Just before we get any of the " I know a man who

[David Johnson]

"If you agree with this you are mad,simple as"

Not sure if the "you" referred to is me or a generalised "you".

I think it is over the top to sentence someone for 6 months for stealing ?3.50 worth of bottled water.

Having said that the magistrates understand that it is not just about stealing ?3.50 worth of water here.

1. Someone walks into Lidl during opening hours, alongside a whole host of daytime shoppers, nicks some water and gets picked up from the CCTV. Just about everyone sleeps okay in their beds that night.

2. A riot breaks out in which a supermarket is smashed. Hordes of intimidating people pop in to do some al fresco shopping along with at some point, the guy who gets the water. Many of the local community, particularly the elderly are scared shitless.

Its the element of opportunism, the hey its a riot, lets join in and the being part of a complete breakdown of law and order in a particular area which is being taken into account. And although I think 6 months is over the top, the sentence in 2. I believe, should be more than the sentence in 1.

Cheers
D

[number 6]

At the end of the day if you are poor and you see an oppurtunity,SOME people will take advantage. Im not condoning any violence of any kind,but walking into an empty shop and stealing a bottle of water is hardly the crime of the century is it,shopuld we really be sepdning police time arresting people for this kind of stuff?

[Sam Slater]

I'm pretty sure all rioters had some access to drinkable water without resorting to stealing. Even if they were far from home I'm pretty sure pubs are required, by law, to serve tap water for free.

We also don't know if this thief has previous which was taken into account upon sentencing.

[David Johnson]

"but walking into an empty shop and stealing a bottle of water is hardly the crime of the century is it,shopuld we really be sepdning police time arresting people for this kind of stuff?"

I dont think anyone is saying it is the crime of the century are they?

"Should we be arresting people for this kind of stuff"

1. You miss the point that he was stealing in the context of a total breakdown of law and order in the immediate locality.
2. If you give a free pass for everyone to steal what they fancy from a shop without any comeback, I suspect your living costs are just about to go up 10 times, as supermarkets recoup their enormous shoplifting losses. And it is fairly obvious what the message is that will be given out i.e. why should I pay for anything if he can just nick stuff without comeback.

CHeers
D

[David Johnson]

He was a 23 year old college student with no previous convictions. He was walking home in the early hours after spending time with his girlfriend and saw Lidl was a late night shopping opportunity.

"District Judge Alan Baldwin said the background of ?serious public disorder? was an aggravating feature. The burglary of commercial premises in circumstances such as this where substantial and wholesale public disorder has taken place is in effect what is commonly called looting.?

"The prosecution submit that this defendant has contributed through his actions and criminal conduct to the atmosphere of both chaos and sheer lawlessness" etc etc.

Cheers
D

[number 6]

Cmaeron has already said this morning the riots will be used as an excuse to cut back on the welfare state even more,which has alreayd been hacked to bits in the last year and a half. What Cm,aeron and his ilk would like is no welfare state,where the poor are given bread to eat and sent to workhouses to keep a roof over their head. Its a tories wet dream and a dream of a lot of people who post on here im sure.

[Sam Slater]

Cheers.

My own feelings on this are somewhat in the middle of yours and number 6's. The sentencing was extremely harsh but the circumstances were much different to your usual theft. Normally he'd have been given a caution. It's a big jump to 6 months imprisonment.

Maybe a week's community service, helping clean up the mess, then a few weeks behind bars would have been enough. But this is just a personal opinion and I understand why he was given a harsher than normal sentence.