SIR - It is a principle of British justice that when the defendant has been found guilty, the judge determines the sentence, not the victim.

In pronouncing sentence the judge punishes "criminal intent" - the evil ends the culprit was trying to achieve.

In the case of the lorry driver who fell asleep at the wheel and killed three people (T&A, November 4) there was no criminal intent. The man is as sorry about the affair as any of us.

The gist of the story was "We have suffered, so he must suffer".

That is not justice. I would, if I was the judge, impose a two-year driving ban. Nothing will be achieved by sending an honest man to prison. And it won't bring any of the accident victims back. I sympathise with the grief of the bereaved, but I don't think that vengeance is the answer.

Keith Trobridge, Otley Road, Shipley