Bollywood's Salman Khan guilty in deadly hit-and-run case

[webfact]

Bollywood's Salman Khan guilty in deadly hit-and-run case
AFP

MUMBAI - An Indian judge convicted Wednesday Bollywood superstar Salman Khan of killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run after a night out drinking, rejecting his claim that his driver was to blame.

D.W. Deshpande found Khan guilty of culpable homicide after driving his Toyota Land Cruiser into a group of homeless men sleeping rough in suburban Mumbai after spending the evening in an upmarket bar.

One man was killed and several others were injured in the incident.

Khan, the star of blockbusters such as "Dabangg" (Fearless), looked dejected after hearing the verdict, his eyes downcast, according to an AFP reporter inside the court room.

Khan had always denied being behind the wheel, but now faces up to 10 years in prison, potentially bringing the career of one of the Indian movie industry's biggest box-office stars to a shuddering halt.

The trial began in earnest last year after a series of court hearings and legal hold-ups.

Full story: http://news.asiaone.com/news/showbiz/bollywoods-salman-khan-guilty-deadly-hit-and-run-case

-- asiaone 2015-05-06

[NeilSA1]

".... killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run after a night out drinking...."

13 years before justice is served. Is India competing with Thailand?

[sailblue]

Amazed that is ever got to court. The caste system there, as in Thailand protects the rich and connected.

Where is our Ferrari Red Bull guy, locked up yet, and he killed a cop and ran away with him on the bonnet

[Wat dee]

".... killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run after a night out drinking...."

13 years before justice is served. Is India competing with Thailand?

Not really.There's going to be a trial!

[JetsetBkk]

Amazed that is ever got to court. The caste system there, as in Thailand protects the rich and connected.

Where is our Ferrari Red Bull guy, locked up yet, and he killed a cop and ran away with him on the bonnet

Didn't he have a seizure or something?

Or was that some other uber-rich young piece of Thai waste-of-oxygen who drove into a bus queue?

Still, let's not dwell on these "accidents" too much or we'll start remembering the 9 people killed by that other uber-rich 16 year old "Na Ayudhya" girl who crashed into their van.

Did any of 'em go to jail?

[jackanapes]

being famous doesn't absolve one from blame he is guilty of dangerous driving and must be punished accordingly he must serve life 10 years is not enough.

[Traveling Sailor]

".... killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run after a night out drinking...."

13 years before justice is served. Is India competing with Thailand?

No! In Thailand there would never be a trial. A brown envelope would change hands and the police would lose all the evidence. The prosicutor would say that there is not enough evidence to go to trial. No comparison whatsoever.

[greenchair]

He was not the person driving.

His driver was behind the wheel.

It may be he is being charged because he is responsible for the person that works for him. Besides there would be no story if it was his driver behind the wheel.

[otherstuff1957]

The story on BBC said that it was late at night, he had been drinking and he failed to see people sleeping in street.

I just hope that people don't start sleeping in the street here in Bangkok!

[Langsuan Man]

He was not the person driving.

His driver was behind the wheel.

It may be he is being charged because he is responsible for the person that works for him. Besides there would be no story if it was his driver behind the wheel.

A string of prosecution witnesses, including survivors of the crash, testified that Khan was driving the vehicle when it ploughed at speed into the men sleeping on the street near a bakery in September 2002.

I guess you are hinging your judgement on the fact that his driver said he was behind the wheel, just like the initial investigation of the Red Bull heir's accident placed the blame on his family's driver. Which of course fell apart when an investigator not on the family payroll got involved

People with money and power can get their employees to say anything they want

[Suradit69]

".... killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run after a night out drinking...."

13 years before justice is served. Is India competing with Thailand?

But neither could ever compete with the UK when it comes to caste systems and celebrity cover-ups going on for decades.

Jimmy Savile was television presenter and DJ at the BBC for over 30 years. He was also possibly the most prolific paedophile/rapist/molester in British history. After his death the gruesome details of his activities came out. Lots of his assaults took place at the BBC, particularly in his dressing room. It is now accepted that lots of people at the BBC knew about his activities but turned a blind eye. Added to this, some other minor celebrities who worked at the BBC have been charged or actually convicted of a range of sex offences.

The wider picture points to evidence of a massive paedophile ring within the British establishment throughout the 70s and 80s, of which Jimmy Saville was a member. It is suspected that involvements and cover-ups this went as far as the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and the royal family (Saville is on record as being close friends with both Thatcher and Prince Charles).