I'LL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT
In these real life case studies, what sentence would you give?
1. Sarah. Aged 17.
Sarah went to Jamaica for what she describes as 'the holiday of a lifetime'. During the trip she met a man she knew from back home in Manchester. The night before she was due to depart, she was physically threatened by this man in her hotel room, and told to carry some tins home in her luggage. Scared and humiliated, she agreed. She was arrested at Heathrow airport and charged with carrying a Class A drug in her luggage. The tins of condensed milk the man had given her contained cocaine. At her trial, she pleaded guilty as she 'thought it would reduce the torture of the proceedings and it would be over and sorted quicker.' Which do you think is the most appropriate sentence? 2. Gary. Age 42.
For over six months, Gary worked on a market stall, selling fruit and vegetables. However, at the same time he was claiming a Job Seekers Allowance and Housing Benefit. The Housing Benefit alone came to some £2,000. The Judge explained that the courts view such matters dimly. Sentencing Gary, the Judge said the matter was very serious as the work had taken place over a period of more than six months. Which do you think is the most appropriate sentence? 3. Joseph. Age 16.
Joseph was a resident of a care home, when he was convicted of robbery. A group of lads from the home had been robbing on the streets. Joseph was not actively engaged - he was the lookout. Joseph had a previous conviction for affray, but this arose from a fight he had with ambulance staff when he tried to kill himself by taking an overdose and jumping from a window. He had been seeing a psychiatrist for months and been prescribed Prozac and other medication. Two weeks before his court appearance, alone in his children's home bedroom, he methodically slashed his own face 30 times with a knife. Which do you think is the most appropriate sentence?
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