# Thomas Sippel Dau



## lech (13 May 2009)

Today's Guardian:

*Death crash accused's car sold on eBay, court told*

Georgian embassy official Natela Grinina denies fatally injuring cyclist in hit-and-run crash




 Press Association
 guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 May 2009 22.59 BST
Article history
An Georgian embassy official fatally injured a cyclist in a hit-and-run crash before her 4x4 car was sold on eBay, a court heard today.
Natela Grinina, 34, knocked down Thomas Sippel-Dau, 54, while behind the wheel of her Range Rover in Cromwell Road, south Kensington, on the evening of 11 March 2005, Woolwich crown court was told.
Opening the case, Brendan Kelly QC, prosecuting, said: "It is the prosecution's case that Natela Grinina was the driver of that car on that occasion and that having been the driver of that car she left the scene. As you will hear over the following two weeks, she has done all within her power to avoid blame and her conviction for this particular act."
The court was told how witnesses described seeing a Range Rover travelling at 40-50mph in the 30mph zone, swerving from one side of the road to another. Sippel-Dau, a computer services manager at Imperial College London, who was travelling home to west Kensington, was thrown 30 metres on impact. A postmortem examination found he had suffered a severe head injury.
The court heard that after a Crimewatch appeal in June 2005, a car dealer in Leicester who bought and sold vehicles on the internet contacted police to say he had purchased the "leftovers" of a blue Range Rover that had been delivered to him.
During the police investigation, the janitor of Grinina's block in Gloucester Square, near Paddington, recalled seeing two women in a damaged blue Range Rover "limping" into the complex one night, the jury was told. He remembered later seeing the Range Rover as it was placed on a low-loader tow truck and taken away.
Police inquiries revealed the vehicle identification number assigned to the car recovered in Leicester was that originally assigned to a diplomatic plate on the defendant's vehicle. Grinina was an employee of the Georgian embassy.
Kelly said that when Grinina was arrested on 15 November 2005 she initially told police in prepared statements through a solicitor that on the night of the crash she had been contacted by her brother in Moscow to say her mother had fallen ill and she had arranged to go there as soon as possible.
She alleged on that night she had earlier been driven to a function at the House of Lords by a person who had asked to borrow the Range Rover, but refused to name them for fear of repercussions. The court heard that police found no record of her travelling to Russia that evening.
Kelly told the court one of Grinina's friends recalled how Grinina had arranged to pick up a mutual friend from Heathrow on 11 March, but had failed to meet up as planned in south-west London later that night. When she called Grinina's boyfriend in the early hours of 12 March, he answered to say they were in France. When asked why by her friend, Grinina is alleged to have told her: "It is a whole detective story".
Organisers of the House of Lords function remembered seeing Grinina and her boyfriend at the evening drinks gathering on 11 March but noticed Grinina left half an hour before her partner.
In a later police interview, Grinina alleged the person who borrowed her car was a man named George Gigeishvilli, a Georgian national who jumped from Westminster Bridge in June 2005. Inquiries by police showed the dead man to be a labourer who did not drive in the UK, and who had been working all day in Manchester on 11 March.
Kelly said: "The name, we say, was a work of fiction used by her to distract police."
He said analysis of Grinina's mobile activity showed a flurry of calls from her phone in the minutes after 10.15pm, the recorded time of the crash, and during that evening, and a further 80 calls from France the next day.
Grinina, who was not in court and is not being represented during the trial, is charged with causing death by dangerous driving and undertaking acts intended to pervert the course of justice by removing identification marks from a Range Rover and having the vehicle removed to Leicester for disposal. She denies both charges.


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## zimzum42 (13 May 2009)

More cut and paste from the spinney one, great!


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## lech (13 May 2009)

The Telegraph reports Thomas was thrown *30 metres* after impact.

Cause of death was a massive head injury.

Thomas was incredibly knowledgeable
on all manner of topics, from history
and anthropology to politics to the
mechanics of bicycles and windmills,
and was deeply concerned about the
problems facing the future of
mankind. He was looking forward to
early retirement within the next year
and to new adventures, which sadly
will not be realised. Thomas was a
witty, eccentric, and kindhearted
man and a great strength to his
friends and loved ones. He will be​missed terribly.

http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/scc/esoc/TSDleaflet.pdf


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## lech (13 May 2009)

_What's the point you are trying to make?_ 

Who, me? Bearing in mind sub-judice rules, which resulted in the first post being edited to remove details of Grinina's behaviour prior to the death, the point of the thread was to show that even in cases like this with many obstacles in the way of a successful prosecution, the wheels of justice grind on.

Leaving aside Grinina's actions after the incident, the fact that over four years have elapsed since I first read about Thomas's death suggests that this has not been a straightforward case.

An IC worker is going home, a vehicle reported to have beeen driven erratically near the scene is sold shortly afterwards, and fake alibis are offered in mitigation.

Purely circumstantially, without having heard the evidence and based purely on my rage, and outrage, at what happened to Thomas, I'd like to see his killer rot in prison for the rest of their cowardly, lying life.

Know why I think it won't happen?


Unlicensed driver kills cyclist, fined £93. 



The driver had never had a full licence but it's OK because it was 
only a "momentary lapse of concentration". 


The Northern Echo report has:- 

"Judge Richard Lowden said: “No sentence I can pass can equate in any 
way with the worth of Mr Jorgensen’s life.” 

But he added that, “an unattractive” feature for the bereaved family 
was the fact Mr Jorgensen was not wearing a helmet." 

My point is that no effective deterrent exists for killer drivers. Mr Jorgensen was killed by a driver who for eight years drove around with no insurance, killed someone, and got fined less than the cost of the bike.

I'm glad the Sippel Dau case has finally got to court, I'm very interested in the verdict.


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## lech (13 May 2009)

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-...iver-denis-moore-escapes-jail-61634-23580444/


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## skrx (14 May 2009)

lech said:


> Thomas was a witty, eccentric, and kindhearted man and a great strength to his friends and loved ones. He will be missed terribly.[/quote]
> 
> I remember him every time I cross Cromwell Road, and the PhD student killed a few weeks later on the same road.


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## asterix (14 May 2009)

If nothing else, it is an example of the kind of people who may be behind the wheel of vehicles that we share the road with.

Scary as that is, unfortunately it is not unusual.

I am perplexed by a recent case in Yorkshire where a driver killed another by rounding a bend on the wrong side of the road. The driver said they had no memory of the accident and did not know why they were on the wrong side of the road. Initially convicted of dangerous driving and jailed for 18 months, her conviction was quashed on appeal because apparently 'there were serious flaws in Judge Stephen Ashurst’s summing up of the case to the jury' and replaced with one of careless driving, with a 12 month ban and 6 points. No mention of a re-test.

Naturally the relatives of the dead driver are not in the least satisfied by this outcome.


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## Bollo (14 May 2009)

Screaming off-topic I know, but the retest issue has just reminded me of something that angried-up my blood a week or two ago.

I was half-watching Watchdog when they did a piece on the DVLA 'losing' driving licence details, leaving qualified drivers unable to drive and forced to take a retest to get a new licence.

They highlighted a case of a lady who'd passed her testing in the '50s but for the last three years had been unable to drive because the DVLA had lost her records. After fighting for a while, she decided to retake her test to get a new licence. She failed. BUT, "after Watchdog contacted the DVLA", they admitted their mistake and she was issued with a new licence.

Wait a minute I thought. She passed her test 50 years ago. The roads are a bit different now. A more recent test has shown that she doesn't meet the required standard, yet they're happy to shove her out on the roads anyway. The Watchdog producers clearly followed this train of thought themselves, because they caveated the bit about her failing her repeat test with the words "she was so nervous she failed.". WTF! She failed. Full stop.

This whole story just reminded me that the perceived 'right to drive' is bedded nice and deep in this country. We don't regard driving without training or a licence as a serious crime, and we're willing to let people who've demonstrated that they're incapable of driving on today's roads back behind the wheel.

Retests every five years for everyone.


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## lech (14 May 2009)

At first glance it looks like a successful prosecution was a nightmare for the cops and CPS. Why is the woman allowed to not attend or enter a plea?

Telegraph:

Mr Sippel-Dau, a computer services manager at Imperial College, London, was thrown 30 metres on impact while travelling home to west Kensington. A post-mortem examination found he had suffered a severe head injury. 

Debris left at the scene revealed it had come from one of only 85 Atlantic blue Range Rovers manufactured to celebrate the millennium. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...er-way-back-from-House-of-Lords-function.html


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## Tony (15 May 2009)

I would hazard a guess that the bitch has skipped abroad again. Could be wrong. I remember his death, and going up that way on a CM as a mark of respect. Glad to see they have located the killer, and also that she obviously had access to the internet. She's been steadily working her way down the Playpen's list of ways to evade speeding fines, except in this case she's using it to evade a death charge.
EDIT: Of course, here she also has the chance of a half decent prison sentence for "perverting the course..."


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## Will1985 (15 May 2009)

What is this thread campaigning for? The prohibition of Georgian nationals driving, women driving, or against the use of 4x4s?


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## lech (17 May 2009)

I'm sorry if it's in the wrong place, the prosecution ever taking place after so long is noteworthy, I would have thought. Can it be moved to Commuting, say?


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## dellzeqq (17 May 2009)

Lech has a long history of bringing to our attention fatal accidents in London. He is outraged by the minimal sentences given to those who kill cyclists. I suppose that your response to this really depends on whether you think anything can be done about it, and whether the failure of the CPS to bring appropriate charges, and the failure of juries and magistrates to sentence appropriatedly makes much of a difference. 

I happen to agree with Lech that sentencing is often more than lenient, and that the presumption should be that anybody who kills or maims another road user should have to prove that they're a fit person to get behind the wheel of a car before they get their license back - and proof of that kind would be an uphill task. The question is - what does one do about it? 

The best I've come up with is letters to my MP - and it may be that this isn't entirely a waste of effort. There is a new sense of will to do something about it - although this has less to do with sentencing and more to do with the design of streets.
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0...y_for_ped.aspx 
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmtran/105/3121009.htm

Maybe it is small gestures that wear down the twin assumptions of the right to drive and the primacy of the motor car on our streets. That's a big maybe, because organisations like Living Streets have been banging on about it for years and years without gaining fundamental change - but, again, maybe change, particularly within Department for Cars-sorry-Transport is bought about by small gestures, and repeated arguments.


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## lech (19 May 2009)

*Ex-embassy woman jailed for crash *



*A former embassy official who fled to France after killing a cyclist in a hit-and-run has been sentenced in her absence to eight years.* Natela Grinina, 34, hit Thomas Sippel-Dau, 54, as she drove her Range Rover in South Kensington, west London, in March 2005. 
She fled before selling the vehicle on eBay, Woolwich Crown Court heard. 
Grinina, who worked at the Georgian embassy, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. 

*Crimewatch appeal*


She was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. 
The Crown Prosecution Service asked for the trial to be continued without Grinina so the cyclist's family would have the chance to see "justice done". 
Jurors were told Grinina did "all within her power to avoid blame and her conviction for this particular event", which took place on 11 March that year. 
Grinina fled to France following the crash telling police she was in Russia visiting a sick relative. She is currently thought to be still in Russia. 
She then organised for her distinctive blue Range Rover to be broken up and sold via an internet auction website. 
*Limited edition 4x4*
Debris left at the scene in Cromwell Road revealed it had come from one of only 85 Atlantic blue Range Rovers, manufactured to celebrate the millennium. 
Following a televised Crimewatch appeal in June 2005, a car dealer in Leicester, who bought and sold vehicles on the internet, contacted police. 
He said he had purchased the leftovers of a blue Range Rover, which had been delivered to him on a low-loader. 
Police inquiries found the Vehicle Identification Number (Vin) assigned to the car recovered in Leicester matched that originally assigned to a diplomatic plate on the defendant's vehicle. 





selling the vehicle on eBay, Woolwich Crown Court heard. 
Grinina, who worked at the Georgian embassy, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. 


*Crimewatch appeal*


She was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. 
The Crown Prosecution Service asked for the trial to be continued without Grinina so the cyclist's family would have the chance to see "justice done". 


Jurors were told Grinina did "all within her power to avoid blame and her conviction for this particular event", which took place on 11 March that year. 


Grinina fled to France following the crash telling police she was in Russia visiting a sick relative. She is currently thought to be still in Russia. 






Page last updated at 17:49 GMT, Tuesday, 19 May 2009 18:49 UK


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## lech (20 May 2009)

You reported (May 12) that the accused in a hit-and-run incident in 2005 was an employee of the Georgian embassy. I would like to make clear that this individual had no connection with the embassy at the time of the incident and to send my personal condolences to the family of the victim, Thomas Sippel-Dau.
*Giorgi Badridze*
Ambassador, Embassy of Georgia

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/may/19/letters-richard-taylor-mp-kidderminster


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## bumsteer (20 May 2009)

You can watch Simon Israel's moving report for Channel 4 News for the next 7 days here (second item - taglined 'Russian'):

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1529573111

Although not represented in court, solicitors for Ms Grinina have re-iterated that she was not employed by the Georgian Embassy at the time, that she was not responsible for the accident or for TSD's death, and that she remains unwell and unable to travel. (They do not deny she was driving the car...)

She should never have been allowed to leave the UK.


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## Tony (20 May 2009)

Routine embarkation checks ended at UK borders many years ago, as they cost money. In other words, there is nobody there to STOP her leaving.


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## lech (20 May 2009)

The Telegraph have Ms Grinina checked into a mental hospital in Russia. She is a very wealthy woman, by all accounts, losing the 400k bail money won't be too much of a blow.


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## bumsteer (20 May 2009)

Tony said:


> Routine embarkation checks ended at UK borders many years ago, as they cost money. In other words, there is nobody there to STOP her leaving.



The judge who granted her bail was minded to confiscate her two passports (Georgian and Russian) but was persuaded by that renowned champion of human rights, Helena Kennedy QC, to allow her temporarily to leave the UK, supposedly to lay a headstone on her father's grave. The £400k lost surety is, as lech says, nothing to these people.


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