Chis Huhne

[sir.prize]

As expected. Cos he's a Cabinet minister, Huhne gets light sentence of 8 months. Probably serve 4 months.

Also possible 10% reduction from sentence 'cos he pleaded guilty. Huh - he repeatedly denied it and didn't plead guilty till the end. Pity he wasn't given 4 years.

Damned disgraceful verdict.

[ChillDoubt]

I wouldn't say laughable, they got a proportionate sentence IMHO.
This was over speeding points after all, not a child murder.

[sir.prize]

ChillDoubt it wasn't simply about speeding points. It was more serious than that. He guy repeatedly denied any offence, then at the last minute admitted perverting the course of justice. Not proportionate at all. Considering the sentencing range is up to 36 months, the full 3 years would have been fitting.

Good riddance to the crooked ex Cabinet Minister.

[emmie]

it can carry a life sentence from what was reading earlier....

[ChillDoubt]

The sentencing range for GBH with intent can be a maximum term of life inprisonment.
Let me know when you find a recent case of someone who received that sentence......
You just need to get a sense of proportion.

It's no different to when papers print "or a fine of up to £1,000 pounds", they're just stating the maximum, very rarely do people receive it in such cases, if ever.

[emmie]

i didn't say that someone had, i haven't got time to trawl through the internet to find out, i was reading the BBC report and it said that it can come with a life sentence..

[sir.prize]

That's right ChillDoubt. The big problem with the UK Justice System is the minimum sentences. There are often increases in the maximum sentence announced. But the Max is very seldom dished out. The minimums need to be increased.The whole judicial system is a joke;

or even laughable!

[ChillDoubt]

Sorry em, my posts were to sir.prize, none pointed at you!

[emmie]

no problem...

[bazwillrun]

"Good riddance to the crooked ex Cabinet Minister. "

yeah....and when hes out he can go back to making a loads of money

and a year down the line it will be a distant memory to him

[emmie]

i doubt that at all, he seems rather ego driven, politics was his life, he went for the leadership of the party twice, so that is all gone... he may go back
to earning money, but you can't say that going to jail is going to be pleasant.

[baza]

bet he is not in the pokey long enough to become someone's bitch

[anneasquith]

he and his ex wife will be out a few weeks thenwrite a book re their experiences of prison life ( cant wait )

[Boto]

I agree that the sentence is not long but he will always be known as an ex jailbird.

[Barmaid]

The offence was at the lower end of the scale for perverting the course of justice and hence the lower end of the sentencing provisions. I guessed at between 4 and 7 months based on the sentencing guidelines (but without recourse to the various comparable cases involved). I was wrong, but the sentence is not excessive, nor is it light. You only need to look at the type of other pcj crimes on the CPS guidance to see that this was low end stuff. I wonder if the defendant had been Bert and Jane Smith of 100 Main Road, Anytown, the "outcry" would have been the same?

Maxine Carr who gave Ian Huntley (the Soham Murderer) a false alibi only got 21 months. Completely different case I accept.

Stupid pair of idiots that they are. I hope as Vicky Pryce sits in prison she will think twice about playing the woman scorned again.

Mind you, I imagine a lucrative book deal will soon follow......

[mikey4444]

Can we settle this much shared thought that prison is a kind of "holiday camp"

Unlike most people I suspect, I have been in prisons, not as a convict, but as a voluntary worker. They are all awful, degrading places, as they should be...its supposed to be a punishment after all. Believe me, I have been to Butlins as well and I know what I would prefer, and it isn't The Scrubbs !

I don't know if this ghastly couple couple got the correct sentence or not, but I wasn't in the court at the time and the Judge was, so we have to accept his decision in the matter. After all both of them admitted that they had done what they were accused of. At least Huhne admitted it, albeit at the last minute, for which his sentence was reduced by the Judge by 10%
( according to the BBC news this afternoon) His frightful ex-wife tried to escape punishment by coming over all girlie, which didn't confuse the jury one little bit.

It is unlikely that BBC's Rough Justice will be making a program at any time in the future about this case !

[Barmaid]

Mikey, I completely agree with you on prisons. I've been in several - including an open prison. Not somewhere I would want to go again.

[jim360]

At least his career's been destroyed. Since some were arguing that he ought not to go to jail at all any sentence can be thought of as heavy. Not sure which point of view I agree with but either way glad he's been found out.

[mikey4444]

Barmaid...your experience would seem to be the same as mine.

I used to be involved with art classes for prisoners, on a voluntary basis. It was some time ago but the memory of it stays with me. Everywhere I went, I had a Prison Officer with me, and there was a constant "click clang" of doors and gates being opened and shut behind me. There was also an all-pervading stink, a kind of mixture of Jeyes Fluid and urine. Even after all these years, I still can't bear the smell of Jeyes Fluid.

In a previous job as a telephone engineer, I visited our local prison quite regularly to fix the phones and had the same experience.

I am no mamby-pamby do-gooder, believe me and I expect anybody found guilty of braking the law to be given the appropriate punishment, but it disturbs that the "holiday camp" idea is still so prevalent amongst the general public.

Probably the same people that use that other annoying phrase " its health and safety gone mad "

[shaneystar2]

They won't be destroyed .They are rich now and will be even richer on the back of this .Look at Archer ..he's still laughing all the way to the bank .
As I said before they should have been totally stripped of all their assets ,and made to do community service .Their assets given to charity and let them both try and exist on a pittance .
Also made to pay back all costs incurred in bringing this marital farce into the public domain .
Whichever way you look at it ,it's the taxpayer who will be footing the bill for this pair of total idiots .

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Why don't we hang draw and quarter them while we're at it.
His sentence was proportional. It was 3 speeding points, not the Gunpowder plot.