Today in unaccountable Ireland, junkie assaults ice cream vendor and gets no time

For. F*ck's. Saaaaaaaaake. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/man-annoyed-kids-were-getting-a-treat-punched-ice-cream-seller-court-hears-35584789.html

An ice cream seller was punched in the chest and threatened with an iron bar by a man who was annoyed he was selling the sweet treats to young children.

John Green (24) had to be pulled away from the victim by his sister, who had told him to "cop on".

The ice cream seller ran away from his van after he was assaulted, but came back and was able to drive away.

Judge Anne Watkin ordered Green to enter into a probation bond for two years.

...

The court heard that Green has 34 previous convictions, but has not been in trouble for a few years.

Defence solicitor Ronnie Lynam said Green has battled difficulties with cannabis and crack cocaine, and these would have been factors at the time of the assault.

Mr Lynam said Green recently attended St John of God's for substance abuse and suicide issues.
He is also attending psychiatric services and drug treatment services.

Ordering Green to enter into a probation bond for two years, the judge said she was giving him a "chance to get his life in order".

Seriously, should we all just start taking drugs so that if we ever do anything scumbaggy we know we'll get away with it scott free? THIRTY FOUR PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS for f*ck's sake. How the f*ck can we say we live in a safe, decent society where people are held accountable for harming others when we see stories like this every day? It's complete bullsh!t.

In all honesty, what is it going to take for the government to get tough on crime? This sh!te has been going on for my entire life it would seem. Someone does something scumbaggy, Gardai put in an amount of effort to catch them and build a book of evidence, DPP sends the case forward for trial, and some absolute muppet of a judge decides that no punishment is in order. There's literally no deterrent. I'm a nice person, but I know that if I changed my mind and decided to go for a walk down Dun Laoghaire pier punching random passers by and carrying on, I'd be absolutely grand. Nothing would happen to me. I have no consequences to fear. And if it looked like it wasn't going my way in court, I could spin some yarn about having been off my face on something or other at the time - problem solved. Laughing all the way to the restorative justice program.

Oh and before anyone accuses me of being prejudiced or insensitive about those with addiction problems, I'm not in any way. I'm actually opposed to drug use being a crime, I'm opposed to dealers going to jail simply for dealing (those who engage in violence, blackmail etc - that's entirely another matter), I have a very liberal view of it. I have nothing against drug addicts. A junkie, one who inflicts a menace on society because of their habit, is a different kettle of fish entirely. If you choose to use drugs or drink all day, fair play to you. Not my cup of tea, but it's your life. However, you should be subject to exactly the same standards of decent behaviour while doing so as everybody else who chooses to be present in a public place. That means, essentially, do what you like but don't be an insufferable pr!ck.

I for one would dearly love to see this notion - the notion that there are consequences for disturbing the peace, hurting people, and generally being a w@nker, drugged up or not - actually be enforced at some stage.

Is anyone else infuriated by this kind of thing?