Mike Amesbury

Jailed 10 weeks.

 

That’s a low sentence for assault

 

He'll be out in no time 1st time in jail, good behavior be out in less than 5 week I'd say. All over a debate over a bridge closure. Sounds a lovely bloke.

 

10 weeks is sod all. Perhaps for one punch but not for repeatedly kicking him o the floor and also using his position as an np during the assault. No idea on the sentencing guidelines but it isn't high enough imo.

Very puzzled by the "you won't threaten the mp again" comment that he shouted when the court found that it was an unprovoked assault

 

He didn’t kick him he hit down on him , think, having watched it ,a prison sentence was over the top for a first offender

 

Wonder what sentence a Conservative or Reform MP would have got

 

Same presumably - if the trial was exactly the same and the judge interpreted the sentencing structure the same way as the judge in this case.
A better question might be 'what sentence would a member of the royal family, like prince Andrew, have got?

 

Guide line sentencing should start at 5 years for both, just because they are.

 

Seems a very lenient punishment based on the publicly available evidence.

 

Wonder what a Green or Lib Dem would get.

What about Count Binface? Or that dolphin that once beat Farage?

I demand answers.

 

To be fair even though I think he deserved a tough sentence as he's a mp and should be setting a example etc. We jail him then Mr Edwards with his images gets off without jail. Crazy the justice system in this country.

 

I think not, especially when your a mp in the public eye, unprovoked attack.

 

Not disputing Amesbury probably deserved a longer custodial sentence and got off lightly in my opinion given the continued attack and available video evidence. However, the sentencing guidelines clearly need a major overhaul when you consider that nonce Huw Edwards got away with a suspended prison term.

 

Is there anyone on here who knows who comes up with these guidelines, how they are brought in, can they be altered and so on. Be interested to know.

 

Under the sentencing guidelines, none of the 6 categories of assault carry a custodial sentence as the start point, but some of them do have it in the range, with a maximum of 26 weeks custody for the offence.

Based on my limited knowledge of the case from reading the reports, it looks like an A2 category offence, for which the start point is a Medium Level Community Order, with a range of a Low Level Community order to 16 weeks custody.

His sentence looks to be toward the higher end of the range, presumably taking into account a couple of aggravating factors (being in drink undoubtedly is one, and arguably there's an abuse of power/position of trust).

Definitely not a lenient sentence based on the guidelines, and the maximum available option based on where I placed it would have been 16 weeks.

 

Luckily our justice system which is very old and has precedent for virtually every eventuality will take a view based solely on this incident and not on any recent unrelated cases, The Judge will look solely at the offence committed and using pre set guidelines will reach a verdict based on the law of our land..and as we all know this can be challenged if it can be proved that this decision is wrong.

 

They are developed by the Sentencing Council, which is chaired by the Lord Chief Justice (currently Lady Chief Justice Susan Carr). It contains seven judicial members, including at least one District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) and one lay magistrate. There are four lay members, who have connections with the criminal justice system or victim care. Judges are not bound to follow the guidelines although they must have regard to them, but they are likely to be overturned on appeal if they depart from them without good reason.

 

I’d expect his appeal to be allowed. DJ seems to be very bullish in his approach. Almost as if he is seeking to make an example of him owing to his position an MP.

Middle aged defendants of previous good character do not normally get sent down for common assault.

ln my view, given that we are all equal before the law, it would be highly questionable to reflect his status as an MP as an aggravating factor which would mean that only an immediate custodial sentence could be justified.

 

We don't want facts or expert opinion, mate. Lock him up for life.

 

The other big thing, of course, is that a jail sentence means a recall petition and potentially a by-election. A suspended or community sentence doesn't. So there was always going to be an appeal if the sentence was custodial.