purpleronnie Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Seems completely OTT to me, although given some of the sentences handed out recently I guess its not that surprising. I find it worrying though. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20003058 A man who disrupted this year's University Boat Race has been jailed for six months for causing a public nuisance.Trenton Oldfield, 36, of Myrdle Street, east London, swam into the path of crews on 7 April interrupting the 158th race between Oxford and Cambridge. Olympic rower Sir Matthew Pinsent who was on a launch behind the crews said Oldfield could have been killed. Oldfield said he was demonstrating against government cuts. The man, who had moved to the UK from Australia, was also ordered to pay £750 costs. Judge Anne Molyneux said Oldfield had acted dangerously, disproportionately, had not shown what he was actually protesting against, and displayed prejudice in sabotaging the event which he regarded as elitist. 'Symbolic gesture' During the trial, footage of the race, which was eventually won by Cambridge, was shown. Trenton Oldfield was arrested after being pulled from the water on 7 April The jury heard a statement from four-time Olympic gold medal-winning rower Sir Matthew Pinsent, who was assistant umpire of the race. "The risk for the swimmer was great," he said in the statement, read to the court by prosecutor Louis Mably. "He could have been killed if he had been struck by an oar or the rigging, which is metal." Pinsent, who was immediately behind the two eight-man university crews on a launch with umpire John Garrett, initially thought he had spotted a balloon. Their launch was followed by 25 motorised boats, carrying officials, police, sponsors and camera crews. Pinsent said they were "alarmed" to realise it was a person and he was "worried about the safety of the swimmer". Oldfield, who admitted swimming in front of the crews, said he decided to demonstrate after hearing about the government's public spending cuts, which he said were "worse than in Dickens's time". On targeting the race, he said: "It's a symbol of a lot of issues in Britain around class. Seventy per cent of government pushing through very significant cuts are Oxford or Cambridge graduates. "It was a symbolic gesture to these kind of issues."
Guest MattP Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Fair sentence I think, endangered his own life and ruined something for thousands of people.
ADK Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Yeah it's OTT. Its still a waste of money. Danger to the public? no.
foxesfan1989 Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 The courts just go on publicity of the press these days don't they, insane sentence...insane government.
pSinatra Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 I guess he made his point & now the class system he was demonstrating against have made their point
ADK Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 The courts just go on publicity of the press these days don't they, insane sentence...insane government. Pretty much.
purpleronnie Posted 19 October 2012 Author Posted 19 October 2012 Fair sentence I think, endangered his own life and ruined something for thousands of people. C'mon matt I know you want anyone who commits a crime to be sentenced to do hard labour but 6 months in jail for this? So because you disrupt a sporting event you should be sent to jail...I dont believe you honestly think that. The courts just go on publicity of the press these days don't they, insane sentence...insane government. That does seem to be the case recently. very sad.
Finnegan Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Completely retarded. Surely a year's worth of community payback should be preferable to six months imprisonment for stuff like this? Why the **** are we locking this guy up? Jesus wept.
Guest MattP Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 C'mon matt I know you want anyone who commits a crime to be sentenced to do hard labour but 6 months in jail for this? So because you disrupt a sporting event you should be sent to jail...I dont believe you honestly think that. Just disrupting a sporting event no. Putting yourself in a position where a man could kill you and have to live with it for the rest of his life just because you wanted to make a point needs addressing in very stern terms. Maybe I could swing towards community service and suspended but it's far more serious offence than people are making out.
Guest BlueBrett Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 The latest in a spate of ridiculously heavy handed punishments dealt out by the courts recently. I'm going to make sure I never get caught committing a crime again.
Jon the Hat Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 I have absolutly no idea if this is proportionate under the law or not. However, he ruined a major event on very tenuous grounds. He is not even British for christ sake.
The Doctor Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 He is not even British for christ sake. Why exactly does that matter? Completely farcical decision - 6 months in prison seems disproportional and a complete waste of prison spac & funds.
notnow john Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 He ruined a spiffing day out for the chaps,what did he expect.
AdamN Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Deserves a firm punishment, but I don't see the need to lock him up. I'd much rather prison was reserved for people who can be considered a danger to the public (although I suppose you could argue that his reckless behaviour demonstrates that he is). Seems a waste of money, really. Why not just hand him a hefty fine and make a bit of money off his idiocy?
Jon the Hat Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Why exactly does that matter? Completely farcical decision - 6 months in prison seems disproportional and a complete waste of prison spac & funds. It matters becuase his tenuous reason for doing it was in protest at the Government cuts, which he thought were the most swingeing since Dickensian times. Frankly people who dont have the right to vote in this country might be better off protesting elsewhere.
Leicfox Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 But Tarquin, Jeremy and Sebastian were all very upset and complained to Call Me Dave through their Daddy who knows him from Eton.
Trav Le Bleu Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Fair sentence I think, endangered his own life and ruined something for tens of people. Fixed.
Trav Le Bleu Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Completely retarded. Surely a year's worth of community payback should be preferable to six months imprisonment for stuff like this? Why the **** are we locking this guy up? Jesus wept. He's a danger to the community upper classes.
Nick Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Jury found him guilty, then passed the judge a note asking for leniency. He was always going to get a brief custodial sentence - too much publicity and institutional power behind the 'victims' for him not to. The judge's summing up was clever though.
ozleicester Posted 20 October 2012 Posted 20 October 2012 Absurd...and only outrated in the levels of absurdity by the number of people agreeing with it
davieG Posted 20 October 2012 Posted 20 October 2012 I can't see how endangering your own life contributes to the sentence, people are doing that all the time apart from competing in dangerous sports and pastimes there's those that walk across busy roads, get so pissed they don't know what they're doing and many more.
Saxondale Posted 20 October 2012 Posted 20 October 2012 It beggars belief how disproportionate sentencing seems to be. Anecdotally, burglars, muggers and general dangerous lunatics seem to get away with piss-pot community orders. This bloke goes for a mischievous swim and gets banged up for 6 months.
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