CRIMINALS

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What is wrong with the justice system of this country? A prolific burglar, who on a nightly basis broke into numerous homes, was finally arrested, convicted and sent to jail. Although this person was on the police's list of persistent offenders and had asked the judge to take into consideration 30 other burglaries, he was only given the minimum sentence of three years.

On an increasingly regularly basis we see horrific pictures on the pages of our newspapers of bruised and battered, frail pensioners, who have not only been made to endure brutal acts carried out upon them, but have also had all of their prized (and, to them, most precious) belongings either trashed or taken from them.

How different the justice will be when handed out to the perpetrators of the £53m robbery at the Securitas depot in Kent. When these criminals are finally caught, sent for trial, and convicted, they will most likely be looking at 30 years-plus. No slap on the wrists, community sentence or a couple of years inside in their case. So how can we say we are all equal in the eyes of the law?

A criminal with 71 disqualified driving convictions was jailed for four months. Police said Paul Heard showed a "complete disregard for the law", road safety campaigners said he was a "real danger to the public" and his own solicitor predicted, "He'll carry on when he gets out." The court was told Heard from Toftwood, near Dereham, Norfolk had 253 previous convictions. These included 74 for theft and related crimes and 18 for fraud.

Speeding lorry driver Steven Williams, who lost control of his truck and killed three people was banned from driving for just six months. He ploughed into a Toyota Starlet that had stopped to turn right before swerving across the road and hitting a Honda Accord. Williams, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, had been driving at 54mph on a country road which had a 40mph limit for lorries.

Just three months after the tragedy, Williams was caught speeding again and given three penalty points for being clocked at 56mph in a 40mph zone. Simon Wilson, the East Anglia regional controller of road safety charity Roadpeace, branded Williams's sentence "ludicrous." Yes, but typical.

Mobile phone salesman Younis Nabi, hung a 20ft-high banner above his Northampton shop urging motorists not to be a "Tango Whiskey Alpha Tango" and to get a hands-free mobile phone kit. It then gave details of new legislation which bans the use of a hand-held mobile phone while in control of a vehicle. But police failed to see the funny side. The banner had been in place only four days when three officers arrived at the town centre store and demanded it to be taken down as it was offensive. When Mr Nabi refused, he was arrested and spent six hours in custody while being questioned. He was released on bail and the Crown Prosecution Service is now considering whether to press charges under the Public Order Act.

In addition, several days after his arrest, five officers called at the store to supervise the removal of the banner by council workers. "It's absolutely pathetic," said Mr Nabi. "They say the banner is causing distress and harassment to the public. How anyone can be distressed by that I don't know. They are using some draconian piece of legislation to have me arrested and charged. They told me to take the banner down or they would do it themselves. I am prepared to sue them over this. It's nonsense."

Northampton Police said they were responding to complaints from members of the public when they arrested Mr Nabi. "We have a duty to respond to calls from the public," said Inspector George Cooper. "The language used on the banner was regarded as offensive. If he had come up with a phrase that spelt the word twit there would not be a problem, but this word has another meaning which members of the public found offensive. The file will now go to the CPS who will decide if he should be charged." In a letter to Mr Nabi, Chief Superintendent Ken Willis said he found the banner offensive and that it lowered the tone in the town centre.

The local council is thought to be looking into any breach of planning or building regulations. Mr Nabi claimed it was the officers themselves who found the banner offensive. "They're being really heavy-handed," he said. "The word has two meanings and one of those is a stupid person. I wanted to get a message across to the public. I was trying to get people to obey the law and make people drive safely, and instead I get arrested." What a bunch of Whiskey Alpha November Kilo Echo Romeo Sierra!

A career criminal who has been arrested 68 times was fined just £10 for cutting off his electronic tag. The sentence on Dennis Medley, who has a record dating back to 1984, provoked widespread anger. Medley was given a chance to clean up his act in the summer of 2003 after being convicted of forgery. But within weeks the unemployed builder was back in court charged with four breaches of the tagging order imposed on him. Magistrates fined him just £10 and even allowed him to spread the payment over two weeks. Michael Meacher, MP for Oldham West and Royton, said, "I am absolutely appalled. The decision to fine him was a total travesty of what he deserved."

Medley, from Royton, Greater Manchester, has convictions for drink-driving, breach of the peace, burglary, possession of stolen goods and drugs offences. In December 2002, he appeared in court on a burglary charge and was given a community service order. In July 2003, Medley altered a doctor's note signing him off community service and was charged with forgery when the alteration was spotted. Magistrates ordered him to be tagged but in the October he cut off the tag and over the following weeks ignored his curfew three more times.

Police said he had "shown an obvious disregard" for the authority of the court, but despite this the fine was £10. Norman Brennan, of the Victims of Crime Trust, said, "Magistrates who hand down sentences such as this have no grasp of the reality of crime and the devastating effect it has on the victim."

A motorist who sank 14 pints of beer before a crash was let off jail, despite having been banned from driving 30 TIMES. Andrew Haige was four times the limit when he hit a student’s car. He then ran down a passer-by who stopped to help and told him, “I’m going to kill you, I hope you like hospital food.” But Judge Andrew Lowcock let Haige walk free despite hearing it was his SIXTH conviction for drink-driving. He also has 25 convictions for driving while disqualified and 45 for other motoring offences since 1983. The security guard has been to prison at least eight times, including once for assaulting a policeman.

Haige told Judge Lowcock at Manchester Crown Court that going to jail had not helped him in the past. The judge agreed and let him go with a two-year community rehabilitation order and a four-year ban. Haige, of Levenshulme, Manchester, admitted drink driving, disqualified driving, affray and having no insurance. Judge Lowcock said, “You should be utterly ashamed of yourself. You have repeatedly flouted orders of disqualification. You were extremely drunk and had no business being anywhere near a car.”

The court heard Haige hit Katie Green’s car in Stockport and then swore at her. Two men stopped to help her and he drove at one of them, knocking him down. Defence solicitor Justin Hayhoe said Haige had forgotten he was banned. Mike Jobbins, chairman of the Campaign Against Drink Driving, said, “It beggars belief that this man has gone free. Surely other road users would be safer if he was locked up.”

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