ITN Newscaster sacked as magistrate

Hey again, just come across this piece regarding Carol Barnes, from Yahoo and Reuters.

Wednesday January 12, 10:59 AM

Newsreader sacked as magistrate
Newsreader Carol Barnes has been sacked as a magistrate after being convicted of drink driving, the Department for Constitutional Affairs said.

Ms Barnes, 60, has been officially removed from the bench by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, for ten years.

In a letter to the former ITN newsreader, who uses her married name of Thomson, Lord Falconer said he had no choice but to dismiss her.

A DCA spokesman said Lord Falconer accepted she had been under great stress following the death of her daughter Clare, 24, who was killed in a skydiving accident in Australia last March.

The DCA spokesman said: "The Lord Chancellor concluded that he had no choice but to remove her. A motoring disqualification would generally bar appointment as a magistrate.

"He was aware that Mrs Thomson had been under great stress but said he had to treat each case on its merits, and really had no choice."

Ms Barnes, who lives at Brighton Marina, East Sussex, was stopped in her Audi TT sports car near Dukes Mound in Brighton on September 10 last year on suspicion of speeding.

A test showed she had 103mg of alcohol in her blood. The legal maximum is 80mg.

The newsreader, who now works on the 24-hour ITV News Channel, appeared at Eastbourne magistrates court on October 4 and was banned from driving for a year, exactly four years after becoming a JP.

The case followed the tragic death of her daughter Clare, who plunged 14,000ft to her death when her parachute failed to open during a jump over Melbourne


Matrix

Anyone who is chav enough to buy an Audi TT, deserves to be penalised.

Sorry, but it's not a chav car unless it's an old-granny runabout (preferably Corsa or Nova) with blacked out windows, body kit, lowered suspension, large exhaust, a stereo system which fills the boot and a logo of some kind ('No Fear' etc) plastered over the back window.

I think that on their 'Cool Wall', Top Gear think the Audi TT is 'seriously uncool'!

Out of interest, does Jeremy Clarkson feature on the Cool Wall? Somehow I doubt he'd make it as high as the skirting board.

That's made it hard for Carol Barnes to get to work in London. Guess she's having to use the train.

CHAV!!!

I prefer the elegance and style of my Mercedes CLS, thanks!

Slightly OT, but is Alastair Stewart still banned from driving? As I remember he got his licence took off him for the same thing. It's ironic he used to present Police, Camera, Action!

I feel realy sorry for Carol Barnes it hasn't been an easy time for her recently .I wished she was back on ITV 1 reading the news i just hate what ITN did to her and Julia Sommerville.It's outrageous they have to take a back seat to the likes of Mary **** and Nina the wimp !!!!! how insulting for them.

What did ITN do to Julia and (Christmas) Carol? . and why is Nina a wimp, she's seems like a strong lass to me. I wouldn't like to fight her in a boxing ring.