Off Topic Thread 4.0

dregin

thomond2006 wrote: »

I'd be interested to see if there is inconsistency in sentencing between judges. One in particular who I see in the news on a semi-regular basis loves his suspended sentences despite previous convictions.

Nolan?

thomond2006

dregin wrote: »

Nolan?

That's the one.

sydthebeat

MN the big dog

Buer

dregin wrote: »

Nolan?

He has been taken to task over his sentencing in the past although I'm not sure if it had much impact. You may recall he was the judge who gave a man 6 years for tax evasion related to importing garlic. This is in bizarre contrast to the case he presided over recently involving Michael Lowry.

It's not even about consistency between various judges. There's a real lack of consistency between cases presided over by the same judge at times.

stephen_n

Those who can’t do teach, except in the case of the legal profession where they judge. Instead of getting the best and brightest that go through the law library, judges seem to be made up of the ones who couldn’t make it and wanted a safe job for life. I sat in Wicklow circuit court one day and the judge couldn’t stay awake, the clerk had to prompt him a few times. There was no way in hell the guy was fully taking in what was going on. Think most of his sentences were predecided. He had a reputation that anyone in front of him on drugs charges would get a custodial sentence. Though seemingly he never gave drunk drivers more than a fine.

Squidgy Black

Buer wrote: »

He has been taken to task over his sentencing in the past although I'm not sure if it had much impact. You may recall he was the judge who gave a man 6 years for tax evasion related to importing garlic. This is in bizarre contrast to the case he presided over recently involving Michael Lowry.

It's not even about consistency between various judges. There's a real lack of consistency between cases presided over by the same judge at times.

He had an interesting one the other week of a woman from Darndale who attacked another woman on the bus because she wouldn't move out of her way.

She was given a suspended sentence because there was "a history of aggravation between the families" and she had been brought up for assault charges several times before.

I honestly have no idea how he's still there.

molloyjh

stephen_n wrote: »

I've seen much harsher sentencing in assault cases, from fights outside pubs. Certainly if the offender has previous like in that case.

Did the accused plead guilty or not guilty in those cases? I'm always loathed to form an opinion on something like this when all we see is one side of things. If the perpetrator pleads guilty and starts getting the help they need then these things must surely be taken into account during sentencing? Do we know what, if any, mitigating factors applied? And if we don't know can we really pass judgement based on just some of the information?

prawnsambo

molloyjh wrote: »

Did the accused plead guilty or not guilty in those cases? I'm always loathed to form an opinion on something like this when all we see is one side of things. If the perpetrator pleads guilty and starts getting the help they need then these things must surely be taken into account during sentencing? Do we know what, if any, mitigating factors applied? And if we don't know can we really pass judgement based on just some of the information?

This. It's far too easy to take the tabloid headline approach to court decisions and sentencing. I've very seldom (if ever) found that I disagreed with a judgment when I spent the time to read up in detail on a case. And that's still based on less information than the judge or jury had to hand.

Zzippy

stephen_n wrote: »

Those who can’t do teach, except in the case of the legal profession where they judge. Instead of getting the best and brightest that go through the law library, judges seem to be made up of the ones who couldn’t make it and wanted a safe job for life. I sat in Wicklow circuit court one day and the judge couldn’t stay awake, the clerk had to prompt him a few times. There was no way in hell the guy was fully taking in what was going on. Think most of his sentences were predecided. He had a reputation that anyone in front of him on drugs charges would get a custodial sentence. Though seemingly he never gave drunk drivers more than a fine.

It's well over 20 years ago now, but I worked in a pub in north Co. Dublin for a few years while going to college. One of the regulars in the bar was a district court judge who sat in a nearby county. 6 nights a week he would down 6 pints of Guinness, 3 or 4 double vodkas with coke, then buy a naggin of vodka which was consumed en route home - in his car. The next morning he would sit in judgement on drink driving cases and was pretty harsh when it came to fines and bans in those cases. I know for a fact he was stopped on several occasions by the guards, and escorted the rest of the way home rather than be breath tested. Guards knew it would be career suicide to arrest a judge, at the very least they would never get a conviction when giving evidence before that judge in the future.

stephen_n

molloyjh wrote: »

Did the accused plead guilty or not guilty in those cases? I'm always loathed to form an opinion on something like this when all we see is one side of things. If the perpetrator pleads guilty and starts getting the help they need then these things must surely be taken into account during sentencing? Do we know what, if any, mitigating factors applied? And if we don't know can we really pass judgement based on just some of the information?

If you are asking about the case I posted earlier, he got a custodial sentence because he had been given a suspended sentence in a separate battery case, with another ex partner, whom he punched and bit. In the case he got one month for, yes he pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm. When he beat the victim up in front of her then 5 year old son. Both the woman and her son both suffer from anxiety and panic attacks since then. I don’t think any mitigating circumstances warrant such a weak sentence for a repeat offender and I’m fairly liberal in my views on these things. There’s nothing much of a tabloid headline about that case.

stephen_n

Zzippy wrote: »

It's well over 20 years ago now, but I worked in a pub in north Co. Dublin for a few years while going to college. One of the regulars in the bar was a district court judge who sat in a nearby county. 6 nights a week he would down 6 pints of Guinness, 3 or 4 double vodkas with coke, then buy a naggin of vodka which was consumed en route home - in his car. The next morning he would sit in judgement on drink driving cases and was pretty harsh when it came to fines and bans in those cases. I know for a fact he was stopped on several occasions by the guards, and escorted the rest of the way home rather than be breath tested. Guards knew it would be career suicide to arrest a judge, at the very least they would never get a conviction when giving evidence before that judge in the future.

My ex wife’s friends dad was a circuit court judge and did the exact same from the Shelbourne to Cabinteely. Got caught loads of times and the Garda would just bring him and his car home.

Buer

The more things change in Ireland, the more that stay the same.

Circle the wagons lads, we'll bully our way out of this yet.

Dubinusa

Massachusetts. the judges are appointed by the governor. So, campaign donations are the qualifications required. It's a ****show.

stephen_n

Buer wrote: »

The more things change in Ireland, the more that stay the same.

Circle the wagons lads, we'll bully our way out of this yet.

Snitches get stitches hey!

Buer

stephen_n wrote: »

Snitches get stitches hey!

It would appear so. This is why I'm sometimes reluctant to throw stones at the likes of the UK and USA when we see some of their outlandish situations and politics. We're as backwards as any of them.

I can only hope that the protected disclosure the driver made is being investigated elsewhere and the correct actions will be taken if any wrongdoing is found to have taken place.

Dave_The_Sheep

Buer wrote: »

The more things change in Ireland, the more that stay the same.

Circle the wagons lads, we'll bully our way out of this yet.

Jesus, that's story is insane. School principal should get a hiding over that. No mention of the dodgy children's escort or what happened there (and I really don't fancy googling 'child escort' in work) either. Any follow up on that at all?

stephen_n

Buer wrote: »

It would appear so. This is why I'm sometimes reluctant to throw stones at the likes of the UK and USA when we see some of their outlandish situations and politics. We're as backwards as any of them.

I can only hope that the protected disclosure the driver made is being investigated elsewhere and the correct actions will be taken if any wrongdoing is found to have taken place.

That really should be investigated, if the principle was trying to interfere with him making a child first report, then their job should be on the line.

awec

The humidity in Dublin these days is outrageous.

Squidgy Black

awec wrote: »

The humidity in Dublin these days is outrageous.

I'm none too plussed with the weather these days.

sullivlo

awec wrote: »

The humidity in Dublin these days is outrageous.

It’s like trying to breathe in soup.

Rigor Mortis

awec wrote: »

The humidity in Dublin these days is outrageous.

Nucifora forced the cooler air to go to Munster.

mfceiling

Squidgy Black wrote: »

I'm none too plussed with the weather these days.

Try coping in the high 30's in the south of france*

Even the swimming pool is roasting. I put the hose into it this morning and emptied the ice machine into a bucket and fecked that in. Didn't help much.

*thinly veiled I'm on holiday post

Squidgy Black

mfceiling wrote: »

Try coping in the high 30's in the south of france*

Even the swimming pool is roasting. I put the hose into it this morning and emptied the ice machine into a bucket and fecked that in. Didn't help much.

*thinly veiled I'm on holiday post

Used to spend a lot of time in Nice, about 6 years ago there was a filthy heatwave that meant it was up in the 40s most days.

Cold showers are the way to go.

swiwi_

Are people following the Irish women’s hockey team? Or is it seen as an “English/colonial/Protestant” sport and no-one cares too much?

The Lost Sheep

swiwi_ wrote: »

Are people following the Irish women’s hockey team? Or is it seen as an “English/colonial/Protestant” sport and no-one cares too much?

Plenty on twitter. and any need for big generalisation again swiwi??
Seem to be doing ok in final quarter after struggling in the 3rd quarter

swiwi_

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

Plenty on twitter. and any need for big generalisation again swiwi??
Seem to be doing ok in final quarter after struggling in the 3rd quarter

Sorry I probably put it wrongly. But it seems hockey and cricket are sort of viewed a bit the same and I hadn’t seen a single post about what seems a pretty phenomenal effort to reach at least the semi-finals of a World Cup in a sport that is played fairly widely in Europe even outside the old commonwealth.

stephen_n

swiwi_ wrote: »

Are people following the Irish women’s hockey team? Or is it seen as an “English/colonial/Protestant” sport and no-one cares too much?

You mean to say Protestant hurling?

swiwi_

Ok. I apologise. It was poorly worded. Please forgive me!

And fùck it you’re into the final!

kuang1

swiwi_ wrote: »

Ok. I apologise. It was poorly worded. Please forgive me!

And fùck it you’re into the final!

Ah here... You're apologising to TLS... hardly a fair representation of the rest of us on here!
Your comments are grand swiwi.

(hi TLS. Hope you're well. )

swiwi_

kuang1 wrote: »

Ah here... You're apologising to TLS... hardly a fair representation of the rest of us on here!
Your comments are grand swiwi.

(hi TLS. Hope you're well. )

The Swiss men’s team got silver at the ice hockey World Cup.

It’s surprisingly easy to all of a sudden get interested in a sport you usually find fairly dull.

I might just have to watch the hockey final!