The Royal Brunei captain was sentenced today.
Link
bjcc
I'm hesitant to go quite as far as saying you've lost all sense of perspective, but I understand what
Arkroyal means and do wonder. You do seem to have a certain type of police view, and don't show any signs of being even remotely understanding about the 'other' side.
I was surprised by your earlier comments about prisons.
normal_nigel said:
”The guy wasn't pissed but as said misjudged his recovery rate and at worst would have had a bit of a hangover. Not condoning it but now that gets you six months in a scum filled prison.”
I think that was an entirely reasonable comment.
Your response:
”You have summed it up, yes for that offence you get 6 months in a 'scum filled' prison." Fine so far, but then you added
"Odd thing about prisons they are full of people who have been convicted of criminal offences....As this pilot has been.”
and subsequently added:
” I have some bad news for you....he was convicted of a criminal offence, earning him a prison sentence. He is therefore a criminal.”
Do you really see no difference between people who’ve spent their lives sponging off society and committing crimes against others, and decent people who’ve worked hard all their lives and make a single mistake
of this nature which is a criminal offence?
Do you really think the effect of being sent to prison is the same on everyone, regardless of the way they’ve lived their lives previously?
I’m not suggesting people of previous good character shouldn’t ever be sent to prison (or no-one would ever be sent) but don’t you have any sympathy or pity for otherwise thoroughly decent respectable hard-working people who make a mistake
of this nature and are then banged up in prison with the dregs of society?
"(The pilot) is therefore a criminal."
On reflection, I think you are losing perspective. You consider anyone convicted of a criminal offence can fairly be described as a criminal. I don't. I think there's a big difference between someone who commits a single criminal offence and 'a criminal', and an enormous difference between 'a criminal' and someone who commits an offence
of this nature.
The old adage
'If you can't do the time, don't commit the crime' is true up to a point, but there's a difference between delibertately setting out to commit a criminal offence and finding out later you have committed one.
It will be interesting to see what the Court of Appeal says about the six month sentence on the Finnish pilot if he appeals - which IMHO, he certainly should.