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Saturday 6 March 2010

Adequate punishment?

Going Fast Getting Nowhere has the details of a seemingly inadequate sentence passed on a seemingly unpleasant individual, here's an extract:
"A joyrider has walked free from court after killing a police dog and injuring two officers in a road smash while three times over the drink-drive limit. Sean Lawson, 20, shouted ‘get in’ as his 12-month prison sentence was suspended at Newcastle Crown Court.

Let's just review the offences committed in one 'incident':

* Rammed a car and then stole it when the owner got out
* Tried to evade arrest by driving away
* Lost control and mounted the pavement while being pursued
* Rammed a police car trying to prevent him driving away
* Speeding, driving on wrong side of the road, blind bend, no lights
* Lost control again
* 90mph with no lights on wrong side of dual carriageway
* Handbrake turn
* Hit police car, injuring two officers
* Hit police dog van, breaking back of police dog, which had to be put down
* All of this while THREE TIMES over the drink-drive limit."


A 12 month suspended sentence for that list of offences? Why? How?

As the aforementioned blogger puts it:
"If you, or I, or any other law-abiding person, had been caught after doing just one of these offences, what do you suppose the penalty would be? Certainly a fine and points for the minor stuff like the handbrake turn or driving on the pavement. Big fine, many points, and a possible ban for the speeding, evading arrest stuff. Definite ban for the drink-driving. Imprisonment for injuring two officers, killing a police dog, causing God-knows-how-much damage to the police vehicles (which you and I will have to pay for, one way or another). Definitely imprisonment for ramming an innocent motorist and stealing his car. And if you or I did all of this in one crazy episode of mindlessness?"

2 comments:

Craig said...

The old phrase 'as sober as a judge' should be updated to 'as stupifyingly liberal as a judge'.

Richard said...

Thanks for linking through. This kind of idiocy seems to be the norm these days. Ever watch one of those 'police camera action' sequences? The offender commits a string of serious (i.e. potentially life-threatening) traffic offences and yet he is only sentenced for the worst one - usually the theft of the car. Everything else is ignored. If it were up to me, it would be "3 months for speeding, PLUS three months for going through that red light, PLUS another three for going through another red light, PLUS six months for damaging that police car ...". Sentences to be served consecutively, rather then concurrently. If we did that, the scrotes might think that they are getting into deeper trouble, and stop, rather than 'as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb'.