Monday, November 28, 2005

Yes, It's Sick-Bag Time !

And next time I hear someone say:- "He'll come out of prison one day - it's us that are serving a life sentence", I shall throw up. - The Magistrate's Blog.

Speaking after the verdict, Mrs Ross's husband Michael, a hairdresser, described the defendant as a "low life".

He said: "I am serving a life sentence and my boys are serving a life sentence that means they will never see Jacqui.


It's strange. When an private sector employee or a manager makes a mistake or cuts a corner, and the result is the death of an employee or member of the public, Guardianistas are the first to call for heads to roll, courts to convene, and corporate manslaughter charges to be brought.

How come that doesn't apply to the deaths of innocents killed by the decisions of probation officers ? After all, I'd reckon that more people are killed each year by early release prisoners than died in the Hatfield train crash.

He had been on an all-night drinking session to celebrate his release from prison after serving just under two years of a four-and-a-half-year sentence for attempted armed robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.

A spokeswoman for the Probation Service said they were satisfied the supervision of Redfern-Edwards following his release had been of a "high standard".

She added: "He had committed previous acts of violence and because of this his supervision requirements were stringent.

"Whilst this gave cause for concern, there was nothing to suggest he would carry out an offence of this gravity."


So three days after release he's drinking all night then attempting a sexual assault. Sir, I don't see any "supervision".

If that's a "high standard" and "stringent supervision" what would they consider a low standard to be ?


UPDATE - once a teacher or school governor seeing a double-barreled name like Ben Redfern-Edwards would think 'posh kid' or possibly 'pretentious mum'.

These days you think 'uh-oh - trouble'. Ben's daddy didn't quite love him enough to marry his mother, but you can't say he wasn't ready to help him out.

His father Paul Edwards, who has already been convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and assisting an offender, helped him dispose of his clothes - which were covered in mud and blood - and then drove him away from the house.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Something I haven't grasped.

Round here there's a steady stream of prosecutions for private people (mostly business owners) for minor H&S violations - and sometimes major ones.

Lauren Wright's death was due to cost cutting in Social Services to save money - and she is one of half a dozen or more round here. But the people responsible are *never* prosecuted, or indeed suffer in any way whatsoever.

Anonymous said...

Wow comments.
I stopped reading the magistrate shortly after that post. I remeber one of his posts where he "boasts" about convicting someone for drving with excess alcohol; the person was driving on his own land and posed no danger to anyone. When it comes to real crimminals these people are useless.

Why can't they grasp simple facts, if people are allowed to get away with criminal behaviour, then it is a course of action they will pursue. The punishment should not fit the crime, it should be in excess of the crime with effective enforcement. Let's see how many choose the crime option then.

Laban said...

I don't actually think he's a bad person. He just inhabits a culture where the rules of behaviour that he'd apply to 'us' - say a middle class person on his own land - don't apply to 'them' - say a smackhead shoplifting mum with 352 previous convictions.

The whole Criminal Justice system is based on such distinctions, whereas once it would be the other way round.

Then they're surprised by the growth of the underclass.

Anonymous said...

Like to echo the 'Wow, comments!' comment by anon... :)

Given that this father was such a help to his spawn in the post-murder clean up, can we look forward to HIM facing some charges, too? I suppose that would be too much to ask for....

Serf said...

He is living proof that we need the Jury system. Letting an elite have a monopoly on the criminal justice system, is a surely a stupid idea.

Anonymous said...

D'Oh! That'll teach me to quickly scan-read while doing other things...

So he HAS been charged (and convicted) - good-oh! Nice to see the system working for once...

Bystander said...

i) What happened to that family was vile. They are victims of a horrible crime. They are not 'serving a life sentence' in any sense other than that found in a tabloid headline. Sadly, decent people parrot the language that the media throw at them.
ii)I have never had a hand in convicting anyone for drink -driving on their own land. I was quoting one of the leading cases that establishes the law. laban's comment is simply silly.

Bystander said...

Here's what I said about the drink-driver. Compare the post with the subsequent slagging off:-

http://thelawwestofealingbroadway.blogspot.com/2005/07/private-or-public.html

Laban said...

Not silly, inaccurate. Apologies, Bystander. I took the anonymous post re drink-driving as gospel and didn't check your blog. I stand by the shoplifting smackhead mum though.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the 'life sentence'. Imagine spending the rest of your life knowing that your mother was horibly, senselessly (but deliberately) killed - and that the punishment in no way reflects the gravity of the crime.

Mr Redfern Edwards will be out again by the time he's the age of his victim. And if people actually served their sentences she'd be alive now.

Enjoy your blog, btw - but it is revealing.

Anonymous said...

Hey Laban great blog, always very thought provoking posts.

We keep hearing about how Britains jails are full, but at the same time we also hear about how 10% or so of the inmates in British jails are foreigners.
Question what is the arguement against sending those guys back to serve their prison sentence in their own country in order to free up space?
(you might say the home country wouldnt want them but if they were oftered the same amount of money as it costs to house them in British jails they could probably make a profit)