Enjoy the community service!

dickwod1 · 31-07-2014 11:12am #1

So McAteer and Whelan sentenced to 240 hours community service,

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/mcateer-and-whelan-sentenced-to-240-hours-community-service-1.1883662

And the Judge says to them "Enjoy the community service" what I think he left out was "wink wink nudge nudge"

In other news 411 people jailed for having no tv licence,

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/411-people-jailed-last-year-for-not-paying-their-tv-licence-30235625.html

CrazyRabbit · 31-07-2014 11:16am

2-tier justice system is in full swing.

wretcheddomain · 31-07-2014 11:16am

dickwod1 wrote: »

what I think he left out was "wink wink judge judge"

FYP

Buzz Killington the third · 31-07-2014 11:21am

dickwod1 wrote: »

And the Judge says to them "Enjoy the community service"

What he means is "Pints are on you, see you at 5 in the vaults"

kneemos · 31-07-2014 11:22am

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

2-tier justice system is in full swing.

Excellent judicial system,that's why they didn't go to jail to appease public opinion.

Valetta · 31-07-2014 11:26am

dickwod1 wrote: »

In other news 411 people jailed for having no tv licence,

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/411-people-jailed-last-year-for-not-paying-their-tv-licence-30235625.html

No-one was jailed for not paying their TV license.

They were jailed for not paying a court fine.

eviltwin · 31-07-2014 11:27am

re the 411 licence non payments what is the point of sending someone to prison for a few hours??

dickwod1 · 31-07-2014 11:29am

Valetta wrote: »

No-one was jailed for not paying their TV license.

They were jailed for not paying a court fine.

They got fined because they didn't have a tv licence

Valetta · 31-07-2014 11:31am

dickwod1 wrote: »

They got fined because they didn't have a tv licence

Correct. They went to jail because they didn't pay the fine, just as the two Anglo lads will if they fail to do their community service.

Same rules for everybody.

kneemos · 31-07-2014 11:31am

dickwod1 wrote: »

They got fined because they didn't have a tv licence

That's the law?

Awkward Badger · 31-07-2014 11:32am

Judge Martin Nolan said in April that he felt it would be unfair to imprison either man as he believed the Financial Regulator “led them into error and illegality”.

He said he believed that the Regulator had effectively given the “green light” to allow the illegal purchase of Anglo shares.

When is the trial of the regulator then ?

dickwod1 · 31-07-2014 11:33am

Valetta wrote: »

Same rules for everybody.

LOL

Larbre34 · 31-07-2014 11:35am

So we can expect the imminent arrest of the Financial Regulator board at the time?

Can we f***.

KungPao · 31-07-2014 11:35am

dickwod1 wrote: »

So McAteer and Whelan sentenced to 240 hours community service,

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/mcateer-and-whelan-sentenced-to-240-hours-community-service-1.1883662

And the Judge says to them "Enjoy the community service" what I think he left out was "wink wink nudge nudge"

In other news 411 people jailed for having no tv licence,

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/411-people-jailed-last-year-for-not-paying-their-tv-licence-30235625.html

Honestly thought you were talking about Jason and Ronnie...

Had better get another coffee!

Valetta · 31-07-2014 11:36am

dickwod1 wrote: »

LOL

Please explain how the rules are different in the two examples quoted?

dickwod1 · 31-07-2014 11:38am

Valetta wrote: »

Please explain how the rules are different in the two examples quoted?

No - it's called common sense, and if you don't have it I cant give it.

A Primal Nut · 31-07-2014 11:42am

dickwod1 wrote: »

No - it's called common sense, and if you don't have it I cant give it.

Not paying a court is and should be a serious fine. What the fine was given for is irrelevant.

Valetta · 31-07-2014 11:44am

dickwod1 wrote: »

No - it's called common sense, and if you don't have it I cant give it.

Ah.. so no explanation, then.

dickwod1 · 31-07-2014 11:45am

A Primal Nut wrote: »

Not paying a court is and should be a serious fine. What the fine was given for is irrelevant.

Maybe just maybe because of the banks collapsing and ruining our thriving economy and country and housing prices maybe these people could not afford to pay the fine? maybe? just a thought.

dickwod1 · 31-07-2014 11:46am

Valetta wrote: »

Ah.. so no explanation, then.

Same answer ... Maybe just maybe because of the banks collapsing and ruining our thriving economy and country and housing prices maybe these people could not afford to pay the fine? maybe? just a thought.

RoboRat · 31-07-2014 11:47am

(a) Don't pay a €1,000 fine and get sent to prison.
(b) Be a part of the Bankruptcy of the country costing BILLIONS that will last for generations and get some community service.

Makes perfect sense.

Irony is that some of the people who fall into (a) have done so due to the actions of (b).

Utter utter lunacy, when will anybody actually be held accountable for what went on? These guys are not solely to blame but they had a big hand in one facet of it and should be punished accordingly.

SpaceTime · 31-07-2014 11:50am

There's an inherent unfairness in all adversarial legal systems though. If you've got an expensive lawyer and all the best legal advice, you're going to get more resources poured into your defence.

Money buys good and well presented arguments and lots of research into potential ways out.

...

On the TV Licence thing, I think we need to stop using the prison service as a debt collection mechanism.

It's a bad idea, it's contrary to notions of human rights and we've been criticised for it by the UN.

Secondly, it's also extremely expensive. If you've outstanding fines or unpaid fees/taxes/licences there are other ways of collecting them and that's what most sensible legal systems do!

There's also an unfairness in the sense that a lot of minor things which can lead to jail sentences (i.e. stuff like non payment of TV licence) is often a summary conviction - i.e. tried before a judge with no jury and minimum opportunity for any kind of argument.

Tow · 31-07-2014 11:50am

240 of free consulting service in how to improve the running of various government departments would be good value for the Irish Tax Payer.

But as this is Ireland, so those 240 will be squandered on sweeping leaves in a park...

Snake · 31-07-2014 11:54am

They give out 10 illegal loans no prison

Someone doesn't pay their TV licence and it's prison for a few days.. Why can't they be given community service.. They didn't pay a fine so they're put in prison to cost more money hardly seems like a good plan.

The Backwards Man · 31-07-2014 11:55am

Tow wrote: »

240 of free consulting service in how to improve the running of various government departments would be good value for the Irish Tax Payer.

But as this is Ireland, so those 240 will be squandered on sweeping leaves in a park...

They'd probably eat the leaves because a squirrel told them it was OK to do so.

RoboRat · 31-07-2014 11:58am

240 of free consulting service in how to improve the running of various government departments would be good value for the Irish Tax Payer.

Are. You. Mad?

Let those 2 advise on how to improve running things?! They are either party to the biggest financial disaster in the history of this country or they were completely useless at their jobs.

I wouldn't let them advise a 5 year old on how to save in a piggy bank.

Macavity. · 31-07-2014 11:58am

KungPao wrote: »

Honestly thought you were talking about Jason and Ronnie...

Had better get another coffee!

Haha I thought the exact same.

dickwod1 · 31-07-2014 12:39pm

http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0731/634154-anglo-irish-bank/

Judge Martin Nolan was handed in reports from the probation service showing both men had cooperated fully with the service and had been assessed as being suitable for community service.
The judge sentenced them each to 240 hours of community service to be completed within the next year.
He said if they had been assessed as being unsuitable for community service, he would have imposed a jail sentence of two years.

2 years in prison or 240 hours community service, WOW that Judge certainly used his discretion wisely

Badly Drunk Boy · 31-07-2014 1:29pm

KungPao wrote: »

Honestly thought you were talking about Jason and Ronnie...

Had better get another coffee!

Jason had 52 appearances for Ireland, with 3 goals.
Ronnie had 53 appearances for Ireland, with 3 goals.

Similar, a bit.

SpaceTime · 31-07-2014 1:46pm

I'm talking generally here rather than about the specifics of this case, but the big issue is that while we'd all like to see the bankers get tried and convicted for crashing the economy, you'll find that what most of them did may have been reckless, upsetting and all sorts of other things but in most cases it's not illegal or if it is illegal it's breeches of highly technical minor rules.

Nowhere in the world have any bankers done serious time for economic mayhem that resulted from their actions.

We also can't retrospectively change the law. All we can do is change it so that any future issues don't arise or will be prosecuted if they do.

People keep saying that bankers went to jail in the US - they didn't and the Bernie Madoff case was simple and he admitted everything and it had nothing to do with banking.

Up in Iceland, there's all sorts of question marks over court cases and close connections.

Check out Icelandic equivalent of Vincent Brown & RÚV (Icelandic RTE) London Correspondent, Sigrún Davíðsdóttir's Icelog:

http://uti.is/2014/06/acquittals-and-close-connections/

She's providing a really good analysis of the Icelandic situation and it's not quite the fairy story that we're hearing over here.

buyer95 · 31-07-2014 1:54pm

I can't have been the only person to have seen "So McAteer and Whelan sentenced to 240 hours community service" and thought it was these boys?

http://i60.tinypic.com/hry78l.jpg

Enjoy the community service!

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