Vic Lee arrested

[Touringfan]

Autosport report today the facts that Vic Lee and Jerry Mahoney were arrested last Monday with 20kgs of cocaine, in the middle of a drug deal, by Customs & Excise.

They were also found with £70,000 in cash in their car which they have confiscated as its presumedly from another drug deal earlier.

They have been arrested and charged and are in prison waiting trial.

There you go. Caught red-handed. And please dont go on with the innocent until proven guilty thing; Hes a drug dealer. Did it in 1992 and did it again this year and he was caught in the middle of a drug handover.

Hard drug dealers are the lowest form of life and its a shame he was involved in our sport.

My daughters life was ruined by cocaine. People like Lee and Mahoney should just rot in jail.

[sagaris]

Are we allowed to quote "Autosport" and "Motorsport News"? The reason why is because they seem to conflict in their reporting! Touringfan has a valid issue to inform us here. We can surely discuss the 1992 case and also the Gene Gibson case from 1997!

Tourinfan,

Do you work in motorsport or are you just a fan?

sagaris

[EvilPumpkin]

sagaris, if you have written permission from those publications to reproduce their copyright material, then quote ahead. Be prepared to produce the written permission. Other than that, you'll just have to either post a link to the content or assume that people know what you're talking about.

With references to previous cases, it would be prefereable that they weren't discussed until we see how the media is going to handle it. I'm not totally up on UK criminal law, but IIRC, previous convictions are not allowed to be introduced into a criminal case (although I think they can tell the jury after the verdict). Perhaps some of the Tenths legal folks could help out here.

I know there was a case a while back where the prejudicial information that was published in the papers actually caused a case to be thrown out.

I'm sure no-one on Tenths would want to see a criminal walk free just for the sake of a bit of gossiping so I'm sure we can rely on you all to be sensible.

[sagaris]

I remember the great AJ Foyt had a logo on his car "Not funded by Drugs"! Drugs are a danger and mixed with driving can be leathful!

[JohnMiller]

leathful?

[Tim Falce]

Who is Vic Lee? I have done a Google search but nothing helpfull comes up.

[DavidStHubbins]

I can feel this thread on the edge of being pulled! Before it goes I just want to say "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... "

Vic Lee runs/ran British Touring Car teams. Usually Peugeot. There IS a link to him on google as I wrote earlier but it was pulled for obvious reasons! Find it my boy but not a whisper from you in these parts.

[The Bear]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

In the eyes of the law, ten-tenths would be seen as media, as it is publishing the comments.

The individual posters would also be responsible.

The problem is that if people say "he's definitely guilty" - and he is then found not guilty, both the site and the poster could find themselves on the wrong end of a libel writ.


As we don't have any of the evidence, I'm not too clear what there is people can or would wish to discuss.

Until there's a verdict, there isn't really anything to say.

There is a big difference between a national newspaper publishing things that could influence a fair trial and discussion on an internet forum. When O J Simpson was on trial for double murder everyone and their dog knew he was guilty and said so in public, private and on the internet. He was 'found' not guilty but I have never heard of anyone being sued. Vic Lee got 12 years for smuggling cocaine in the 90's and that is public knowledge. He has now been charged with pocessing a huge amount of cocaine and that is public knowledge. Who in the world is not going to have an opinion?

[EvilPumpkin]

Originally Posted by The Bear

Who in the world is not going to have an opinion?

Hmm try everyone in the world who's never heard of the guy. Until all this started, I'd never heard of him and I'm quite confident that when it blows over, I'll never hear of him again.

[EvilPumpkin]

Right, I've split this thread out. If you want to talk Vic Lee and the other guy, do it here but do it within the guidelines that have been laid out or we'll simply pull the thread and bar any more discussion on the subject until the case is over.

If you want to talk legalities of forum discussion, that thread is in PF!

[Ian Sowman]

Originally Posted by The Bear

There is a big difference between a national newspaper publishing things that could influence a fair trial and discussion on an internet forum.

Technically, whether it is The Times or 10-Tenths it doesn't really make a whole lot of difference. Would the times print a letter from a reader who said "X is definitely guilty of Y"? No, they wouldn't - and so the same should apply here. Have an opinion by all means, but just think about where you express it.

It is a shame as well that threads like this seem to be very popular, with some users it would seem posting almost solely on this subject. A shame that in a Touring Car forum they can't talk about more interesting things concerning racing: that is why we are here, after all. Isn't it?

[The Bear]

Originally Posted by Ian Sowman

It is a shame as well that threads like this seem to be very popular, with some users it would seem posting almost solely on this subject. A shame that in a Touring Car forum they can't talk about more interesting things concerning racing: that is why we are here, after all. Isn't it?

It is because the racing season hasn't started.

[DavidStHubbins]

It's the off-season. There aint no racing to talk about.

[DavidStHubbins]

You beat me to it 'Bear from further up the tree'.

[Ian Sowman]

I said "concerning racing".

[DavidStHubbins]

Vic Lee is involved in racing.

[mystery racer]

It was brought to my attention last week that a few other relatively well known motorsport figures were arrested too. Does anybody here know the facts as I feel it could have been a load of

[Chris Y]

Rumour was last week that some other noted motorsport people were questioned. Nothing more has been mentioned about them, so it remains a rumour.

[andy_b]

Probably best if this thread is locked, but left up as people can then see the baiscs. If its deleted someone will start another one, either deliberately, or innocently

[mystery racer]

Originally Posted by Chris Y

Rumour was last week that some other noted motorsport people were questioned. Nothing more has been mentioned about them, so it remains a rumour.

Thanks for that.

[Chris Y]

There's nothing wrong with discussing the facts that have emerged following the news that has been released in Autosport and other sources, but previous threads have been removed as a result of name-calling and potentially libellous accusations from nothing but rumour and supposition.

Providing this thread stays on the current topic, it will not be removed, unless an attempt is made to steer it to suit someone's own personal agenda.

[ensign14]

I would think there is little point in speculating anyway. We cannot add any more to the knowledge that will emerge bit by bit in the case. There is always the risk of saying something defamatory; less likely for criminal contempt as it is unlikely a jury will get internet access, and no-one who has heard of Vic Lee is likely to sit on the jury.

[EvilPumpkin]

Originally Posted by ensign14

and no-one who has heard of Vic Lee is likely to sit on the jury.

Oh dear
They can't call me for jury duty from Ireland can they?

Oh wait, I've heard of him now...........

[ensign14]

Heh, no, they have to be in England. And as part of the weeding out process they'll ask if you know of him.

[N I Tram]

Questioning someone on this matter doens't mean they are a suspect - it could simply be a case of gathering information, so the other Vic Lee associates who come to mind (and I certainly won't name) are not implicated in this as yet.

I think our society has wrongly gone soft on cocaine and heroin. These drugs are both causes and symptoms of a lot of poverty, crime, abuse and suffering. If a successful and talented man like Vic has gone down this path it's a depressing inditement, and saddening for racing fans to wonder where the money for his past suceess came from.