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Judicial priorities: Possessions over people

Sat Apr 18 04:52PM

This week there have been two high-profile prison sentences made by British courts which have highlighted big flaws in our judicial system.

The first decision came on Tuesday 14^th April when Jack Tweed (right) was sentenced to a 12-week jail sentence for an assault on a taxi driver. The chairwoman for Harlow Magistrates' Court said that Tweed's sentence was reduced from 18 weeks because of a "recent change in his personal circumstances" - Jade Goody's death. Of this 12-week sentence Jack will only have to spend six weeks in prison.

The conviction was the second time in six months that Tweed had been found guilty of assault. In September, he was given an 18-month jail sentence after being found guilty of hitting a 16-year-old boy with a golf club. He was released from prison in January, having to wear a monitoring tag and observe a curfew. It was during this time that the attack on the taxi driver took place.

Speaking after the hearing Tweed's solicitor, George Kampanella, said: "The family are devastated and feel that Jack has been treated more severely because of who he is. We are considering the prospects of an appeal."

Compare this to a more recent decision where Aaron Billington (left) was on Thursday 16^th April sentenced to a 20-week jail term for vandalising Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay's Ferrari.

Billington inflicted nearly £10,000 of damage to the vehicle after seeing a girl he had an "emotional attachment to" go to the star's hotel room. He was also allegedly mocked by Jay Kay because of his stutter. Billington, who admitted criminal damage as well as failing to answer bail and leaving bed and breakfast accommodation and an Indian restaurant without paying, was jailed for a total of 20 weeks.

First of all there should be questions raised about whether a court should take into account the death of a loved one when handing down a sentence. Should the law be immune from sympathy?

Secondly, even without the six-week reduction in Jack Tweed's sentence because of Jade's death, he would have served a smaller sentence for assaulting a man than Aaron Billington will for damaging a car.

It's no secret that our laws are centred on possessions more than people but these examples just highlight how wrong they can be. Why is the legal system still deeming crime against people a lower priority than crimes against material objects?

Comments1 - 10 of 128

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Because modern day society values material wealth above all else. A rich man with a Ferrari is admired far more than a 'mere' taxi driver thus the damage to some stupid piece of metal called a Ferrari is a more serious crime than the damage caused to an ordinary human being. Someone once told me that "People can mend themselves but things can't" therefore he considered things more important. Strikes me nothing has improved since that comment.

From pllngld on Sat Apr 18 05:00PM
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The law has ALWAYS been about keeping the have-nots in their place, and protecting the rich.

From doc_scrumpy on Sat Apr 18 05:15PM
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Jack Tweed is an ignorant lout. He has been found gulity twice of assaulting people - I think he has been given a lenient sentence because of who he was married to. Jack Tweed should be locked away for a long time for the safety of the public instaed he is basking in this false sentimentality over Jade Goody.As forAaron Billington - he again is a lout who takes violence as an answer to his problems. However, whether he should have been jailed is a moot point - depends on his previous form...which he clearly has. Both of these two have criminal tendencies so I don't have a lot of symapathy for either. However, of the 2, I think Jack Tweed is the most reprehensible. He is a vicious lout who needs locking up fgor a long time - if only to keep him away from Jade Goody's money!

From bill.phipps on Sat Apr 18 05:17PM
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This is a more serious situation than we can presently envisage.There seem
to be something in man that is fiercely protecting his own interests and de
stroying God's.We see this in the destruction of nature and environment and
anything that bears the mark of life.It is this mystery in human reasoning that makes a man
a man value his possession more than his own very life.That makes judges pity a ferrari
ri more than a man.This is food for thought for everyone.

From talk2nike_mike on Sat Apr 18 05:33PM
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Well, either way we are agonising too much about this sort of dross. The answer to much of our crime is as simple as it is elegant. Any individual should have a personal multiplier added to his sentence. So, if you get found guilty of assault a second time, the sentence should double. Do it a third time, and the last one is doubled again et al. This would put the fear of God into these s@#$%bags. Why have we got 'Career Criminals' wandering free..? We just don't lock them up properly. There are s@#$%bags with insanely long records, still free to carry on. Why???? If they won't learn fine. Throw the damned keys away.
Lets try this, (...with a wink to 'V for Vendetta' )
THE VIRAL ELECTION. Thursday, November the 5th 2009. 'We the people demand a General Election upon this day'.
Lets spread the word. Post this everywhere. Demand it on the Number 10 Downing Street website. Write it, speak it, paste it and post it. Lets let this corrupt diseased bunch af money-grubbing crooks know that we are not prepared to wait any longer. It's not going to be 2010. We can't, and we REFUSE to wait that long. This can be our bloodless revolution. If this is spread, it can be completely UNSTOPPABLE. Don't just read this. Spread it. Anywhere. Everywhere. Show your contempt for this wretched, crooked government. In the words of a certain airline passenger;- 'Lets roll...!'
.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/GoToCountryNow/

From gipsyqueens2 on Sat Apr 18 05:41PM
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Lets try this, (...with a wink to 'V for Vendetta' )
THE VIRAL ELECTION. Thursday, November the 5th 2009. 'We the people demand a General Election upon this day'.
Lets spread the word. Post this everywhere. Demand it on the Number 10 Downing Street website. Write it, speak it, paste it and post it. Lets let this corrupt diseased bunch af money-grubbing crooks know that we are not prepared to wait any longer. It's not going to be 2010. We can't, and we REFUSE to wait that long. This can be our bloodless revolution. If this is spread, it can be completely UNSTOPPABLE. Don't just read this. Spread it. Anywhere. Everywhere. Show your contempt for this wretched, crooked government. In the words of a certain airline passenger;- 'Lets roll...!'
.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/GoToCountryNow/

From gipsyqueens2 on Sat Apr 18 05:44PM
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Too the average person people come before material objects, the judiciary 'ant average they don't have to worry where the next meal comes from! Thats why their out of touch with the people and a car is more important than a taxi driver, if there was more working class people sitting on the bench you'd get better justice but Brown wont build the prisons to hold them. Then there's the do gooder's and the human rights lot I say once you break the law you give up your rights do your time and shut up! As for Tweed yer he got special treatment because the dippy cow die he gets off light!! Thats fu(king justice in this country proud to be ENGLISH

From waldman150 on Sat Apr 18 05:46PM
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jesus lol its only a few weeks less id understand the prob if it was 18mnths and he got 12 weeks but its 18 weeks for god sake he would have only doen an extra 3 weeks on good behaviour any way

From stacey.hayley on Sat Apr 18 05:55PM
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Todays possessions are the rubbish of the future. Possessions are just "things" of little value in real terms, I wont feel any pain or die because my car was dingged!
The thuggery that our youth indulge in against anyone unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place deserves the harshest punishments, the punishments meted out by our courts today are worn like badges of honour because they are so ineffective. Violent acts deserve a violent punishment, bring back the birch & tell the human rights lobby to s@od off.

From bdonog on Sat Apr 18 06:08PM
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The British Judiciary is a joke end of get better treatment in a kanaroo court!!!!!!!

From tippersbob on Sat Apr 18 06:13PM
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