Judge Triggers Prison Row
A judge has refused to send an internet paedophile to jail after saying he would follow the Government's request to jail only serious offenders.
Derek Williams was given a six-month jail sentence for downloading child pornography.
Judge John Rogers QC said he had to bear in mind "the current sentencing climate".
Home Secretary John Reid wrote this week to judges and magistrates asking them to jail only serious and persistent offenders because of a shortage of prison places.
Mold Crown Court heard that Williams, 46, would only receive a suspended jail term because the judge had to "bear in mind" the Home Secretary's letter.
Sentencing Williams, of Penygwdwn, Blaenau Ffestiniog, to a six-month sentence, suspended for two years, Mr Rogers said there were also mitigating factors in the case.
Jails in England and Wales are at bursting point, with about 80,000 inmates. Hundreds are being housed overnight in police stations and court cells because there is no room in jails.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "If true, then we now have a situation where sentences are being dictated by the prison capacity and not the severity of the crime.
"It looks like the consequences of the Government's failure to address the lack of prison places is coming home to roost."
Mr Reid revealed an RAF camp in the north of England is to be used to house convicts, and that he is also in negotiations over the purchase of two prison ships.
He said that construction had started on prefab units to go into a prison in the Merseyside.
I'm lost for bloody words myself.
4 comments:
i would have also given him a suspended sentence, dangling from a bloody rope
Apparently the Home Secretary's letter says of course to still jail dangerous offenders. This is a tap on the wrist. There is nothing more sickening than this sort of thing. I suppose the reasoning is that they are not actually abusing a child, but of course they are! If filthy sods like him didn't download the porn and create a market for it, the children wouldn't be abused in the 1st place would they? It makes my blood boil!
I like Phils answer to this problem.
Another solution to jail overcrowding is take all the luxury items out of every cell and put in an extra bed.
You know why they have all these playstations and Sky TV etc? To shut them up and keep em quiet so they don't need as many prison officers. Everything is to save money nowadays! They should be like that American sheriff who built a prison camp out of tents in the Desert (Texas I think it was) When the prisoners complained about the heat he said our troops are in Iraq in the same heat in full battle dress, if they can cope so can you. He put women on chain gangs as not to discriminate, took away the cable TV and when told it was against their 'human rights' he put it back on, but just the kids channel! and numerous other things. Sounds a legend. I'll try and look him up online.
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