Duffus Dip
Re: Duffus Dip
He still has his shop in Kirkcaldy - well he did the last time I drove down St Clair Street and his red BMW with private plate was parked outside! He's a very well known man from my childhood due to his choice of girlfriend being in the next street from where I grew up and after the first crash, wasn't welcome after that! He used to drive like a maniac in those days! Looks like nothing has changed.
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Re: Duffus Dip
stopping myself posting something very banworthy, however, i hope a life time driving ban is impossed and if nothing else, his business is hit hard once publicity gets around.
Once, twice, but a third time.................Sorry that's a jail sentence and a life long ban.
Al, interesting to see if when he is sentenced that the 'more to come out in the wash' is positive or negative to where he is right now.
D
Once, twice, but a third time.................Sorry that's a jail sentence and a life long ban.
Al, interesting to see if when he is sentenced that the 'more to come out in the wash' is positive or negative to where he is right now.
D
Re: Duffus Dip
Pretty sure that Ali meant negative.
tut
tut
Re: Duffus Dip
I'm sure Tut, just wanting to see what spin is put on it!tut wrote:Pretty sure that Ali meant negative.
tut
Re: Duffus Dip
Purchased a couple of bikes he imported for us in the 90's when he had his bike shop in Edin. Had terrible customer service
Re: Duffus Dip
"Let's not forget the corner was named after his successes....."
Er, no. It was named after his repeated falloffs there in the eary days of the circuit. His car is for sale on the shop webpage, without the private plate, though if I had my way he'd never need it fitted to any other vehicle.
I hope the jury who lowered the charges to dangerous driving and accepted that the word 'racing' should be dropped from the evidence now realise that they made a big mistake after hearing of his past history. Elsewhere on the 'net he is attributed with winning TT races, but I think his highest was a 17th (?) and the news accent seems to be on the 'former motorcycle racer' rather than 'shop owner' or 'bloody lunatic', but I suppose thats what sells newspapers.
Er, no. It was named after his repeated falloffs there in the eary days of the circuit. His car is for sale on the shop webpage, without the private plate, though if I had my way he'd never need it fitted to any other vehicle.
I hope the jury who lowered the charges to dangerous driving and accepted that the word 'racing' should be dropped from the evidence now realise that they made a big mistake after hearing of his past history. Elsewhere on the 'net he is attributed with winning TT races, but I think his highest was a 17th (?) and the news accent seems to be on the 'former motorcycle racer' rather than 'shop owner' or 'bloody lunatic', but I suppose thats what sells newspapers.
Re: Duffus Dip
Interesting, always good to get the other side of the stories, there are usually several.
tut
tut
Re: Duffus Dip
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2013 BMW 330d X Drive M Sport
Re: Duffus Dip
I'll be letting the ar$ehole know my feelings anyway, by visiting his shop in Kirkcaldy to let him know exactly what kind of community service I'd give him. Watching the grief of families who have to bury their loved ones after accidents like this would leave him unmoved, community service will no doubt be tailored to a man of his place in the community so he'll not get his hands dirty, and you can bet your last kopek that he'll end up swanning around with sod all to do and unmoved by it all. I'd have the barsteward branded and make him stand in 'Muchty High Street for all of his 240 hours for all to see. 240 hours is 30 working days, six working weeks with Saturday and Sunday off.
How the hell can this be justice? He was as guilty of causing the death as the twat with the car who actually his the woman as it was his actions that forced the driver following to swerve. They were both racing, as shown by the evidence, but a clever lawyer did his bit and got the racing reference dropped.
After causing two deaths already, and he's involved in yet another and yet he gets the equivalent of 10 days sentence.
Aye, Scottish Justice right enough....................sorry to sound off, and apologies for the use of the odd swearword, but that's how I feel.
How the hell can this be justice? He was as guilty of causing the death as the twat with the car who actually his the woman as it was his actions that forced the driver following to swerve. They were both racing, as shown by the evidence, but a clever lawyer did his bit and got the racing reference dropped.
After causing two deaths already, and he's involved in yet another and yet he gets the equivalent of 10 days sentence.
Aye, Scottish Justice right enough....................sorry to sound off, and apologies for the use of the odd swearword, but that's how I feel.
Re: Duffus Dip
Just curious, are you involved in the case/copper/relative?
Re: Duffus Dip
Fifelk wrote:He was as guilty of causing the death as the twat with the car who actually his the woman as it was his actions that forced the driver following to swerve.
I'm not sure he is guilty of causing death by slowing down for a 30 zone. If the witness accounts are anything to go by, then the chap in the Corsa shouldn't have been following so closely, shouldn't have taken his eye off the road and should have been prepared to slow for the 30 zone.
I'd like to know what evidence indicates the two individuals were actually "racing" or speeding even. 60mph approaching a 30mph may look quite fast to someone who is stationary or used to pootling in these areas at 40mph.Fifelk wrote:They were both racing, as shown by the evidence
Not trying to wind you up or anything mate, I was going to state these points anyway.
I think the guy is despicable for what he has done in the past and should have had a more severe punishment then. But this time round I'm not sure how they can issue 240hrs community service on the basis people thought he was speeding?
Re: Duffus Dip
No, not related, but I know Alan Duffus and have done for 30 odd years. Have a read of the evidence given, even that printed in the newsapapers which gives full details of the witness statements, and that will show that they were driving fast and very closely, taking "racing lines" through the corners where Duffus forced an oncoming driver to take avoiding action, then he did the 'brake test' routine which forced the other idiot to swereve to avoid shunting him. His actions immediatly after the event show a callous disregard for life and the law.
I reckon you should read all the public information about the case, and that's damning enough, and read the comments from the Senior Police Officer who handled the case.
Pity his past had not preceded him to court, where the jury might have taken a more realistic view of the events. When his past was disclosed, after their verdict, they were said to be "shocked".
He's not to be seen at the shop today.
I reckon you should read all the public information about the case, and that's damning enough, and read the comments from the Senior Police Officer who handled the case.
Pity his past had not preceded him to court, where the jury might have taken a more realistic view of the events. When his past was disclosed, after their verdict, they were said to be "shocked".
He's not to be seen at the shop today.
Re: Duffus Dip
As an update for those without access to Scottish newspapers, here's what today's Daily Record had to say. Even allowing for the usual 'dramatisation' given to the most basic story by the Record, it makes grim reading;
"A FORMER motorbike racer who drove dangerously before a fatal crash was spared jail yesterday. It was the THIRD time that Alan Duffus, 62, had walked free after a death crash case.
And the furious sister of the victim of the first smash said last night: "He is like teflon. Nothing sticks to him. What have you got to do these days to get locked up?"
Duffus had been accused of causing the death of 67-year-old gran Senga Elder by dangerous driving in Auchtermuchty, Fife, last year.
Prosecutors claimed he was racing his co-accused, Grant Whyte, 22, in a powerful BMW Z4 when Whyte mounted the pavement in his Vauxhall Corsa and hit the old lady. But a jury last month cleared Duffus of racing and causing Senga's death and convicted him of the lesser charge of dangerous driving.
And at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, judge Lady Dorrian gave him 240 hours community service and banned him from the roads for 10 years. She told him: "While your driving was deficient, it did not cause the accident."
Whyte was jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned for 10 years.
Duffus was fined £2500 and banned for three years in 1980 for causing the death of a passenger in his Jaguar, 23-year-old Jacqueline Crombie, by reckless driving. He lost control, flew 70 feet through the air and smashed into a farm wall. He left Jacqueline dying in the wreck.
Then, in 1983, less than three months after he got his licence back, Duffus slammed his motorbike into the back of a family car. Car passenger Rebecca Knought, 61, was killed. Duffus was charged with causing Rebecca's death by reckless driving but convicted only of careless driving. He was fined £250 and given another three-year ban.
When a social worker interviewed Duffus about Senga Elder's death, he tried to play down his involvement and his record of poor driving.
And Jacqueline Crombie's sister Karen was horrified to see the five-time Scottish bike racing champion escape prison yet again. Karen said through tears: "Duffus is very lucky I wasn't at court - the b*****d makes me so angry. "How many death crashes has he got to be involved in before someone takes notice? "Justice has certainly not been done in this case or in my sister's. The courts should either have jailed Duffus or let me deal with him personally."
Senga's family refused to comment.
Six witnesses told the trial of Duffus and Whyte how they saw two cars driving bumper to bumper at excessive speeds just before Senga was killed.
It was alleged that Duffus and Whyte had been racing each other for three miles, tailgating each other and repeatedly swerving on to the wrong side of the road. The High Court in Dundee heard that Duffus slowed down suddenly just before a 30mph limit sign and Whyte, who was close behind him in his modified Corsa, left the road and hit Senga. The pensioner, of Auchtermuchty, was hurled through the air and into a skate park. She died instantly of head and spinal injuries.
The court was also told that before the fatal crash, a woman driver had to swerve to avoid Duffus's sports car as he crossed on to her side of the road.
He was convicted of dangerous driving because of this incident, and his speed.
Duffus, a motorbike dealer from Kinneswood, Fife, denied racing Whyte and said he had nothing to do with Senga's death. He claimed he didn't even notice at first that there had been an accident.
But after the trial, police savaged both Duffus and Whyte. Chief Inspector John Macdonald said: "This was not a road accident - it was a brutal criminal act. So dangerous was the driving of these individuals, it was a miracle that only Senga lost her life."
Yesterday, Duffus's QC Peter Gray asked the judge to show him mercy. He pointed out his client had been cleared of racing Whyte. But while she did not send Duffus to prison, Lady Dorrian made it clear what she thought of his conduct. She told him: "At your age, and with your background and previous conviction, you should be only too well aware of the possible consequences from driving recklessly on a public road. I am not impressed with your behaviour."
The judge told first offender Whyte, a delivery driver from Auchtermuchty, that he would have to live with his responsibility for Senga's death. But she added: "The Elder family have to live with the consequences."
Whyte's QC, Andrew Lamb, told the court: "This young man is devastated by the consequences, not just for his family but also for the family of the deceased. He has shown genuine remorse."
And, compare Duffus' first sentence with the one handed out to Whyte; Duffus got a fine and a three year ban after running away from the crash in 1980, leaving a young girl to die in the car, while Whyte gets a jail sentence.
Aye, Teflon right enough....................
"A FORMER motorbike racer who drove dangerously before a fatal crash was spared jail yesterday. It was the THIRD time that Alan Duffus, 62, had walked free after a death crash case.
And the furious sister of the victim of the first smash said last night: "He is like teflon. Nothing sticks to him. What have you got to do these days to get locked up?"
Duffus had been accused of causing the death of 67-year-old gran Senga Elder by dangerous driving in Auchtermuchty, Fife, last year.
Prosecutors claimed he was racing his co-accused, Grant Whyte, 22, in a powerful BMW Z4 when Whyte mounted the pavement in his Vauxhall Corsa and hit the old lady. But a jury last month cleared Duffus of racing and causing Senga's death and convicted him of the lesser charge of dangerous driving.
And at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, judge Lady Dorrian gave him 240 hours community service and banned him from the roads for 10 years. She told him: "While your driving was deficient, it did not cause the accident."
Whyte was jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned for 10 years.
Duffus was fined £2500 and banned for three years in 1980 for causing the death of a passenger in his Jaguar, 23-year-old Jacqueline Crombie, by reckless driving. He lost control, flew 70 feet through the air and smashed into a farm wall. He left Jacqueline dying in the wreck.
Then, in 1983, less than three months after he got his licence back, Duffus slammed his motorbike into the back of a family car. Car passenger Rebecca Knought, 61, was killed. Duffus was charged with causing Rebecca's death by reckless driving but convicted only of careless driving. He was fined £250 and given another three-year ban.
When a social worker interviewed Duffus about Senga Elder's death, he tried to play down his involvement and his record of poor driving.
And Jacqueline Crombie's sister Karen was horrified to see the five-time Scottish bike racing champion escape prison yet again. Karen said through tears: "Duffus is very lucky I wasn't at court - the b*****d makes me so angry. "How many death crashes has he got to be involved in before someone takes notice? "Justice has certainly not been done in this case or in my sister's. The courts should either have jailed Duffus or let me deal with him personally."
Senga's family refused to comment.
Six witnesses told the trial of Duffus and Whyte how they saw two cars driving bumper to bumper at excessive speeds just before Senga was killed.
It was alleged that Duffus and Whyte had been racing each other for three miles, tailgating each other and repeatedly swerving on to the wrong side of the road. The High Court in Dundee heard that Duffus slowed down suddenly just before a 30mph limit sign and Whyte, who was close behind him in his modified Corsa, left the road and hit Senga. The pensioner, of Auchtermuchty, was hurled through the air and into a skate park. She died instantly of head and spinal injuries.
The court was also told that before the fatal crash, a woman driver had to swerve to avoid Duffus's sports car as he crossed on to her side of the road.
He was convicted of dangerous driving because of this incident, and his speed.
Duffus, a motorbike dealer from Kinneswood, Fife, denied racing Whyte and said he had nothing to do with Senga's death. He claimed he didn't even notice at first that there had been an accident.
But after the trial, police savaged both Duffus and Whyte. Chief Inspector John Macdonald said: "This was not a road accident - it was a brutal criminal act. So dangerous was the driving of these individuals, it was a miracle that only Senga lost her life."
Yesterday, Duffus's QC Peter Gray asked the judge to show him mercy. He pointed out his client had been cleared of racing Whyte. But while she did not send Duffus to prison, Lady Dorrian made it clear what she thought of his conduct. She told him: "At your age, and with your background and previous conviction, you should be only too well aware of the possible consequences from driving recklessly on a public road. I am not impressed with your behaviour."
The judge told first offender Whyte, a delivery driver from Auchtermuchty, that he would have to live with his responsibility for Senga's death. But she added: "The Elder family have to live with the consequences."
Whyte's QC, Andrew Lamb, told the court: "This young man is devastated by the consequences, not just for his family but also for the family of the deceased. He has shown genuine remorse."
And, compare Duffus' first sentence with the one handed out to Whyte; Duffus got a fine and a three year ban after running away from the crash in 1980, leaving a young girl to die in the car, while Whyte gets a jail sentence.
Aye, Teflon right enough....................
Re: Duffus Dip
I don't think you'll find anyone disagreeing with your point of view - I'm just curious as to why you've found it necessary to join up specifically to rant on the subject? You've known him for 30 years, but are not personally involved?
Not meant as an attack on you, but the point, I feel, has been well made - not sure what's being achieved with post after post backing it up?
Not meant as an attack on you, but the point, I feel, has been well made - not sure what's being achieved with post after post backing it up?
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1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R
Re: Duffus Dip
Hi Shug,
I recently bought an Elise which is why I found the website. I posted in reply to a topic (post 1) and post 2 was a comment, post 3 was a reply to Kenny's question, and post 4 was written as I thought it would be useful for anyone not having access to the newspaper article.
I did not " join up specifically to rant on the subject", but since you feel offended by "post after post" I assume that conversation is not what the topic page is all about.
I'd ask that you remove the posts if they are not what the website wants, and I'll desist from further posts if that's what your message suggests.
I recently bought an Elise which is why I found the website. I posted in reply to a topic (post 1) and post 2 was a comment, post 3 was a reply to Kenny's question, and post 4 was written as I thought it would be useful for anyone not having access to the newspaper article.
I did not " join up specifically to rant on the subject", but since you feel offended by "post after post" I assume that conversation is not what the topic page is all about.
I'd ask that you remove the posts if they are not what the website wants, and I'll desist from further posts if that's what your message suggests.