Sources:
Judge sentences Desfeux to probation, Yale Daily News
Dansk sexskandale på USA's eliteuniversitet, by Mikkel Selin, Ekstra Bladet, September 21, 2007
In such a case it is important to remember that other countries have rather odd customs when we are talking of remembering relationships and a Danish student fell victim of odd foreign customs. We are talking about the case at Yale in the United States where a Danish student, who was studying at Yale made a video film of him and his girlfriend as it is quite common in our culture.
In Denmark it isn't illegal to do it without one of persons knowledge unless it is published in the public without consent of both persons. In fact a lot of movies exist in private.
But he was not in the civilized country of Denmark. He was abroad. He should have chosen seclusion and not to engage in relationships before he returns to Denmark. Sites like Exchange Student Information phrases it very precise:
Don't change or influence anything in the local culture. Just as it is known in Star Trek as the prime directive it is not your job to influence the local citizens by testimony or other kind of statement. As an Exchange student you are there to study the native population, not to change it or help it.
The Danish student simply forgot where he was. It was not a criminal offense in a developed country like Denmark, but it turned out to be in the country he had chosen to study in. The police raided the students apartment, found the movie and charged him in an act of lack of respect of other cultures in a student enviroment where many foregin students are encouraged to study.
The sentence was an act of xenophobia against the Dane. While he of course should have recognized that he was staying in a place where the culture was not as developed as in Denmark, the court should have recognized that they encourage an international student environment and it has it costs to let people from many countries live to close together. Near Copenhagen we have a part of the city called Taastrupgaard where people from 20 nations live. If you ask the local police they have to let a lot of things pass just to make the life in this part of the town go on.
The lesson learned is that Danish students who choose to study abroad must avoid relationships when they cannot act out Danish customs while being a part of them. A more general conclusion must be that this case as well as the Italian case against an American student Amanda Knox show that the time where young people can study abroad without being harassed is over.
Sources:
Judge sentences Desfeux to probation, Yale Daily News
Dansk sexskandale på USA's eliteuniversitet, by Mikkel Selin, Ekstra Bladet, September 21, 2007
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