Fire extinguisher throwing eighteen year old

[dotnet]

So, what do MNers think about the two year eight month prison sentence handed out to - is his name Edward Bullard? - the 18-year old who stupidly threw a fire extinguisher from the Conservative HQ roof in November?
What do I think? Well, if that's the sort of sentence meted out to someone who behaves stupidly, but doesn't actually hurt anybody...
There'll be a similar sentence, then, for the bully boy cop who threw the wheelchair-bound student to the ground TWICE at the December demonstration?
And it's got to be - how long - eight years? ten? more? for the vicious individual who batoned Alfie Meadows and put him into intensive care subsequent to neurosurgery?

Or doesn't British justice work like that?

And Bullard was lucky to be charged with violent disorder and not attempted murder.

From a sentencing point of view he got off lightly.

I agree that he ought to have been given a custodial sentence. What he did was outrageous and incredibly dangerous.

However, he was previously of good character and he surrendered himself to the police. In terms of preventing him from doing it ever again I am sure the sentence is much longer than is necessary. I doubt he would pose a future risk to the public if he had been sentenced for a much shorter period.

If the sentence appears disproportionate to large sections of the community, then it will not act as a proper deterrent.

looktowindward Edward Woollard wasn't a hugely privileged Cambridge undergraduate, he was a schoolboy.
Are you referring to some other aspect of the demonstration involving a Cambridge undergraduate?
Oh - hang on - I think you're thinking of the pop star son and the Cenotaph.
Loads and loads of apologies came from that quarter and that was a case of idiocy as well.
I bet a high proportion of the dead of WW2 commemmorated by the Cenotaph would have sympathised with the purpose of the students' demonstration though.
You don't suddenly become a lickspittle of the boss class when you die you know.

Dotnet. You cannot defend someone throwing a fire extinquisher from three floors up! I do think that the sentence was too long, he had to have a custodial sentence as the crime was so serious.

Many people can get 'fired up' but they would not endanger other peoples' lives. That is the difference.

When I was younger, I would probably have entered the Connsevative HQ building, not realising that I would have probably got a criminal record!

I have been on many student demos when I was younger, but would definately try to stop someone from endangering others lives or attacking people/cars. (i.e. The Royals car).
Demonstrate yes, but there has IMO to be a limit. Edward will unfortunately be incarcerated with some people who are seriously disturbed, but that is price he is now paying for his stupid actions.

We don't disagree really then, complimentary - I'd have wanted to give him a fortnight inside, followed by community service. But I'm told hybrid sentences like that aren't possible, so in that case I'd choose community service for him, so he'd be doing something useful.
Bel Mooney of the Daily Mail says she thinks 3 months inside would be about right for what he did.
If you twisted my arm I might concede to that, as a maximum.

Then he'd be able to get into university this year and not have to put himself into the extraordinary amount of debt children of non-loaded parents may be forced to accept in 2012.

looktowindwood. That idiot who pissed on the cenotaph was not only 'pissing on middle England', but everyone who fought in all wars and had family, and those who care about the above.

I'm afraid Edward and our dear freind who pissed on the cenotaph our of the same mould, basically daft, with no common sense. Both also have lack of respect for others, a dangerous lack of respect in Edward's case.

We all know that politicians are disingenious, mandacious, etc; but we have to behave and remove them in other ways, I'm not talking about the Tories, but all politicians, who do not respect the peoples' wishes.

Incarcerating Edward for so long, does not protect the public. I did feel the sentence too long, but he had to pay for his stupidity.