Jailbird who will hunt me down...
When I was a young trainee solicitor I was sent up to the High Court in Edinburgh to look after a young guy. He was appealing against the length of the sentence given to him : 5 years for breaking into an old lady's house and holding her hostage (of sort) with an airgun before nicking some cash and doing a bunk. Now if someone did that to my gran I'd happily kill him but when I met this guy he was a miserable shambles. He was 19, had had an incredibly shitty life to date and was clearly not quite intellectually all there. Frankly it was clear that what the guy needed was not The Jail but someone to give him a job and a bit of guidance in life.

Anyway, the Scottish Judiciary upheld his sentence and I had to accompany him down to the cells. His mum and aunties were all down there and the place was a river of tears. The court officers huckled them away and their hands were outstretched and they were crying "son, son...". He was sobbing, gutterally, in an extremely undignified way. It was quite moving and upsetting.

Anyway that was that - the guy was in tears and he was being taken back down to the court cells pending transport to Saughton Prison so I offered all the counsel and advice that my weeks of experience in the criminal court system had given me. Which was

"I'll see you in about 5 years then."
(Rammer, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 9:55, 4 replies)

and did you, or did you let him down?
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 10:04, closed)

I sent him a Dear John letter early into the sentence so I wouldn't have to.
(Rammer, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 10:09, closed)

harsh
still - he took an old lady hostage - so he deserved it
( zulu eh?, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 10:48, closed)

2.5 years probably...
If he keeps his nose clean, which is feck all for such an awful crime.
Better punishment would have been to lock him in a room for 10 minutes with the old ladies family.
( user_names_suck, Sat 5 Nov 2011, 12:21, closed)