O/T ATT Kerr Avon help me on this please…..

[Brin]

Just watched an episode of Police Interceptors and I was aghast to see a man of 20+ years of age stopped for allegedly using a fire arm to intimidate a pizza delivery driver…

The gun was frightening real even the cops were shaken by its presence….

Down his leg he had secreted a large quantity of cannabis and his driving was erratic to say the least….

He came out with a super visionary order for the cannabis and a 'conditional discharge' for the firearms offence…

Excuse me but WTF is the legality in our courts of law coming to? He pointed an imitation weapon at a totally innocent person…the gun looked just like a smith and wesson revolver…had he confronted an armed officer he would surly have been shot if he didn't lay it down…

Why are the courts so weak on such a serious offence? I trust you may enlighten me as to why….

[Ellis_D]

Just watched an episode of Police Interceptors and I was aghast to see a man of 20+ years of age stopped for allegedly using a fire arm to intimidate a pizza delivery driver…

The gun was frightening real even the cops were shaken by its presence….

Down his leg he had secreted a large quantity of cannabis and his driving was erratic to say the least….

He came out with a super visionary order for the cannabis and a 'conditional discharge' for the firearms offence…

Excuse me but WTF is the legality in our courts of law coming to? He pointed an imitation weapon at a totally innocent person…the gun looked just like a smith and wesson revolver…had he confronted an armed officer he would surly have been shot if he didn't lay it down…

Why are the courts so weak on such a serious offence? I trust you may enlighten me as to why….

I watched that too. Baffling.

[KerrAvon]

It certainly sounds like a very odd sentence for an adult. Thr Firearms Act offence would normally draw a significant sentence. There must have been some very compelling personal mitigation floating about.

I could understand it for a Youth (17 or under), where the courts accept that they do stupid and impulsive things sometimes.

I'm sure that other posters will have a different explanation.

[Brin]

It certainly sounds like a very odd sentence for an adult. Thr Firearms Act offence would normally draw a significant sentence. There must have been some very compelling personal mitigation floating about.

I could understand it for a Youth (17 or under), where the courts accept that they do stupid and impulsive things sometimes.

I'm sure that other posters will have a different explanation.

Thanks for the reply.....

He must be the luckiest man walking not to be given a custodial sentence...

[KerrAvon]

Possibly. It may be that there was a marked difference between what he was accused of and what he was convicted of (you used the word allegedly, which suggests that it wasn't necessarily 'cut and dried').

[jolly_roger]

Why the surprise?

The legal system in the U.K. Is designed to be complex and full of loopholes and rediculous verdicts.

That's how the parasite legal people make the most money.

[monty_rhodes]

It is worrying that the cops were "shaken" although this proves nothing as to the gun's realism. The boys in blue have a proud track record of fatally shooting a man carrying a table leg and tasering a blind man having mistaken his stick handle for a gun.

[kentmillerman]

But just think of all the ones they got right monty.

[Brin]

Possibly. It may be that there was a marked difference between what he was accused of and what he was convicted of (you used the word allegedly, which suggests that it wasn't necessarily 'cut and dried').

Kerr…the mere sight of that large revolver was enough to frighten anyone….whether he did or didn't point it just having it in his possession should have warranted something more than a conditional discharge….

Wonder what the conditions were? 'Young man…don't carry a gun again we won't tolerate it'…….farcical...

[KerrAvon]

I didn't see the programme and can't comment on the appearance of the gun. It's also not my job to defend the decision of the court. The point I was making is that we don't know exactly what offence he was convicted of - the Firearms Act creates a large number of different options. Was he actually convicted of pointing it at someone? We don't really know. Merely possessing an imitation firearm without more is unlikely to attract a significant sentence.

The only condition that attaches to a conditional discharge is that the offender is not to commit an offence during the period of its operation. If he does, he becomes liable to be sentenced again for the Firearm Act matter as well as the new offence.