Quite a lot of these type of stories coming up of late. A woman thug got let off with a light sentence because she put on a crying act in court after smashing a glass bottle in the eye of a man. She was a known muliple offender of this type and laughed outside court.

You have to wonder how such sentences are an actual deterrant to people doing this. Years of hard labour without parole (and extra time added for any bad behaviour incidents) and their finances/possessions confiscated to pay for their time in prison.

People might think twice then. It might also help if Police aren't going after people for 'mean tweets' and other Thought Crimes (which actually aren't crimes), endless PR stunts etc and go back to catching criminals.

A few years ago I had to do their work for them and investigated a crime and gave them the perpetrator on a plate. They set up a sting operation after I spoke to them, caught him red-handed and yet I never heard anything since. I suspect he got out early, as last year he apparently was up to his old tricks again stealing post for ID fraud. It was so lucrative for him, he drove 50 miles up my way from London to do so.

And haiting for the next labour/libdem government to divide his sentence by 2 (again).

There was an article on the radio a couple of months back stating that there had been significantly lower numbers of court cases under the Conservative Govt because they wanted to keep the costs of courts and prisons down!

Soft on crime....!

Perhaps contracting out our prison service to commonwealth countries in sub-saharan Africa might prove more of a deterrent?

Generally, I am a tree-hugging Grauniad reader. But in cases such as his, where he:

- stole the car

- is driving despite never passing his test and having no insurance

- was on his way to a burglary

- has previous convictions

- has effectively attempted manslaughter with the vehicle

The sentence should be double-figure years with no parole.

Indeed - people like that are most likely beyond redemption and the public are better served with them being out of circulation for an extended period, preferably being given a LOT of manual work (supervised at their expense) to do so they don't have any time to 'learn new skills' in criminality.

Generally, I am a tree-hugging Grauniad reader. But in cases such as his, where he:

- has previous convictions

- has effectively attempted manslaughter with the vehicle

The sentence should be double-figure years with no parole.

I think attempted manslaughter is probably a non-sequitur.

He's pleaded guilty to and been sentenced for aggravated vehicle taking, serious injury by dangerous driving, no insurance, going equipped etc. I assume that he's been sentenced in accordance with guidelines including discount for guilty pleas and that sentences run concurrently.

Possible that he copped a deal where other charges were dropped but we don't know that.

I'd like him to get proper rehabilitation so that when he's released he doesn't do anything similar again If he does it again while on parole/licence then he's back lickety split.

No point in paying £k/week to keep him in pokey a day longer than needed.