Rowan Gorilla 5

We need to blame someone or something for all of this. I know, authority. It must be the collective faults of the police, the CPS and the courts that all of this happened and a number of unfortunate innocents were wrongly convicted and given grossly disproportionate sentences for what they were wrongly convicted for in the first instance. Outrage. Why isn't the criminal justice system more like Minority Report? That would sort it. Wouldn't it? Oh no, innocent until proven guilty isn't it? Back to the drawing board then. I seriously don't know what some people expect. How are the police meant to totally prevent large-scale public disorder? If disorder does take place then the police are wrong to arrest those they catch in the interests of fairness because some others got away? It's wrong that these same people are then found guilty even though evidence and the letter of the law suggests that they are? It's wrong that custodial sentences of roughly 12 months each are handed out because a murderer might get away with 14 years? They broke the law. They were caught. They were found guilty. They were punished. Lucky they don't live in certain other countries where the police are slightly more hands on and a little less accountable and the sentences passed down by the courts just a bit sterner.

See what a 'designated sporting event' is and that will shed some light on the matter. Because one sentence for one type of crime might seem unduly lenient it does not necessarily follow that another sentence for another type of crime is therefore unduly harsh. Look at the sentences that were dished out to some of those involved in the Bradford, Burnley and Oldham riots.

Check out the definition of 'violent disorder' and look at the various different levels of assault and the types of criminal damage that there are and you will see why. What criminal act(s) people are charged with is down to the Crown Prosecution Service and not the police.

That is not like for like. Next it'll be something about feeding ducks stale bread and some pointless analogy concerning Wycombe, Swansea or Norwich fans. Really? You could still kill someone by that action whether by recklessness or intent. That looks very much like GBH or attempt GBH. If nobody gets killed you are still looking at violent disorder, affray, ABH or common assault.

I think that a certain section really ought to brush up on their history of football whilst paying particular attention to football violence and the very reasons we have the laws that we currently have relating to these specific sporting events. Likewise, a little time spent digesting the various crimes associated with football; missiles, alcohol, public order offences, assaults, as well as some of the helpful points of law such as transferred malice, recklessness, mens rea etc. might prove rather enlightening. It's not a case of 'massaging' statistics or 'making an example of' but rather the whole justice system applying the law of the land.