I happened to read two stories in the news yesterday. Each annoyed the hell out of me. Combined, they made my blood boil.
First up, a piece of Neanderthal scum who drove a car at high-speed in a chase with police. During this chase, he drove at insane speeds on the wrong side of the road with no lights on. He damaged police and private property. He killed one police dog (well, broke it’s back so that it had to be put down). He injured two police officers. Oh, and of course the car was stolen.
He was sentenced to two years… suspended. And 200 hours unpaid work that he undoubtedly won’t do, a curfew he won’t stick to and a driving ban that’s irrelevant as I’d be amazed if he had a license anyway.
Criminal number two is a radio producer (or more likely was) who enjoyed a bit of a fling with a few of his work colleagues. Thing is, he had a couple of cameras set up to record the fun that he didn’t tell his otherwise willing partners about.
When his girlfriend moved in (the story’s not clear as to whether he was seeing her during the flings or after), he dismantled everything and stuck it all in a box in the loft. Note that he didn’t blackmail anyone, shove the pics on the internet, sell the stories to the tabloids or anything. Nobody was hurt. Nobody knew.
Until his other half found them in the loft. And told one of the “victims”.
Now understandably she was a little shocked and upset. But to go running to the police over it and somehow getting him convicted on criminal charges – not civil seems a bit harsh.
Wait, did I say “convicted”? Yes, I did. 8 months. In jail.
Contrast and compare – have no regard for people’s property, safety and lives; kill a serving police dog; cause actual bodily harm… and walk out a “free” man. Be a bit of perv who keeps mementoes of private events which remain private… and get shoved in jail.
Can anyone please tell me in what way, shape or form this makes any sense at all?
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The only comment I will make (OK… I just finished typing – that was a lie) is that offender 1 *will* do the Unpaid Work, or he will be recalled to prison and the sentence unsuspended. and he *will* stick to the curfew, else he’ll be in prison. Speaking as someone who works for probation.
I hope he does try and get out of the unpaid work or try and break the curfew tbh, as then he will serve the sentence (and apparently the early release thing is ending soon, so he’ll actually serve it). yeah, the driving ban is entirely pointless, but if they didn’t ban him there would be outcry about how he wasn’t banned.
… do you think that if someone slept through a rape that didn’t leave them injured that they shouldn’t press charges?
i do agree that the sentences seem backwards (especially considering the ‘joy’rider’s response to his sentence – makes me feel sick) but all we see is how the newspapers want to spin it on any given day. We don’t know what they left out.
i guess i’m mostly playing devil’s advocate, because i’m glad i don’t have to make this kind of decision.
My view with the second guy is that he doesn’t seem to have done anything actually *criminal*. As far as the story reports – and I admit we can only go by the facts we have – all the acts were consensual. The worst I can think of is some kind of privacy invasion. Had he, as I mentioned, tried to sell the videos or somesuch then I can see why the police would be involved.
Regardless, the two cases do highlight that our legal system is severely messed up. Prison is supposed to be a means of taking people off the streets until they’re rehabilitated. People who are a danger to others.
Now, Mr Producer is hardly a “danger”. A bit of a perv perhaps, but he’s not the type to kill someone. Plus now that his name’s out in public he’s going to have a hard time pulling the same trick again.
Our little yob, on the other hand, *is* a danger. Likely has been for years. And almost certainly will continue to be so. I don’t see how anyone can argue that the correct one ended up in a jail cell.
Community service and suspended sentences are not a deterrent though, so you’ll always get scrotes more willing to risk getting caught since the ‘punishment’ isn’t really punishment is it, just a bit of a nuisance.
There is something terribly wrong with our legal system.
Bring back birching!
I’m all for snipping the fingers off people found to be writing computer viruses so I think I’m a little bit too harsh to be deciding laws. However, I don think our current ones need looked at. Soon.