How does he only get 8 months when Aitken gets 18?
I'm no fan of Aitken but it doesn't seem particularly fair that Huhne gets less than half his sentence for a similar level of deceit.
He'll only do 4 months. Derisory sentence.
Aitken lied to cover up the fact that a foreign power was bunging him stays in the Ritz: presumably to gain favour from his position. Huhne was trying to get off a driving ban. Different.
Pleads guilty, obviously just before he's about to be found guilty. I really do think that if you're a politician you should be "whiter than white". They are nearly all as bad as each other. However, I have to say a jail sentence is ridiculous, in light of other offences that don't get a custodial sentence. If I was sentencing, I'd give him an enormous fine & make him do an enormous amount of community work. Something that will benefit the community. Jail seems daft. He's hardly a major threat to society.
I get the excessive punishment as a deterrent, but this doesn't seem to be applied to prevent violent crimes. In fact the punishments for muggings and stabbings don't even seem to be a deterrent for the same offender to re-offend.
Also preventing the course of justice sounds grand like lying to keep a mass murderer or gangster or drug dealer out of prison. In those cases I can understand it, but as I've said already it is basically a punishment for a former MP to have had the bare faced cheek to lie to the Police and/or the courts about who was driving his car.
For the record I really don't care what punishment he gets. He clearly did something wrong, as did his wife, but sixteen months between them (even if they only serve half of that) seems very high to me.
They broke the law, they lied for 10 years, they thought that the law only applied to the "little people" and not to them. He wasted a fortune of taxpayers money trying on 14 different occasions to get the case thrown out, he carried on lying and lying until it was obvious he was guilty and then changed his mind.
For a person in such a position of power he has got off lightly! So did she!
They broke the law, they lied for 10 years, they thought that the law only applied to the "little people" and not to them. He wasted a fortune of taxpayers money trying on 14 different occasions to get the case thrown out, he carried on lying and lying until it was obvious he was guilty and then changed his mind.
For a person in such a position of power he has got off lightly! So did she!
So is a lie worse if you are successful and wealthy than if you are a a dole dosser with no money?
They broke the law, they lied for 10 years, they thought that the law only applied to the "little people" and not to them. He wasted a fortune of taxpayers money trying on 14 different occasions to get the case thrown out, he carried on lying and lying until it was obvious he was guilty and then changed his mind.
For a person in such a position of power he has got off lightly! So did she!
So is a lie worse if you are successful and wealthy than if you are a a dole dosser with no money?
A lie is a lie whoever tells it, it`s the arrogance involved in this case that is the issue!
They broke the law, they lied for 10 years, they thought that the law only applied to the "little people" and not to them. He wasted a fortune of taxpayers money trying on 14 different occasions to get the case thrown out, he carried on lying and lying until it was obvious he was guilty and then changed his mind.
For a person in such a position of power he has got off lightly! So did she!
So is a lie worse if you are successful and wealthy than if you are a a dole dosser with no money?
A lie is a lie whoever tells it, it`s the arrogance involved in this case that is the issue!
So are you advocating that he should get a longer prison sentence because he's arrogant?
I'm not looking to have a row with you and I completely understand the anger that some feel about the man, but I can't think of any good reason for him to be given a sentence that is similar to one given to a hooligan that bottles an innocent bloke that just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I don`t write the laws of this land unfortunately. Those who do have deemed the offence of perverting the course of justice to be a very serious offence and therefore he got 8 months.
If people are getting 8 months for smashing bottles over people`s heads then the law on that needs changing and sentences increased!
All I am saying is that this was a high profile case involving a senior political figure who lied through his backside for 10 years and tried all within his power to prevent this even going to court thus wasting tens of thousands of taxpayers money and only admitting his guilt when he had no other choice.
Because of who he is and the high profile of it, they may put him straight on the VPU for his own safety, which houses all the wrong uns and nonces mostly, they do seperate other vunerable and high profile prisoners (ex OB for example) in these circumstances to keep the peace etc. Any other prisoner arriving is given the choice if they feel they cannot cope with normal prison wing life, he may not have been given the choice.
Because of who he is and the high profile of it, they may put him straight on the VPU for his own safety, which houses all the wrong uns and nonces mostly, they do seperate other vunerable and high profile prisoners (ex OB for example) in these circumstances to keep the peace etc. Any other prisoner arriving is given the choice if they feel they cannot cope with normal prison wing life, he may not have been given the choice.
To be fair, how many people really even know who this bloke is? He's not really that famous like a Jeffrey Archer, he's well down the food chain.
They broke the law, they lied for 10 years, they thought that the law only applied to the "little people" and not to them. He wasted a fortune of taxpayers money trying on 14 different occasions to get the case thrown out, he carried on lying and lying until it was obvious he was guilty and then changed his mind.
For a person in such a position of power he has got off lightly! So did she!
So is a lie worse if you are successful and wealthy than if you are a a dole dosser with no money?
A lie is a lie whoever tells it, it`s the arrogance involved in this case that is the issue!
So are you advocating that he should get a longer prison sentence because he's arrogant?
I'm not looking to have a row with you and I completely understand the anger that some feel about the man, but I can't think of any good reason for him to be given a sentence that is similar to one given to a hooligan that bottles an innocent bloke that just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
its the amount of time that he lied about this for,people in power like him think they are above the law.
Sadly the truth is that there is and never has been (nor never will be) a clear relationship betweeen the sentencing for different types of offences because every offending is different. There is now a Sentencing Council which gives guidelines across differing offences but the reality is that there are so many factors involved that there is inevitably a cross-over of seriousness between eg an assault and a perversion of justice (or any other combination of offences.)
I, really, don't feel insulted by the sentence, I just thought it was excessive. I can't accept that it is because he is arrogant or because he is a politician, I just thought that 8 months in prison for telling a lie seemed excessive - especially when my son lies about brushing his teeth every day!
Comments
Also preventing the course of justice sounds grand like lying to keep a mass murderer or gangster or drug dealer out of prison. In those cases I can understand it, but as I've said already it is basically a punishment for a former MP to have had the bare faced cheek to lie to the Police and/or the courts about who was driving his car.
For the record I really don't care what punishment he gets. He clearly did something wrong, as did his wife, but sixteen months between them (even if they only serve half of that) seems very high to me.
For a person in such a position of power he has got off lightly! So did she!
I know if it were you or me, we bloodywell would.
Channel 5's version would be something like "Getting sticky with Vicky"
I'm not looking to have a row with you and I completely understand the anger that some feel about the man, but I can't think of any good reason for him to be given a sentence that is similar to one given to a hooligan that bottles an innocent bloke that just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
If people are getting 8 months for smashing bottles over people`s heads then the law on that needs changing and sentences increased!
All I am saying is that this was a high profile case involving a senior political figure who lied through his backside for 10 years and tried all within his power to prevent this even going to court thus wasting tens of thousands of taxpayers money and only admitting his guilt when he had no other choice.
And yeah, you are picking a fight!
Talking of food, isn't Huhne the German word for chicken ....?