ECML Cable Thief Jailed

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Being deprived of nine months of your life is pretty significant, surely? It's not as if they gave him a slap on the wrist and told him not to do it again.

More so at 48 rather than to one aged 18. I wonder if he is a habitual petty criminal of the type portrayed so well by Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher in "Porridge" ?

 

[Pinza-C55]

Nine months, yet caused tens of thousands of pounds of delays?

These two killed a man but received merely 7 and 6 years. Puts it in perspective ?

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/13787152.Couple_jailed_after_brutal_attack_in_a_derelict_garage/

 

[DarloRich]

Firstly it is a good thing this criminal has been caught, tried, convicted and sentanced but it didn't take long for the usual wibblers to appear with their, at best, tentative grasp of the criminal justice system............

Much as i detest criminals I do wonder how many of the "lock them away for ever brigade" are the same people who complain about prisons being built near them or their tax rises to fund them or the impact on their house price etc.

In the big picture these crimes are minor thefts but terribly inconvenient and expensive to rectify.

This is the UK, we are not permitted to have adequate deterrents for this sort of crime.

What do you propose as an adequate deterrent for a minor theft? Birching? Stoning? 57 years imprisonment?

Sting him for repair costs and delay repay costs as well as any lost revenue caused by people deciding not to travel.

yes he should be able to pay those back quite quickly shouldn't he? £5 per week for the next 45679 years ought to do it :roll:

 

[ian959]

What do you propose as an adequate deterrent for a minor theft? Birching? Stoning? 57 years imprisonment?

Caning seems to be quite an effective deterrent in Singapore...

Equally, chopping off a hand would perhaps be as effective. Not sure how effective that is in Muslim countries but it might be worth a try. Especially if they cannot get disability benefits after the event

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I am finding it difficult to reconcile the phrase "minor theft" and the financial costs incurred in operational problems and of the ensuing travelling delays caused by such a "minor theft".

I am sure we have some forum members with legalistic knowledge who can fully explain matters.

 

[DarloRich]

I am finding it difficult to reconcile the phrase "minor theft" and the financial costs incurred in operational problems and of the ensuing travelling delays caused by such a "minor theft".

I am sure we have some forum members with legalistic knowledge who can fully explain matters.

Legally speaking it is a minor and straight forward theft of low value equipment.

You were the one indicated the punishment should fit the crime: 9 months seems a fitting sentence for such a theft based on the existing sentencing guidelines etc.

 

[NSEFAN]

Presumably the law can only deal with the damage caused to physical property. Consequential losses by delay minutes would have to be recovered by suing the convicted, I guess?

 

[duffield]

Personally I'd favour the creation of a new offence of "Sabotage of Live Infrastructure", covering the Electricity, Gas, Water, Telecoms, and Railway networks, to be used where theft causes disruption to any of these important services.

Then it would be possible to fully reflect in the sentencing the difference in impact between a simple theft (e.g. of a reel of unconnected cable) and the kind of disruption caused by theft of 'live' cable or other similar offences.

Hopefully thieves would realize that the punishment for live cable theft was so serious that at the very least they would do their thieving elsewhere in some much less disruptive way...

 

[Pinza-C55]

Personally I'd favour the creation of a new offence of "Sabotage of Live Infrastructure", covering the Electricity, Gas, Water, Telecoms, and Railway networks, to be used where theft causes disruption to any of these important services.

Then it would be possible to fully reflect in the sentencing the difference in impact between a simple theft (e.g. of a reel of unconnected cable) and the kind of disruption caused by theft of 'live' cable or other similar offences.

Hopefully thieves would realize that the punishment for live cable theft was so serious that at the very least they would do their thieving elsewhere in some much less disruptive way...

Yes, much like interfering with the Mail is viewed as a more serious crime than common theft. After all these cable thefts could potentially lead to loss of life for rail passengers.

 

[Antman]

Being deprived of nine months of your life is pretty significant, surely? It's not as if they gave him a slap on the wrist and told him not to do it again.

Yes I think the sentence is reasonable and even if he is released early he will still be serving the rest of the sentence in the community and will be subject to certain conditions

 

[edwin_m]

Yes, much like interfering with the Mail is viewed as a more serious crime than common theft. After all these cable thefts could potentially lead to loss of life for rail passengers.

Very unlikely. Signalling is designed so failure of any component including cable will put the signals to red or in worst case black, and stop any affected trans. It would need a further event such as an error in handsignalling to cause an accident, or an extremely unlikely false feed when cutting the cable.

 

[Pinza-C55]

Very unlikely. Signalling is designed so failure of any component including cable will put the signals to red or in worst case black, and stop any affected trans. It would need a further event such as an error in handsignalling to cause an accident, or an extremely unlikely false feed when cutting the cable.

Not impossible though. The history of railway accidents is filled with events which were unlikely.

 

[CheesyChips]

If the gov't insist that we all need to get out of our cars and onto public transport then they're going to have to provide a more appropriate deterrent than that. 9 months custodial really means a couple of weeks inside and an apology from society for letting them down.

"Prime Minister, we can't use the railway because people keep walking off with bits of it".

 

[reb0118]

sentenced too.

I would give you to months for the above crime.....

Seriously though I'd have him pick up £71'000 worth of rubbish from the line side - without a blockage! These are the type of people I was alluding to in this post.

 

[stut]

Remember all these puns the next time you are stuck on the train for 2 hours because some lowlife has nicked the cable

I will. Humour is a great way of coping with stressful situations. You should try it.

 

[Pinza-C55]

I will. Humour is a great way of coping with stressful situations. You should try it.

Well said.

 

[455driver]

I will. Humour is a great way of coping with stressful situations. You should try it.

I work on the railways, you have to have a sense of humour, plus my 'couldnt give a t#ss' attitube means l don't suffer from stress!