I have not been this angry in a long time, advice needed

[puddytats]

As some of you know DH is is prison at the moment, he was sentanced in December 18 months for Fraud and theft. He is not a persistant offender, he is not a danger to himself and anyone else, he is not going to re offend. Yet he is sat in prison while a phoedophile is sat at home on a suspended sentence.

Where is the justice in this country.
DH has a job to come out to, children who love him, and a wife who is currently waiting on surgery on both hands due to wrist problems. And yet the judge saw fit to take him away instead of making DH give something back to the community. He is now mixing with murderers, rapists and other serious, dangerous offenders.

What i want to know is how i go about beginning to appeal his sentence. If this monster can get away with it then surely DH has a case.

Any advice would be good.

Thankyou

understand how angry you must feel. There sometimes seems to be no reasoon behind the sentences given out.
I have followed your threads Puddytats. Did your Dh's barrister discuss appealing his sentence with you at the time?
If there is any merrit in an appeal the first port of call would be Dh's solicitor.
Good luck

I thought of you this morning when I heard about that man being given a suspended sentence. Have you thought about a more high profile approach? Perhaps speak to your MP or, even better, the papers?

Good luck.

As soon as I heard that item on the news I thought of you and your dh, Puddytats. In fact dh and I said that he and other people convicted of "white collar crimes" (for want of a better phrase) should be given non-custodial punishments - even released early onto a tagging scheme or community service scheme - so that these people who should be locked away are locked away.

I'm sorry I have no real advice for you, but I totally understand your frustration and upset.

((((((hugs))))))

I do understand your frustration but ...

IMO that judge wanted his moment in the sun. He gave that man a non custodial sentence because he knew that it would almost certainly make it into the media.

People like that are scum, and don't deserve to be free, but a point had to be proved by not sending him down.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think that contacting your mp or similar would achieve anything, especially considering your dh pleeded guilty.

I would maybe write to your MP, isn't there a body that you can complain to about setences? like some sort of governing body that can force them to revisit cases if they get enough complaints?

Somebody linked me to the faxyourmp site when I needed to get hold of my MP, you could try contacting your local MP through that??

Puddytats, I've just got out the car where I was listening to Radio1, Newsbeat were runnign the story about the peadophile and the new guidelines for judges, quite often they tell you to text in if you have an opinion - I think it would be worth phoning up and outlinining your story to them - they may well be interested in it.

Very angry too. The more I hear about the way tax payer money is wasted and the way the legal system works the more I get angry.

I have read your story on another thread Puddytats and it seems that it's the innocent ones who seem to pay for everyones crimes (well, the real crims know how to be underhand and dodge the law)

I know it's been hard for you but you have to keep thinking that what comes around goes around

I do think this judge is making a political point though. The judiciary absolutely hate politicians interfering in what they (the judges) consider to be their domain. If the letter from John Reid was merely reiterating existing guidelines (which is what he claims), then why did he need to send it? The judge was obviously using this case as an example.

I can understand your frustration and anger. Could you write to your MP? Would be useful if your MP is from a different party than Labour, but not fatal if not.

sorry but I think ringing into a radio show would be a very bad idea.

I totally agree that this paedofile should have been sent to jail, but if you ring in what is it you're going to say exactly? Sorry to be blunt but in the eyes of the law your dh is still a criminal. No maybe he's not likely to re-offend, but he was convicted of a crime, stealing 60k isn't exactly considered to be a minor crime, especially not to the person who is out of pocket. And he pleaded guilty, so you can't say he's innocent and was wrongly convicted etc.

I do understand your frustration, but tbh I think you're best to let it lie.

The paedophile-at-home scandal is a political debacle...and I agree with Freckle.

I thnk there will be many many people, like you, gnashing thier teeth, Puddytats - and perhaps some parenyts of abused children, too. But in the wider picture, I have some sympathy with the judges point...if at his way of making it! Couldn't have done it much more provocatively, could he?

The judge in the paedophile case was making a political point.
For a conviction in a £60,000 fraud case where the money has not been returned to the victim and where the judge called the defendant "devious" (see Hampshire Chronicle) I would have thought an 18 month sentence very lenient, especially as you say he will be out in May.