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Straw: I feel for Pc victim
Wednesday 29th October 2008, 11:50AM GMT.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said his heart goes out to the Shropshire police officer whose attacker was released from jail less than three months into his sentence.
Mr Straw was responding in the Commons yesterday to a question from Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard, who said he was outraged by the early release from prison of William Armer, of Deepfield, Dawley.
Armer was jailed for 14 months at Stoke Crown Court in July for assaulting Constable David George, of Telford police.
See also: Pc’s attacker free after three months
Mr Pritchard told the Justice Secretary Constable George had been “brutally attacked, kicked unconscious and needed hospital treatment”.
“The offender was subsequently caught, prosecuted and sentenced to 14 months in prison,” he said.
Katharine George, Constable George’s wife, yesterday described Armer’s release as a “joke”.
Mr Pritchard asked Mr Straw: “Do you share my outrage and the outrage of my constituents, Mr and Mrs George, who were informed only last week that the culprit has been released, having only served 12 weeks behind bars?
“Is that the Justice Secretary’s new definition of punishment?”
Mr Straw replied: “My heart, like the whole of the House, goes out to the police officer who was injured, his family and colleagues and friends. I cannot possibly make comment on individual sentencing decisions – no-one in my position can.
“What I would say is what has happened in recent years, which is why the prison population has risen by a third, is sentences typically handed down by the courts are longer, particularly for those who are convicted for offences of violence.”
However, Mr Pritchard branded Mr Straw’s answer as “weak and contradictory”. He said: “The majority of my constituents, including Mr and Mrs George, want to see a sufficient amount of time served by those who commit crime against the person or property.”
Armer was not available to comment on his early release today.
By London Editor John Hipwood
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An important story made party political by Mark Pritchard. Does he want politicians to decide sentences and who is and is not allowed out of prison?
It is terrible that this guy has been let out after such a short period of time, but Mark Pritchard shows he is more interested in making party political capital than getting something done!
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He feels for him but will not do anything to give tougher sentences to violent offenders.
If I was in charge this criminal would be looking at 30 years minimum for attacking a Police officer
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Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime!
Bliar and the New Labour project are a sad joke.
We need new political parties that reflect the true feeling of the populus.
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he knows the minister cant comment, so why ask this, of course the minister thinks the sentance is too lenient, we all do, but he CANNOT, should not and must not comment on independant judicial decisions, so well done mr straw for resisting the urge to comment and keeping politics out of the courts
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soft labour liberals did this, get rid of them
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Tougher sentences are not needed, What is needed is sentences which are *fully* served, with no discount.
Not enough cells? Well, build more jails. Early release of prisoners to make room for others, who in turn will benefit from early release to make room for more recent convicts is a travesty of justice and an immoral action which no government on Earth is justified in carrying out. Ah, and convicts should work to earn their food and lodging. Breaking big stones down to pebbles to be used in concrete for new prisons would be it…
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Tough om crime, tough on the causes of crime?
What a joke!
We all need to be protected against such violent thugs, – and SO DO THE POLICE.
What do-gooder let him out? He should have been given twice the sentence.
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Jon Ledbury do you honestly, really honestly, believe that this is not a political matter. If you can genuinly put your hand on your heart and say that then sorry, there is something sadly wrong with your reasoning. It is ridden with “politics”. Who is going to take this issue up if not the local MP, how is he going to get something done if he doesn’t question the Politician responsible for the whole sorry mess that dictates to Judges and Magistrates what pathetic sentences they can impose. It was this Government that said, “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”. Then, within weeks they brought about the quango that draws up a scale of punishments that courts can award. It was this Government that brought about the system for early release of criminals from prison. It was this government that brought down the period of time served in prison from 2/3rds to 1/2. It was this government that now brainwashes the Criminal Justice fraternity into accepting that prison does not work and to opt for community punishments instead. It was this Government that has failed to build new prisons to cater for a rising prison population, it was this Government, via it’s quango agency, the Criminal Sentences Advisory panel to award sentences in “weeks” rather than “months”.
No, politicians should not decide sentences but that is exactly what this Labour Government have done but they do it through a nominee, the Government influenced, Criminal Sentences Advisory panel. All a Judge has to do now is see if the circumstances of an offence match up with the details on a piece of paper and, if so, award the criminal whatever the paper says. The obvious question must be, why do we have Judges if they can only award sentences that they are told to award,? You tell me because that is something I have wondered about.
This case reeks of the dead political hand of Labour written all over the Criminal Justice system that is why Mark Pritchard has rightly taken this matter up and I would have been the first to slate him if he had not. The law must be changed to come down on criminals like this and only politicians can do that. So sorry, a silly comment of yours.
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So is this what the government calls its tough on crime programme.
It just shows how much use this government is.
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Society in the UK has changed. Build more prisons and keep the Law firm!
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A total travesty of justice.
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i agree with John Boy, the minister is being professional in not answering the question, he’s not avoiding it but he is not allowed to have an opinion on a judicial decision like this
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Im glad the Justice Secretary had the sense to resist giving his opinion on this one, no doubt he shares ours that the sentance is too lenient but good on him for being a pro
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giro, do you know anything about the Government founded body that instructs Magistrates and Judges on what sentences to pass. If politicians should not comment on judicial issues (and they shouldn’t) then they should’nt put their dirty little politically inspired fingers in the Judicial and penal pot). They cannot have it both ways. Who was it that told Judges etc to award sentences in “weeks” not “months”, Jack Straws underlings, who was it that told Prison Governors to release prisoners early from sentences legally passed by Courts, Jack Straws underlings, who is it that now tells Judges that sentences of imprisonment must not be passed on offenders if a “Community” punishment can be passed, Jack Straws underlings. When do I stop, but I will just mention who was the Lord Chief Justice who told a Labour Home Secretary to stop dabbling in Judicial matters. Labour Politicians have done it, they continue to do it and will carry on until their political ends are achieved, and what they are is anyone’s guess. Get real giro.
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hang these louts
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GENUNINE INTELLECT FROM TORY BOY – NO SUPRISE THERE WE ALL KNOW WHAT TORY JUSTICE POLICY IS LIKE
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it all stems from the liberal doo gooders in successive governments, schools and parents since the 1960′s. before then a sharp swish of the cane brought results, and there was respect fpr authority including teachers, police and any other people in authority. television and parents are the main causes, bring back a bit of corporal punishment and if any doo gooder complains, lock em up
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Stuart,
It was a Tory government that amended the rules on remission, in 1992, not the current government. They also made parole (not the same thing as remission) available to a much broader range of prisoners.
See the other thread on this topic for full details.
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Peter still knocking the Tories!
Give it a rest!
See what Labour have done to this country!!!
Get the blinkers off
11 years
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hanging is too good for these people and the minister should have the nerve to tell it like it is and sy the judge is wrong, labour is soft on crime and terror, say sorry resign and get this guy locked up now
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Drewp,
I have simply pointed out the fact that it was the Tories who amended the rules on remission in the early 90s, a point which Tory supporter Stuart has had the good grace to concede in the other thread on this item.
I’m not a big fan of lengthy sentences – I can see the attraction in them from an apparent ‘natural justice’ perspective, but unfortunately all the evidence shows that long sentences do nothing to reduce overall crime levels, and of course they cost a huge amount of taxpayers’ money. So I wouldn’t necessarily criticise the Tories on this point for what they did – in fact it was unusally pragmatic of them. But I think it’s important we deal in facts, don’t you?
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