More Criminal "Justice"

5 years for stabbing the babysitter ? Handed down in 1991 ? Out in 96 ? No - just go on 'Christmas home leave' in 1992 and don't come back.

Go to London and try to kill a policeman. 14 years for attempted murder ? Handed down in 1993 ? Let me see ... that makes it 2007 before he'll be out.

Oh no ... I forgot - you only serve half your sentence. The big number is just for the stupid public - just as 'life' means 10 years or so.

But he'd just been nicked for 'recklessly discharging a firearm' - surely he'd be inside ?

On bail - after all, it's not as if he had a criminal record or anything.

So he was free to break into cars. And stab to death the retired police officer who tried to stop him.

From the Daily Herald.

McNeill, who has the letters, "ACAB" (commonly known to stand for "all coppers are bastards") tattooed on one of his hands, was sentenced to 14 years at the Old Bailey in 1993 for the attempted murder of Martin Dudley, a London police constable, after stabbing him 10 times with a flick knife.
He was also imprisoned for five years in 1991 for assault to severe injury after stabbing a friend's babysitter.
Having gone on home leave from the then Dungavel prison in Strathaven at Christmas the following year, he had failed to return.
Another of his convictions was for attempting to gouge out an officer's eyes.
At the time of the attack on Ms Welden, McNeill was on bail while awaiting a court appearance on a charge of recklessly discharging a firearm, an offence for which he later received a sentence of four months.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said the decision to grant bail by the courts was dependent on the individual circumstances of the case.
Elizabeth Cutting, spokes-woman for SACRO, a voluntary organisation that works to cut offending, said: "In the circumstances where the defence applies for bail and the crown does not oppose that, then the judge has little option but to grant bail."

SACRO, of course, is not "a voluntary organisation that works to cut offending" but is, like its English homologue NACRO, a pro-criminal pressure group that works to cut punishment for criminals. Rather than being 'a voluntary organisation' its funding overwhelmingly comes from the state (although our old friend the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation also subs them).

The Glasgow Evening Times reports that the VICTIM'S family have been forced to move because of threats.

Let's remind ourselves again (and yes, I know Scotland has its own legal system) ... Home Office minister Hazel Blears :

"we are seeing much more cooperation from the courts in making sure decent people who are prepared to stand up and challenge this behaviour are properly protected."

That poor retired policewoman was well protected, wasn't she ? Never mind her family. Protected as well as Alwyn Jones. Or William Bird. Or Martin James.

And down in underclass country, the Magistrate is being nice to a poor single mum.

"I just wasn't prepared to send a pregnant woman to Holloway with the weekend looming"