Tuesday 10 January 2012

Just A Learner As Far As Mitigation Pleas Go..?

Miss Pidworth added: "She hasn't committed any other offences since 2007 and this is a very low-level common assault.

"She should be given credit for her early guilty plea and she is very sorry – she says she acted rashly and is looking to move out of the block of flats so there's no risk of the incident being repeated."
Because it's the building that made her assault another woman, clearly!
"She is a full-time single parent with a four-year-old son and 11-month-old daughter so she cannot pay large fines."
*speechless*
The court accepted this and gave her a conditional discharge for six months and ordered her to pay £25 costs at £10 a fortnight, starting on December 28.
Why do we bother?

11 comments:

Captain Haddock said...

"Why do we bother ? " ..

Presumably Miss Pidworth bothers because she can make a nice easy living from such dross ..

Anonymous said...

As the Captain says the only people MAKING money out of the underclass at play are the sulizziters. This load of nonsense must have cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds and wasted the time of the police let alone the CPS (who need all the time they can get to deal with really important stuff) and the courts!

Bobo said...

What the captain said.

Bobo said...

........and indeed what ranter said.

Jackart said...

She shouted at someone and waved her arms. Why was this even prosecuted?

Isn't that the waste of money?

James said...

Hold on - she didn't actually hit anyone..

Sounds like she told someone filming her kids to f*ck off or she would smack them one?

Belligerent and rude maybe, but is that illegal these days?

Will Jones said...

If someone was filming her kids, she should have made a statement to the effect that she thought individual was a paedophile and was concerned for the welfare of her children. You can always up the ante in victimhood poker...

Tattyfalarr said...

Wait...WTF ?

From the article: "David Applin, for the prosecution... asked that the victim be made to pay £85 court costs"

"The court...gave (Jade Roberts, defendant)her a conditional discharge for six months and ordered her to pay £25 costs."

Wow. Just wow. Can't quite believe I read that ? It's either seriously sloppy journalism or there's something badly wrong here.

The guy who is supposed to backing your corner in court demands that the court treat you (as the victim) way more harshly than the court decides the perpetrator ever needs to be. ? Really ??

JuliaM said...

"This load of nonsense must have cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds..."

Quite!

"She shouted at someone and waved her arms. Why was this even prosecuted?"

Good question, Probably because we've created a climate whereby any complaint must be investigated, and where adults act like children and expect the state to resolve all disputes?

" Can't quite believe I read that ? It's either seriously sloppy journalism or there's something badly wrong here. "

It seems the prosecution might have believed there was an element of provocation in the filming, but expecting the complainant to pay is a new one on me, too!

Stan said...

Have to admit the phrase "why do we bother ?" is exactly what drifts through this magistrates' brain during sentencing sometimes.

Sentencing Guidelines rule out a community punishment or jail unless they're serial offenders (or rioters)- so you're left with a fine/compensation/costs to deduct from benefit or small means at a glacially slow rate. And you know well that's not going to "solve" anything or please anyone - it's just what there is.

Conditional Discharge sounds about right actually - given the straight-jacket of guidelines. Especially since she had the good sense to cough to it (don't start - another can o' worms).

Assuming you become Justice minister one day (I'd vote for you), what would you suggest instead ?

Loving the blog - agreeing with very little of it but loving it all the same.

Anonymous said...

Stan - what's wrong with the common law Breach of the Peace. These two wasters could have been nicked for doing so, held overnight, brought before a beak like you and bound over for a year or two. The police deal quickly, no massive case file to prepare for the incompetent CPS to mess up, and you lot on the bench don't have to spend hours wringing your hands and wondering about sentencing guidelines. Ah, i hear you and the senior police bods say - not registered on the targets is it! No record created!