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Knife-wielding yob - freed early

Did anyone see this article in today's local?Some real little charmer threatened a lad with Autism & special needs with a knife which he said he stick in the lad's throat if he didn't turn out his pockets. In the event the lad had nothing to steal but got the Police and the yob was arrested. He got four years in Feltham Y.O.I. - He then appealed and three - yes three, Appeal Court Judges (clearly with not one single working brain cell between them) cut his sentence to two and a half years. Said one "This was a street mugging with the threat of force, but there was no physical harm caused and it was an attempt, not a successful offence. The offence was opportunistic and he (the yob) was only 20 had a difficult childhood and left school with no qualifications. We consider that the sentence passed was indeed manifestly excessive and the correct sentence was one of two and a half years". If these three Judges aren't excessively stupid then I really don't know who is, I'd have given the little scrote 5 years just for carrying the knife and added on the two and a half for the rest. Since when did a 'difficult childhood and leaving school with no qualifications' justify something like this - how does the victim feel, he must have been terrified - but no matter - who cares? Zero tolerance - what a joke, and what message does this send out?

Vanessa Smith ● 6392d6 Comments

I agree entirely with the sentiments here, lock the perp up for life - I really don't care. The problem with longer sentences though is that it costs money to keep people in prison, the prisons are already full and so we need more prisons. How are we going to fund that? raise yet more tax revenue?

Ken Collins ● 6391d

What is common is all the thought for the perpetrators and none for what the effect is on their victim. The messages these soft sentences give are dangerous too, that it is alright to do some awful things but if you spin some sob story that somehow justifies what you did. The thing with this was it was Appeal Court Judges - of course were the judiciary in this country not almost entirely made up from the upper classes educated in public schools, then they just might have some idea of how ordinary people live. What we need are politicians and a judiciary with their feet firmly on the ground and their heads removed from their rear ends.

Vanessa Smith ● 6391d

It was the same as those louts who threw sticks at the man playing cricket. Because he had had a bypass operation a few years ago it was agreed that he he had an underlying heart problem which was why he died. No he wouldn't have died if those scumbags hadn't attacked him and a wife would still have  a husband and her children a father!

Linda F Wright ● 6392d

Agreed it's a shambles.No doubt directives are coming down from the Home Office giving instructions or advice to give out soft sentences and let-offs.

Jim Lawes ● 6392d

And with Jaqui Smith at the Home Office I doubt it will get any better. Bring back Jack Straw I'd say. He's clobbered a few of villains louts himself!

Steve Taylor ● 6392d

Vanessa, yet another example of yobbery having the whip hand over us.I sometimes wonder whether all this is a social engineering experiment to see how long it will take the law abiding public in this country to crack and do something awful,like vote in a far right govn.or take to  the streets,vigilante style.I wonder if this had been a child of one of these prats ,whether the perp. would have had his sentence reduced.Makes you sick,eh?

Keith Iddon ● 6392d