** UK medic’s licence pulled after driving drunk
** US lawyer to appeal conviction of Canadian who killed Delta Force medic in Afghanistan
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** A Hinckley paramedic has had his licence to practice suspended after being convicted of driving drunk. The Hinckley Times (Harriet Robinson/November 8) said David Wibberley was given the decision by the Health Care Professions Council last week. According to the newspaper, Wibberley was arrested by police on January 2nd of this year in Leicestershire. Witnesses saw his car hit curbs on either side of the road. In addition, several motorists said he failed to properly negotiate turns and drove directly into oncoming traffic. Wibberley’s blood alcohol content tested at 94 micrograms in 100 milliliters of breath;the legal limit is 35. Appearing in court January 22nd, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 hours community service. His driver’s licence was also suspended for 2 years.
CANADA NEWS
** A man convicted of killing a US Special Forces medic in Afghanistan in 2002 is set to appeal. That is the word from the Canadian Press (Colin Perkel/November 7) which said attorneys for Omar Khadr contend that the military commission that sentenced him had no jurisdiction to try him in the death of Sgt. Christopher Speer. According to the newspaper, Khadr’s US lawyer Sam Morison contends that the now 27-year-old’s killing of Speer wasn’t a war crime under US or international law. Because Khadr was not in uniform and was only 15-years-old at the time, he was dubbed an unprivileged combatant. Morison told reporter’s unlawful combatants can not, therefore, be accused of war crimes. The guilty plea and associated sentence would, therefore, be void. The case will likely be heard by the Court of Military Commission Review in the spring. Khadr, meanwhile, remains in detention at a maximum security prison in Edmonton, Alberta.
