Barker's punishment for an outrageous act of stupidity is a result of his own
actions, but his friends and colleagues must take some responsibility for
failing to get him to change his way of life.
The consequences of Barker's recklessness became front page news in July 2001
when he drove his car over the edge of a old quarry, into a lagoon, where
his girlfriend's three children drowned, trapped in the car.
At first this had all the hallmarks of a terrible tragedy, but the subsequent
court case has shown the truth to be far more horrific. Barker has a lot to
answer for.
The so called Blue Lagoon where the terrible events took place, is in Arlesey,
Bedfordshire, and is an abandoned, water filled quarry which has become a
favourite site for picnics and those wishing to get away from the local towns.
Despite being full of old cars, mechanical equipment and who knows what, it has
been used as a bathing site for many years.
Although used by many, the Lagoon is on private land, and those going there are
trespassers. The only officially sanctioned users of the Lagoon are an anglers'
club, a sailing club, and diving club. The owners have however found it very
difficult to keep people away, although they are now in talks with the Local
Authority on trying to make the area more secure and safe.
There were no safety measures in place when Barker brought the lives of three
young children to a sudden end. When the car careered over the cliff and into
the Lagoon, Barker, his girlfriend and another adult, all 22 years old, managed
to escape from the vehicle, but the children remained trapped inside, and despite
frantic work by the emergency crews attending, their efforts to save then were
in vain.
Accidents do happen, and it would be unfair to accuse Barker, as the driver, as
being totally to blame without knowing the facts.
The facts are astonishing. This wasn't a case of the handbrake failing, a small
mistake in driving causing a massive problem later, or a momentary lapse of
concentration. Barker claimed he was parking the car when it failed to stop,
and that he was going no more than 10 mph. Witness accounts reveal that
Barker had been driving around with his right foot hanging out the opened
driver's door, and operating the peddles with his left foot, and every driver
who has tried operating the accelerator or brake knows exactly how difficult
it is when the wrong foot is used; it's usually all or nothing.
It's no surprise therefore that Barker managed to propel the vehicle over the
20 foot cliff as a consequence. Experts who examined the scene, estimate
that Barker dived off the cliff at 28 to 30 mph. He blames a carpet for
having come loose and trapping the accelerator, which could be possible, but
conflicts somewhat with what the witnesses say they saw.
Losing control of a vehicle is a driver's worse nightmare, but all should be
aware that it may happen and have some idea as to what to do. Asked why he
never pulled the handbrake on as a last resort to stop the car, Barker could
only say that he thought it would stall the car. That may be so, but that is
not really a worry under the circumstances, and it shows Barker is a very
inexperienced motorist.
Being inexperienced isn't an excuse for what happened, but may be a mitigating
circumstance. In Barker's case it is not.
Barker had never taken a driving lesson in his life, and had never passed a
driving test. His car had no MOT, was untaxed and he was uninsured. This isn't
inexperience, or youthful extravagance, it was a recipe for disaster for anyone
who encountered him. He was an accident waiting to happen.
It is ironic that Barker was employed as a fork-lift truck driver, and it must
be asked whether his employers knew he didn't have a driving licence or had
even checked. It may not be a legal necessity, but most employers would want
to see some proof of skills before employing someone in what can be a dangerous
job if not undertaken properly. Or did they just say, here's a fork-lift, let's
see how you do, and give him the job anyway ? Hardly best practice for Health
and Safety management.
It would be remarkable if none of his family, friends or his girlfriend had
not been aware that he had not passed his test, and more so, if they have done
nothing about it. How did they all manage to miss the fact that there was no
tax disc on the car, or it had expired ? Shopping people to the police is not a
pleasant
thing to do, but incidents like this justifies why there are cases for doing so.
Most people don't want to have it on their conscience that their inaction led
to the death of some poor innocent party, and the loss of a friendship is a
lot easier to suffer
This affair may be playing on the conscience of Barker's second cousin, Rodney
Artman, who lived a few flats away. It was he who sold the car to Barker
for 300 GBP having bought it as an insurance write-off from Universal Salvage
just two months earlier for 30 GBP.
Barker said there had been problems with the car when he and Artman were working
on it, but he trusted Artman that it was okay, who also said he'd get the car
taxed, MOT'd and insured. Barker said that he didn't know it was a death trap.
No one has offered any explanation as to how the car, with over 150,000 miles
logged at the salvage yard was sold by Artman with just 52,000 miles showing.
Barker said that he didn't know how to get the car MOT'd, taxed or insured, and
he left that in the hands of Artman. Knowing that he didn't have any of these,
or believing that Artman had sorted it without checking, didn't stop Barker
getting into the car and driving it. He did not care what the consequences were
then, nor later.
Barker says he, "Wished he'd died with the kids", and well he might. He is
unlikely to receive much public sympathy, outside or inside jail. Had this been
a terrible, unpredictable accident, he would have received a lessor punishment.
The events leading up to this tragedy, and those before, show that the outcome
was totally avoidable. The substantial jail term which is expected to be handed
down will be a reflection of that.
