Navigation

Primary Navigation

Secondary Navigation

Editor's Corner

Back to Editor's Corner home

Search

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?

Comments21 - 30 of 129

Jack Tweed is by far the more culpable of the two, having viciously assaulting a boy with a golf club in recent months, and now a taxi driver. He was not believed after he pleaded not guilty gave evidence at both of his trials. Why all this adulation and sympathy because he was the toy boy of the deceased racist Jade Goody?

From lynnetom20042003 on Sat Apr 18 07:52PM
Report abuse
Jack Tweed is by far the more culpable of the two, having viciously assaulting a boy with a golf club in recent months, and now a taxi driver. He was not believed after he pleaded not guilty gave evidence at both of his trials. Why all this adulation and sympathy because he was the toy boy of the deceased racist Jade Goody?

From lynnetom20042003 on Sat Apr 18 07:54PM
Report abuse
Justice? Wrongdoing? Has always depended on who you are. If you can pay etc etc.
Perhaps if there weren't so many 'lawyers' whose practice seems to be to keep
criminals out of jail for lots of money.If you have enough money you can always
buy justice!

From robertshe55 on Sat Apr 18 08:03PM
Report abuse
The fact that jack is appealing the sentence is disrespectful to his victim, his already been let off leniently and he should take the sentence like a man. Yes it's sad under the cir@#$%stances of his wifes death, but a crimes a crime and he committed not on but two in a very short space of time. I couldn't believe the car vandals sentence compared to jacks, just goes to show what the English have known all along...our law like our goverment is an ass. xxx

From stacy.hart on Sat Apr 18 08:33PM
Report abuse
Jack Tweed
well what can we say he was guilty they gave him 12 weeks, not enough time but when you think of Tony Blair getting away with thousands of deaths through his lies with the Gulf War,,
Should he be in prison or have we forgotten all or some of the young boys who was sent on a mission never to return,, while he is walking and living , try telling the parents of a young twenty year old her son/daughter will never feel the touch of their loved ones ..
The kids who will never see their dad again..
What price have we paid, and what good has it done the man in the street, none wake Great Britain.
Forget Mr Tweed like it or not he lost a person he loved Jack Tweed is nothing in the great scheme of things if you give him ten years in prison.. M

From raymondlangleyuk on Sat Apr 18 08:39PM
Report abuse
Aaron Billington (was on Thursday 16th 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" He was also allegedly mocked by Jay Kay because of his stutter.
faild to answer bail and leaving bed and breakfast accommodation and an Indian restaurant without paying, was jailed for a total of 20 weeks.
should have got five years along with his stutter...M

From raymondlangleyuk on Sat Apr 18 08:49PM
Report abuse
The Courts work as a means of Generating wealth for the system, in some cases this will mean letting people off if it means they can get back to work and pay taxes, at the endd of the day, the over riding equation is which decision is most profitable for 'the system'

From royalecraig on Sat Apr 18 09:36PM
Report abuse
These comments are hilarious!! I was scrolling through in the hope I might find a more factual answer about why law is seemingly more favourable towards people with damaged property than damaged people.. royalecraig - what do you mean by system? the government? Do you think Mr Tweed couldn't pay his taxes in prison?

From lacey_fi on Sat Apr 18 09:51PM
Report abuse
My late Liverpool landlord that I lived with once told me that I would get more time in prison for stealing a few of the queen's tshirts than I would get for beating someone up and he was a man of wise words such as "s@#$% breeding s@#$%" to explain the scallies in this country.

From christopherjabingham on Sat Apr 18 10:02PM
Report abuse
What a joke ! Do the crime pay the time yeah right this country has it all wrong and the govement rave on about being hard on crime yeah ok this is a good example for the s&&t thay prech ! Does it makes much diffrance to him if jade goody has died ur not well yeah he got a lighter sentence .I bet there is other normal people out there that do crime and have lost someone close to them so do thay get the sentence cut short no i dont think so .So why is it diffrent for jack tweed because he has money and his wife has just had so much press .Well i say one thing this makes me sick what is this showing to young offenders that thay can do what thay little to the working folk and get away with it.

From loublouandtommy2000 on Sat Apr 18 10:13PM
Report abuse