judge david young

Judge attacks 'madness' of street-car racing after death
5:00AM Wednesday October 24, 2007

A High Court judge asked yesterday how many young people had to die as a result of the "madness" of cars racing on public streets.

Justice Ronald Young sentenced two young Wellington men to 10 months' home detention for dangerous driving causing the death of 21-year-old pedestrian Amy Edward-Mintorn on August 20 last year.

He said they were racing against each other in their high-performance cars. At about 1.30am, they were stopped on Cambridge Tce at its intersection with Vivian St and accelerated away once the traffic lights turned green.

About 40m away, Ms Edward-Mintorn was crossing the street, talking on her cellphone, when she saw the cars coming towards her.

She started running across the road, but was hit by one of them. She died from what the Crown called "unsurvivable" head injuries a few hours later.

The estimated speed of the cars was 60km/h, maybe more, when she was struck.

The car that hit her was driven by Neoton Yousif, 20. Racing against him was David John Hodgson, 19.

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A third person charged, Vance Young-Whaanga, 18, pleaded not guilty and his trial began after yesterday's sentencing.

Justice Young said it was the second time in a week he had had to pass sentence in a case involving street racing.

Last week, he sentenced Jeffrey Douglas Luke, 19, to 20 months' prison for the manslaughter of a 20-year-old he hit at high speed while taking part in illegal late-night racing at Mt Maunganui in May.

"How many deaths of young men and women have to occur before this madness of racing cars on public streets stops?" he asked.

Justice Young expressed sympathy to Ms Edward-Mintorn's family. "To lose a young family member with so much to look forward to is such a great sorrow." He said that while Yousif's car had hit Ms Edward-Mintorn, both men were equally responsible.

They would rightly carry Ms Edward-Mintorn's death on their consciences for the rest of their lives, he said.

They were entitled to a sizeable discount for their guilty pleas, he said. The normal starting point for sentence for them would have been 2 1/2 years, but that was reduced to under two years because of the guilty pleas and other mitigating factors, which made them eligible for home detention.

They were fined $3000 each, which meant they would have to sell their cars, he said, saying they were "too young and irresponsible" to own them. They were disqualified from driving for four years.

Opening the case for the Crown against Young-Whaanga, Kate Feltham said he had been racing Yousif and Hodgson in his modified Subaru Impreza WRX Coupe.

As they accelerated from the Vivian St lights heading towards Courtenay Place, Hodgson's car was in front of Young-Whaanga with Yousif further back.

Ms Edward-Mintorn was struck by Yousif's car in the lane closest to the central island. The Crown's case was that all three were equally culpable.

For the accused, counsel Keith Jefferies said the defence would be producing a driving expert who would say that Young-Whaanga had not driven dangerously and had done nothing wrong. The case before a jury continues.

MNJEN my ex has told me he won't pay child support for a child he can't see. no biggy. haven't received child support since June, but my daughter is not comfortable around him. do i need to go back to court for an ODP or does she have rights to say "Dad I don't want to see you". Please help.

JUDGE DAVID YOUNG MNJen, yes you have to go back to Court. If you do not then the Judge could punish you for unilaterally withholding visitation. Good Luck!

Allyson Hello Judge, My 9 yr old son dosent want to go to his fathers house on weekends anymore are last court date was december 2006 what can I do?

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JUDGE DAVID YOUNG Allyson, he has to go unless there is something going on. If he won't go then only the Court can suspend visitation. Maybe some family counselling would be in oder. Good Luck

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Jay I am the executor of my fathers estate. I filed Probate in Tennessee but he was in the process of moving to Minnesota at the time of his death. Is it possible to transfer the probate to Minnesota so I don't have to make any additional trips to Tennessee?

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JUDGE DAVID YOUNG Jay, I don't think so. Check with the Probate Clerk in Tennessee (the Clers's know all the answers)

Mr. B my mom had signed a contract with a contractor that said he was lic. by the state of minnesota to do construction in mn, we check to see if he had lic, after he took money did part of work and now wont return call what is the next setp that we can do? if the contract has false info it it legal

JUDGE DAVID YOUNG Mr. B. Tell your mom to consult with the local prosecutor ASAP. Good LUCK!!!

J&K Hello Judge young, My wife and I were harassed by a church over and over due to our "mixed" marriage. We tried to talk to the elders but get nowhere. Who could I contact. This is a very disturbing story involving discrimination, harassment, breech of contract and hate in a church. Thank you very much

JUDGE DAVID YOUNG J &K, I am sorry that you are enduring this heartache. You may want to seek out an an administrator who runs the Chirch statewide or National and express your concerns. Churches should never discriminate, that seems to me to be not to be what God would want. Of course you can sue . Good Luck

Guest Scott Hi! I was on a black top roller at work and a drunk driver hit me and i got abroken hip ,ribs and punchurd lung.im getting workers comp...can i go after the guy for pain and suffering?

JUDGE DAVID YOUNG Scott, you can go after the guy and I would do sue. Feel better

Amanda, Howard Lake 4 wks ago my father in law shot himself in my basement he was not a depressed man he had just started pills for sleeping (ambien) I feel somehow this may have had a role in this incident I want to do something but I don't know what to start can you help me?

JUDGE DAVID YOUNG Amanda, my hearfelt sympathies. You need to talk to a plaintiff's lawyer. The consults are free, sointerview a few before making a decision. Sounds like an interesting case.. Good Luck

Guest dennis how do i find a lawyer who will sue another lawyer for misrepentation? my grandson would really appretiate it

JUDGE DAVID YOUNG Dennis, call the Bar Association for a lawyer referral. The type of lawyer you need will be for Legal Mal Practice.

Judge David Young
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Please improve this article if you can. (October 2007)

Judge David Young is a daytime syndicated courtroom series that premiered on television stations across the United States of America and Canada on September 10, 2007. [1]. Young is openly gay. In his television courtroom, much of David Young's behavior is comical and witty. In fact, the tagline of his court show parodies Judge Judy's "Justice with an Attitude" tagline, using "Justice with a Snap" instead. [2] Young is levelheaded, fair, and even goes so far as to explain his position after each case. Young is also assertive, as he'll do such things as firmly tell a litigant to be quiet, if they're interrupting or becoming a problem for him. One of his trademarks are his humorous interactions with his baliff, Tawya Young. Although, David and Tawya share the same last name, they have no relation to each other. Young was the judge for the American West pilots. He is known for having a huge heart and wanting to make a difference in peoples life. His last day as a circuit judge in
Miami was deemed Judge David Young Day. There was a line outside the courtroom of people he had helped wanting to thank him. The series is produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Television [3], which also produces the courtroom shows Judge Hatchett and Judge Maria Lopez.

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