Judge Raoul Neave posed a most excellent question in his sentencing of financier Guy Hallwright for running down a man with his Saab convertible in a road rage incident.
"I have wondered at some length," mused His Honour, "whether or not if this had been an encounter between two teenage boys on the back streets of Manukau, whether we would be here today."
The implication appeared to be that the teenager might have got off more lightly than the Forsyth Barr analyst - that he would not have suffered the "humiliation" of public and media scrutiny.
Indeed. The teen would probably not have suffered the humiliation of a five-day jury trial, defended by the same leading Queen's Counsel who represents Kim Dotcom.
He would, instead, most likely have been advised by some car-boot lawyer to enter early guilty pleas to reckless driving causing injury and failing to stop after a crash. The teen would probably have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment, like logging contractor Rodney Bryant or service station attendant Prasant Nathoo - both of whom also drove off after seriously injuring people.
