By Mark McLaughlin
Edinbugh Evening News
14 February 2008
CAMPAIGNERS reacted angrily today after an alleged drink-driver accused of killing an Edinburgh woman in a hit-and-run was told to expect a two-year jail term.
Julia Thomson, 24, from Morningside, was hit by a car in New York as she made her way home from a night out with friends in September last year.
Student Tenzing Bhutia, 29, appeared in court in Manhattan yesterday for the latest round of pre-trial proceedings.
At the hearing, prosecutors recommended a two-year sentence for Bhutia's alleged involvement in the hit-and-run.
He has already posted GBP 38,000 bail and faces three charges including manslaughter, driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
Julia's brother William said the family would await the outcome of the trial before commenting on any sentence. He added: "We have not been told about this through official channels. We cannot influence the sentencing in any way so we'll just have to wait and see."
However, New York-based road safety campaigner Barbara Ross, of direct action group Time's Up, said that a two-year sentence would not serve as a deterrent to drink-driving.
She said: "If someone gets drunk and shoots someone with a gun, they can expect a life sentence. There is no difference between being under the influence and getting behind the wheel of a car and killing someone.
"It undermines everything we stand for and goes to show no-one is listening to the calls for zero tolerance for drink-driving.
"I hope this case will highlight how unfair the law is when it comes to victims and their families. My heart goes out to Julia's family."
Campaigners say Julia's death is just one of 900 documented car accidents in New York City - including 16 fatalities in the East Village alone in recent years.
Friends and family paid tribute to Julia on both sides of the Atlantic, with dual remembrance services in Edinburgh and New York last October.
Last month, her father was dismayed to read that Bhutia had changed his plea to not guilty, in what he regarded as a last-ditch attempt to secure his freedom after the New York district attorney refused a plea bargain deal.
The family have now set up a memorial fund in her honour to lift children out of poverty.
Bill Thomson and his wife Cecilia hope to provide support to the Garden of Angels, a project that works with impoverished youngsters in Brazil.
The project, similar to one Julia volunteered at in Peru, provides care for pre-school children.
The family say their ultimate goal is to have a new building in Julia's honour, which will provide opportunities for older children.
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