highwaystar101 on 07 April 2011
It's like Charlie Brooker says "'Could' is a needlessly ambigious word". I could win the lottery, but I could also press 'reply' when I've finished writing this; the difference in the likelihood of the two events is huge.
"Faces up to" works exactly the same as could. This man could face up to ten years. He could also face being commended for his actions and let off. Neither one is particularly likely, chances are it will be something inbetween, something that makes sense. I imagine that a slap on the wrist and a quick word about letting the authorities handle next time it is probably all that will happen.
