Recently two simple cases illustrate the results of the pressures on judges. In this case an initial sentence of immediate custody was suspended on appeal. It seems from the report that this was justice for a middle class individual who had repeatedly lied in his efforts to evade justice. I remember a Liberal politician named Chris Huhne who in 2013 along with his ex wife was jailed for eight months for what began as a s.172 offence of having a false name attached to his driving offence.
There are no easy solutions to the predicament we are in as far as law and order is concerned. And that is the problem. There are those who propose what do seem to be simple remedies not just for that situation but for our whole method of running this country. I didn`t vote Leave to rid the country of immigrants. I voted to leave a union whose purpose is a united states of Europe with one currency, a unified armed forces, a common taxation system and eventually a national president and parliament with supreme power over nations. At a time of national emergency we have Chamberlains running the country and Marxists in Opposition when we need Churchills and Atlees facing each other. We have pygmies in office. Even today our so called prime minister doesn`t know whether to stick or twist on the peccadilloes of her MPs and ministers. Call me Jeremiah of the Peace.
The problem is that the punishment is increasingly not fitting the crime. I saw an alarming item on last night's BBC news about knife crime. How much longer will Joe Public sit back before taking the law into his own hands in order to get some of these villains off the street?
ReplyDeleteA motorcyclist of my acquaintance has just written to Khan and their London MPs to calmly explain that he feels he has no option but to arm himself as he is witnessing gangs of scooterists openly robbing and bike-jacking in broad daylight without let or hindrance on a near daily basis. Many other acquaintances have already had their bikes "acquired", either by stealth or by force. Law and order has broken down in the capital and can be seen to have broken down.
DeleteIt seems that unless the thieves make the mistake of robbing a footballer and getting punted to Crown, that they are just going through the revolving door at Magistrates' and emerging emboldened.
So I don't really have much sympathy for custodial sentences for crimes of acquisition, no matter the sob story behind them. Everything is acquired from someone, and "victim oriented attitude" seems like the entire point of the justice system.
On the chap who was let off for perversion, as soon as I saw his name I was waiting for the 'high-standing in the community' mitigation. Best not offend that Community, lest it sour Relations. I really do wish that the world would stop validating my petty prejudices.