Matthew Donkin, prosecuting, said David Crisp, then 17, kicked Stuart Guy in the head as the street patrol watched, in Market Place, in Selby town centre.
As they restrained him, his companion, Jason Lloyd, pulled Mr Guy’s head up by the hair and punched him twice.
But marshals grabbed him too and detained both men until police arrived and arrested them.Phew! Well, that’s two violent, dangerous thugs behind bars then…
Oh. Sorry, I forgot where I was for a moment:
He gave both men a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, on condition each man does two years’ supervision and 240 hours’ unpaid work and Crisp additionally does a rehabilitation course for controlling his temper.Yeah, I’m sure that’ll work wonders.
Even the hired mouthpieces aren’t bothering to work at it now:
For Lloyd, Nicholas Barker said he was a trained welder who worked for an injection moulding company and wanted to go into the army.
He gave no further mitigation and Sarah Smith gave no mitigation for Crisp, who is unemployed, after the judge indicated he would suspend the prison sentence.Might as well just phone it all in, eh?
4 comments:
These hardly deterrent sentences must be a sign that crime is in such serial decline then?
Charging it as ABH reduces the scope of the sentencing. As is mentioned in the comments over at Gadget's, the CPS undercharges, presumably to cut deals, secure convictions and get through the backlog.
The sentencing manual quotes its examples from 2008-2010 and makes horrific reading. It is clear that we don't take seriously attacks which can damage people for years, perhaps permanently and curtail their working lives, while simultaneously sending a message that it is much worse to kick someone on racial grounds than just because you fancy kicking them.
This is the relevant example:
McDonald [2008] EWCA Crim 1499
Victim walking home just before 2 am. Guilty plea and committed for sentence in respect of an offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Two main offenders knocked victim to the ground, kicked and punched him. Severe swelling to the right eye and some broken teeth. The appellant's involvement was limited to kicking out once whilst the victim was on the ground; he told the police that he only flicked him and not to cause injury. The two main offenders both received two year sentences. Appellants sentence of 15 months imprisonment reduced to six months.
The sentences for Lloyd and Crisp are lenient, sending the message that it is alright to beat up someone you find laying around. I hope the AG challenges this instead of faffing around with Twitter and injunctions wrongly given on behalf of rutting footballers, as if the courts - both civil and criminal - weren't already held in utter contempt.
Perhaps popular DfID Minister Andrew Mitchell could invent a Non-Voluntary Service Overseas scheme for such thugs and pondlife. It would give the law-abiding a respite holiday. I'm sure there's plenty of places in Aidania and Iedistan where our aid money will buy cheeap bed and board for them while they teach the locals what a crap place with nasty scum Britain has become so there's no point claiming asylum here.
"These hardly deterrent sentences must be a sign that crime is in such serial decline then?"
Quite!
"... while simultaneously sending a message that it is much worse to kick someone on racial grounds than just because you fancy kicking them. "
Shortly to be joined by the new 'hate crime' of 'disability based harassment', I suspect.
"I'm sure there's plenty of places in Aidania and Iedistan where our aid money will buy cheeap bed and board for them while they teach the locals what a crap place with nasty scum Britain has become so there's no point claiming asylum here."
Now that's a splendid idea! :)
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