A man who teamed up with a friend to beat up a 62-year-old in a pub has walked free from court despite a criminal record of 48 offences.Note the careful wording there. Not 48 convictions...
O’Connor has 27 convictions for 48 offences, “overwhelmingly for theft and dishonesty”, the court heard yesterday.Sounds familiar...
Just days before committing the pub attack he was given a community order for an ABH offence.
Clare Fraser, defending O’Connor, said: “His previous offending was driven by addiction to heroin and crack but for the last 17 months or longer he’s portrayed himself as a different man. He has not used drugs since January 2009.Well, yes, sweetie. Apart from the recent ABH and now this offence, that is...
“He’s in a relationship with a young lady of good character, who doesn’t drink and doesn’t do drugs.
“He seems to have got himself sorted.”
Passing sentence, Judge Julian Hall said Pitts’ hammer caused the injury and O’Connor’s spirit level was actually “feather light”.Huh..?!?
Giving O’Connor a three-year supervision order and four-month curfew, he said: “The appropriate sentence would have been in the order of two, maybe two-and-a-half years.
“But one of the objects of a prison sentence is to reform somebody. It seems to me, because the case has taken so long to come on, you’ve had the chance to reform yourself before it came to trial.”
Seriously, is this bewigged cretin saying that, because chummy managed to keep his nose clean for the duration of the remand and trial (or more likely, wasn't caught doing anything), he has now reformed?
I wonder what I'd get for twatting a judge round the head with a spirit level? Apart, that is, from a great sense of personal satisfaction...
The judiciary is simply beyond the pale. 'Justice', depending as it does on the foilbles and idiosyncracies of individuals whose judgements have been mangled and minced by the aggrandisement that accompanies their promotions, is random, arbitrary. It is in no sense scientific, repeatable, predictable. The 'bewigged cretins' may as well toss dice.
ReplyDeleteYou have brought our attention to Judge Julian Hall's sagacity on previous occasions, Julia. He is better known for his 'visions' and the seer of sex attacks upon little girls. He interprets these less as criminal acts than expressions of repressed feelings.
ReplyDeleteWe are all not partial to the overwhelming nutty flavour of his judicial cooking.
We have a system of 'justice' that hinges on fairness. If you are ever on jury duty you are told continually that you can only find guilty if there is not the slightest doubt.
ReplyDeleteThe result is that there are very convincing advocates for criminals and the feckless who can introduce just enough doubt, which combined with the flakiness of some judges and the spectre of overcrowded prisons as well as the desire for liberalism makes finding 'not guilty' too powerful to resist.
Is the judge under orders from above? Is he a total moron? What?
ReplyDeleteI have a very large, heavy spirit-level not doing much Julia. I was thinking of getting it valued at an Antiques' Roadshow. I now feel, rather as with Excalibur and Arthur, that its destiny should lie in your hands.
ReplyDeleteIt was judge Julian Hall who freed Mark Andrews pending the appeal against his conviction for knocking seven shades of wotsit out of Pamela Somerville.
ReplyDeleteThe application was heard in secret and then reported afterwards, but I'm not sure if Hall had much choice in law about freeing Andrews.
It has been noted that Judge Julian Hall seems to have a remarkable capacity to empathize with dangerous offenders in more than a few cases.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=924190
However it is also true that Hall has been handed cases in which the CPS seem to have lost the files, found the files, buried them in peat for three months, and then finally dug them up handed the scrambled sheets to some hapless brief when it is so late the accused might well try arguing that it is an abuse of process to try them now if the CPS couldn't be bothered earlier.
Judge Julian Hall also threw out a controversial case of historic abuse.
ReplyDeleteA teacher, Jeremy Malim, formerly of the Cothill School in Oxfordshire, was accused of abuse which took place in the 1970s.
Historic abuse cases are difficult because if complainants have psychological problems now, they may be projecting those back on to an innocent victim as a way of explaining things to themselves. It doesn't even have to be calculated or for the money.
The other explanation can be that they really were abused and it has taken decades to get the courage to complain.
The job of the court is to decide which one of these it is. Judge Julian Hall decided he already knew:
"I think the best thing that should happen to people who behave in this way," Hall told Oxford Crown Court, speaking of the former teacher, Jeremy Malim, "is that they should get a very brisk elbow in the ribs at the time or be rejected."
Which hardly amounts to a ringing endorsement of Jeremy Malim (who now lives in France) and betrays an idiotic lack of understanding of employment law and how it interacts with the criminal law.
Malim abused my brother at Cotthill amongst 100’s of others my brother died because of that abuse. Malim got jail time from Brambletye victims nothing yet from Cotthill….
DeleteMelissa, I was abused by Malim at Cothill House when I was about 10 or 11. I only finally dared google malim a couple of days ago. Only convicted of 3 at Brambletye, god knows how many at Cothill. So sorry to hear about your brother, I probably knew him. Malim is a POS, May he rot in hell when his time comes.
DeleteI think what the judge meant to say was:
ReplyDelete"I'm under enormous pressure to find the flimsiest excuse for not sending someone to prison. Luckily for both of us, you have provided me with one. Now run along, there's a good boy."
”The 'bewigged cretins' may as well toss dice.”
ReplyDeleteI suspect that might, overall, prove a fairer outcome...
”You have brought our attention to Judge Julian Hall's sagacity on previous occasions...”
Ah! I thought he sounded familiar. And as WoaR points out, he's certainly got a lot of form for dodgy sentencing...
”If you are ever on jury duty you are told continually that you can only find guilty if there is not the slightest doubt.”
And yet, despite that, this one was found guilty. Perhaps, knowing that, the judge should sentence accordingly?
”I now feel, rather as with Excalibur and Arthur, that its destiny should lie in your hands.”
:D
”...betrays an idiotic lack of understanding of employment law and how it interacts with the criminal law.”
Is there no compulsory 'retraining' for judges, then? I've heard Bystander report on similar upskilling schemes for magistrates.
”I think what the judge meant to say was...”
That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Sadly, far far to many non-violent offenders seem to be behind bars, blocking the needed spaces for people like this.
Now if he'd over-filled his wheelie bin...
ReplyDeletein response to "Woman on a raft",and her discussion of Judge Hall:
ReplyDeleteI was at Cothill when Jeremy Malim was molesting boys on a consistent basis.
I was aware that something was happening,but not the extent of it.
It was only when I ran into one of his victims later in life that I got to understand how devastating it had been and continued to be in that persons life.
I believe that he spoke very forthrightly at the trial, but that the judge felt that the events had happened too long ago to be acted on.
Pls can you contact me regards Cothill and Malim it’s so important to have your input re Malim
DeleteMy brother went to Cothill and was abused also he just died
ReplyDeleteHe battled all his life dealing with what happened and died as a result of the pain and hurt
Dear All...My name is Jonathan O'Shea I am 32 years old and born 19/12/85... I was sexually assaulted by Mr. Jeremy Malim continuously for 2 years without reservation by 'MALLET' as he was known during my time at Brambletye School and I was in what was commonly know as 'MALLET'S CLUB.' ,,,It was four years ago that I reported what I experienced by the hand of Jeremy Malim to Sussex Police... Since my first admission to the police a full investigation was carried out... To date I have fought Jeremy Malim through 3 full Crown Court trials over the past 3 years at Hove Crown Court... First trial, the judge got acutely ill and it was not completed and the second trial was a mis trial due to the jury making very big technical errors in their deliberation and verdict. The third finished a few days ago and he has been found GUILTY by unanimous verdict... On the 20th August 2018 last month the third and final trial took place.
DeleteOn this third trial it was not just myself as a victim/complainant as per the first 2 but actually 3 victims that he had to answer charges for... On Thursday of last week at circa. 3PM Jeremy Malim was found guilty by unanimous decision from a jury of 12, GUILTY across the board... This coming Tuesday at 10AM Jeremy Malim will be sentanced for a custodial prison sentence... I can tell you now at this stage, this is information from the CPS barrister that just one of the charges that he is guilty of, holds a 3-6 years sentancing guideline, so this sentance does not include my own, or the third boys charges... He has been held on remand since the guilty verdict in Lewes Prison until Tuesday mornings sentancing at Hove Crown Court at 10AM. After which he will be taken straight back to prison... I want as many victims posted here and worldwide to have the opportunity to be able to watch Mr. Jeremy Malim in handcuffs in the dock being read by to the judge how many multiple years that he will spend in a prison cell but also for Jeremy Malim to look up at the viewing gallery above him in court seeing the faces of other victims that he will soon be seeing back in court to answer for what he did to all the other victims of his hand... Now that there is a guilty verdict, I want, as do the police as many victims as possible to now come forward... I have made and succeeded in the first foundational step of getting him from his retirement lifestyle in France to a prison cell in Lewes in England... Now is the time for all the victims to make sure now they do their commitment of making sure he does not have one breath outside HMP cell that he will finish his living days in... To summarize... 'GOOD THINGS DO HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.'
If anyone would like to contact me for any reason, I would absolutely welcome any contact if it can aid any healing or give anyone answers they make like to have either about my case or indeed like me having to deal with very complex feelings and emotions such as I felt when intiially coming forward and now dealing with the fact that he is now a convicted sexual predator of young boys. My email address is osheaj85@gmail.com I would treat any contact or information as private and confidential.
DeletePlease anonymous who posted I was a Cothill when Malim was molesting boys pleases contact me message me there are many victims need our help! Any info will help he went in to another school
ReplyDeleteThe truth must come out
Hello Melissa.
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry to hear about your brother.
I was unfortunate enough to be at the next school Jeremy Malim went to. I remember him very well.
You are welcome to contact me if you wish. adamgoodfellow@icloud.com
Adam
What fabulous news at last he has been brought to justice.
ReplyDeleteJohnathan nothing could have pleased me more in my brothers memory to be present for the moment of sentencing.
Thank you for letting me know it was well worth jumping on a plane for from Australia.
You have done an amazing job with a great strong support team including 2 other victims.
I know my beloved brother would be here if not for this monsters behaviour at Cothill, and I am aware there are many victims after a 38 year teaching career.
So please everyone affected needs to come forward and tell of their experiences at his hand let’s not waste the good work that’s been done and make sure he’s not out again.
To you your family and your great courage.
Xxxxxx
Melissa Richmond
Rest in piece Scott Charles Richmond
Jonathan O’Shea,
ReplyDeleteIt gave me great pleaseure to be with you, your mother and Melissa when Malim was sentenced.
You are a hero to me and I hold you in great respect. Also DC Phil Cracknell and the barrister involved.
This was a travesty of justice as Judge Hall let him free 15 years ago but your courage has got him convicted.
There may be hundreds of victims. If anyone else contacts Sussex police I’ll stand by them too.
Adam
I remember Scottie, we were kind of friends, both Trojans at Cothill. Had an aussie accent as I remember. I had no idea he went through the same as me, not talked about in those days.
DeleteHello just happened upon these messages Im so sorry to hear you too
ReplyDeleteMalim taught at CH from 66-75 then Brambletye from 75-2003 until his name was mentioned at a dinner party and a person said that mans not still teaching he’s a paedophile!
His number of victims runs into 100’s I think he is up there with Jimmy Saville with those yearly trips he went on sadly he has ended and ruined many a young boys future work and family wise. The Cotthill school trust was set up on the back of Malims removal from Cotthill because of Scott by Adrian Richardson who remained headmaster for years and added 12 preps to Cotthill which the trust ran and owned including Ashdown where Adrian also taught and was a governor when he was told of Malims abuse by 2x old boys in their 40’s he did nothing. How would it have looked considering he was in charge of safeguarding over 2,000 young boys not a good look.
Just as well he’s dead I hold not only Malim but he responsible for Scotts troubles and death. It also took its tole on me and I suffer from PTSD and can never work properly again.
3 Years is hardly enough jail time. I have been contacted by over a dozen old boys from CH shame we couldn’t get a huge group litigation going to shut the trust down.
Malim has and got away with his own British horror story just like Saville
People are too damaged to step forward and the process in the UK protects the Pieces off shit that they are and not all those poor little boys…..
Melissa Richmond
I wish they would read this and sue me….. in my dreams
I would love to jump on a plane again from Melbourne to hear him be sentenced so many lives in ruins and still Uk sends it children away believing they are safe just like the Church Catholic and Cofe they hid in plain sight and were shuffled about while the Churches insurers interfered on the borads of most of these preps protecting all perpetrators….
ReplyDeleteIt sure sounds like a ring to me