Sunday 6 March 2011

No, The Explanation Doesn’t Lie There, Actually…

Defending, Brian Sharman said Preston had entered early guilty pleas for the “mindless” offences, adding: “It wasn’t motivated by anything. The explanation lies in the fact that he was dead drunk at the time. He did say he was sorry.”
Plenty of people have been drunk in their lives, myself included. Almost all of them have managed to make it home without incident.

Certainly without kicking a homeless woman in the head and stealing what few possessions she has…

When are people going to realise that being drunk doesn't turn someone into a monster, it merely lets the monster they already have inside them come out to play for a while?
Imposing a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, Recorder Philippa Whipple QC described the offence as “a really disgraceful act”.
Indeed it was, which is why suspending the sentence just boggles the mind…
Preston was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and to attend an alcohol programme. He was also ordered to pay his victim £380 compensation.
It’s not an alcohol programme he needs, it’s a few months breaking rocks...

7 comments:

Mjolinir said...

//It wasn’t motivated by anything.//

I suspect this was a preemptive strike in case of any questions about 'hate crime' (= longer jail time)

PT said...

Can this creature PROVE that this was the first time he'd ever been drunk? If so, it might just ever so slightly qualify as mitigation. If not, then knowing what alcohol might "make" him do, he has a simple remedy to his bad behaviour whilst under the influence. Or maybe after all it was just the usual last-resort invention of a lying solicitor appearing before a gullible and uncritical magistrate. Moral of the story - if you want to commit crime, provide yourself with an excuse beforehand, just have a drink or two.

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

So they're only charging 380 quid to kick Philippa Whipple in the head, then?

Greencoat said...

'So they're only charging 380 quid to kick Philippa Whipple in the head, then?'

That's a bargain, but what's the going rate for chucking Dea Birkitt off a cliff?

Captain Haddock said...

Greencoat said ...

"So they're only charging 380 quid to kick Philippa Whipple in the head, then ? ..

That's a bargain, but what's the going rate for chucking Dea Birkitt off a cliff" ? ..

I'll see your Phillipa Whipple & Dea Birkitt .. and raise you a Mary & Rosie Ripley ..

At a mere £380 smackers .. that's discount for bulk ..

JuliaM said...

"I suspect this was a preemptive strike in case of any questions about 'hate crime'"

Good point!

" If not, then knowing what alcohol might "make" him do, he has a simple remedy to his bad behaviour whilst under the influence."

I'd pay good money to see a judge or magistrate make that point in his summing up...

"That's a bargain, but what's the going rate for chucking Dea Birkitt off a cliff?"

:D

Intruder said...

@PT

Good point. If I found out that drink made me do that I would never drink again.

However, if I was a b'std who got caught then I'd probably claim to have been drinking even if I hadn't - seems like it can't do any harm to your defence.

And, surprise, the inevitable 'drink accounts for even more violent crime' headline will trotted out daily as the wheeze catches on.