A Portuguese lorry driver who killed a family of six when he crashed into their car was today found guilty of causing their deaths by careless driving. Paulo Jorge Nogueira da Silva was jailed for three years at Chester crown court for causing the deaths of David and Michelle Statham, of Llandudno, north Wales, and their four children: Reece, 13, Jay, nine, Mason, 20 months, and Ellouise, 10 weeks. They were killed instantly in the crash on the M6 in Cheshire last October. Da Silva was told he would serve 18 months in custody before being allowed out on licence. He was also banned from driving for three years. He was sentenced to three years on each of the six counts, which will be served concurrently. Passing sentence, the judge, Mr Justice Irwin, said: This case arose from a terrible tragedy. Anyone who has heard the case could not help but have strong, indeed overwhelming, sympathy for the families of those who died, a whole family wiped out. The overwhelming aggravating feature of what happened is the number of those killed. The 46-year-old was driving with gross inattention to the road when his 40-tonne vehicle smashed into the Statham family's Toyota Previa on 20 October. The family died when their car burst into flames near Sandbach, the court had heard. During the trial the jury heard that it was possible that Da Silva, who was delivering fruit juice to Morrison's supermarket, was using his laptop to find directions to the chain's distribution centre in Northwich, Cheshire, after hearing that the M6 had been closed due to an accident. Police investigators found Da Silva's laptop on the lorry cab's console, with its screen facing the driver, although the driver insisted that the computer had been switched off and on the passenger seat when the crash occurred. Mrs Statham, 33, a financial adviser, was driving the family home after they had spent the weekend at.
The Daimler Scout Car, known in service as the Dingo (after the Australian wild dog was a British light fast four-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle also used in the liaison role during the Second World War. Contents 1 Design and development 2 Service 3 Variants 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links Design and development[edit] German soldiers inspect a Dingo of the Canadian Army abandoned during the August 1942 Dieppe Raid. A Dingo with a Bren gun, followed by a Daimler Armoured Car and a Humber Armoured Car in 1942 In 1938 the British War Office issued a specification for a scouting vehicle. Three British motor manufacturers: Alvis, BSA Cycles and Morris were invited to supply prototypes. Alvis had been in partnership with Nicholas Straussler and provided armoured cars to the Royal Air Force, Morris had participated in trials and production of armoured cars, and BSA Cycles -whose parent Birmingham Small Arms ( BSA) was involved in armaments - had a small front wheel drive vehicle in production. Testing began in August 1938. All were of similar size and layout - rear engine and all four wheels driven. The Morris design was eliminated first - suffering from poor speed even after modification by its builders. The Alvis prototype - known as Dingo - could manage 50 mph over a cross country course but had a high centre of gravity. The BSA prototype was completed in September and handed over for testing. By December it had covered 10,000 miles on- and off-road with few mechanical problems. Policy from the War Office changed to a requirement for better armour with the effect that an armoured roof was needed. As a consequence the BSA vehicle needed a more powerful engine and strengthened suspension. It was chosen over the Alvis and the first order (172 vehicles) for the Car, Scout, Mark I was placed in May 1939. The actual production was passed to Daimler, which was a.
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