Site Meter

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Rioting and looting: Excessive sentences?

Rioting and looting: Excessive sentences?

First case: 16 months for stealing a box of doughnuts.

What is disgraceful is that this man was released from prison with only a £4 discharge grant! He states he was hungry, having spent the £4 on tobacco, and stole the doughnuts. There was no explanation where he got the bottle of sherry from which led to him being drunk. Account has also to be taken of the penalty for being in breach of an ASBO. Still, former MP Eric Illsley was given a year's jail sentence for dishonestly claiming £14,000 parliamentary expenses. It must have been a very big box of doughnuts...

Second case: Jailed for 2 years for stealing £25 worth of Oil of Olay.

Again the court had to take into account the breach of a suspended sentence order. There are no details but typically it could have been an 18 month sentence suspended for 2 years, therefore it is possible that he was only given 6 months for the actual theft.

Third case: 2 years for smashing a display cabinet to steal an ornamental dog.

Here there is not simply just the theft but also the criminal damage to conduct the theft.

Source.

No comments: