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The Magistrate's Blog (2005-2012)

This blog has migrated to www.magistratesblog.blogspot.co.uk This blog is anonymous, and Bystander's views are his and his alone. Where his views differ from the letter of the law, he will enforce the letter of the law because that is what he has sworn to do. If you think that you can identify a particular case from one of the posts you are wrong. Enough facts are changed to preserve the truth of the tale but to disguise its exact source.

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Location: Near London, United Kingdom

The blog is written by a retired JP, with over 30 years' experience on the Bench.

Monday, August 01, 2011

Revolving Door

This really seems a step too far.

When you think of the gravity of the case, much too serious for magistrates of course, the pre-sentence reports, the majesty of the Crown Court, the judge's consideration, the solemn pronouncement of sentence, what did he end up with? Four months served, much of it probably on Cat D, and a nasty bit of tagging. It makes a '16 month' sentence look ridiculous, and serves to fuel the public's cynicism about the justice system. The judge wasted his time too, since Devine had more than one either-way offence on his sheet so a humble bench of JPs could have potted him for twelve months, of which he would in theory have been likely to serve half.

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