Huhne & Pryce - 8 months each

pliptrot

This whole episode seems like madness. Not only is it an apparent waste of public money, but the sentences - 8 months in prison for both of them - seem disproportionate. Yes, there is a principal at stake, but compared with the fact that motorists routinely endanger, maim and kill other vulnerbale road users with apparent impunity, this seems ludicrous. Or is it me?

Pross

It's a lesson to let sleeping dogs lie and that revenge isn't always a dish best served cold. Could have all been avoided if she hadn't listened to a journalist trying to 'help her'. Perverting the course of justice is a serious offence even if this is at the lower end of the scale. That driving ban for clocking up 12 points must be looking like a lost opportunity to Huhne now.

daviesee

8 months for perverting the course of justice seems fair enough.
If others have got off lighter for more then there's the injustice.

Frank the tank

The reporter says they could both be out in two month with a tag and certainly out in four.

Is there any wonder the public have little or no faith in politicians. Several times Huhne stood in front of tv cameras and told absolute bare faced lies, and this surely knowing that one day he'd be found out. So what chance of his like being truthful when it comes to what their proper political agenda is.

Not that I believe any of 'em anyway, bunch of lieing,twisting, cheating, untrustworthy sh1ts.

canny_lad

Serves the pair of them right, him for being a lying, smarmy tw@t and her for not keeping her trap shut. Here's hoping he drops his soap in the shower :shock:

CambsNewbie

If they had admitted the offences earlier (or at all in her case) the sentence is reduced. I think the guidelines are if you admit the offence at the interview stage in the police station then the sentence is reduced by 50%, less if you admit it at the pre-trial, less again if you admit it at the trial and the full sentence if you deny it and are found guilty.

I heard the judge was going to try and get all costs back from them, approx £75k for him and approx £35k for her. I really hope he does.

rodgers73

pliptrot wrote:

This whole episode seems like madness. Not only is it an apparent waste of public money, but the sentences - 8 months in prison for both of them - seem disproportionate. Yes, there is a principal at stake, but compared with the fact that motorists routinely endanger, maim and kill other vulnerbale road users with apparent impunity, this seems ludicrous. Or is it me?

There are quite often cases where people lie to the Police to evade speeding fines/points etc and get found out. Some of them are quite comical in terms of the lengths people have gone to avoid the penalties. Most of them seem to end in jailtime, which is right I think - if you send the message out that lying to Police gets you just a slap on the wrist then things could go downhill fast..

If they had both sat in a Police station and lied under questioning about who had been driving it would look less like overkill. But people forget that writing a lie on a form is as much perverting the course of justice as telling that lie to a policeman's face.

earthvspace4XTuUWcX

The sentence is for perverting the course of justice, which is rightly considered as a serious crime, and in theory a judge can recommend a life sentence. Hopefully the media attention this case has attracted will highlight the seriousness of this crime, and with driving offences in particular people will think twice before accepting points on behalf of others.

Yellow Peril

It's a right and proper sentence. Remember a few years back when MP's were trying to trivialise the fraud and theft they had committed with their expenses?

Furthermore he should have been given no credit for his guilty plea. He took it to the wire and only coughes the job after attempts to get the matter thrown out were rejected. If that isn't compunding the offence I don't know what is. No wonder people have no faith in the justice system when people like Huhne can take the p1ss in that way.

MaxwellBygraves

On Huhne, Cameron said 'Huhne case shows no-one, however high and mighty, is out of the reach of justice'.

International war criminal Tony Blair, anyone?

ooermissus

It's longer than the maximum sentence for the offence of assaulting a police officer.

arran77

Heard this earlier and made me chuckle...

What have Huhne, Pryce and Reading FC all got in common?

They're all going down!

CambsNewbie

ooermissus wrote:

It's longer than the maximum sentence for the offence of assaulting a police officer.

Well according to CPS you can bite me and take a chunk out my hand without charge so it doesn't surprise me!

cornerblock

arran77 wrote:

Heard this earlier and made me chuckle...

What have Huhne, Pryce and Reading FC all got in common?

They're all going down!

But it's only Reading who would love to take three points.

CambsNewbie

Cornerblock wrote:

arran77 wrote:

Heard this earlier and made me chuckle...

What have Huhne, Pryce and Reading FC all got in common?

They're all going down!

But it's only Reading who would love to take three points.

Very good!

slowmart

IMHO

I was amazed to learn that her defence had a valid legal platform. Marital coercion. WTF.
Huhne tried very avenue to get the trial thrown out. Adjourning the trial 14 times. Due process is fine but that was taking the michael.
Both defendants used their own children as pawns.
Huhne's associates still believe he may have a role to play in politics.
Pryce gave up her ex husband but initially laid a false trail suggesting that a researcher had taken the points. it was only when the press started digging did the true story emerge. Amazing what happens when you start something without control.

They both come across as manipulative self serving individuals. That said watching a family tear itself apart and the strength of emotions is truly a sad state of affairs.

Tom Butcher

I have a bit more sympathy for her - initially at least the offence doesn't seem to be about her own self interest. For that reason I think she's been a little bit harshly treated - I know her defence was bullshit but if a barrister told you it had a chance and you were scared of jail time you can kind of understand why she tried it. Maybe a shorter sentence or a lot of proper community service - ie something physical she isn't used to not making best use of her skills.

Him I reckon it's about right.

RDW

Frank the tank wrote:

Several times Huhne stood in front of tv cameras and told absolute bare faced lies, and this surely knowing that one day he'd be found out.

And imagine, a man like this could easily have become leader of the Liberal Democrats! Luckily, history took a different turn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc8i8ujDHHI

solosuperia

I have just seen him on TV this morning...........
Giving his soliloquy, don't know the correct way to describe the way I saw it. He seem to be saying "Yes I did these things....But it wasn't really me".
How anyone can defend him is beyond me, he has lied and lied and lied again!
And now kind of wants us to feel sorry for him.
Just feel the bloke has no shame.

graham.

I seem to remember him saying in a recent interview that it was something "That happened 10 years ago."
He seemed unable to accept that it was something He Did 10 years ago! And he didn't confess until the very last minute have tried every avenue to escape justice.
Bang him (and her) up,I say.

rolf_f

SoloSuperia wrote:

Giving his soliloquy, don't know the correct way to describe the way I saw it. He seem to be saying "Yes I did these things....But it wasn't really me".

He'd get on great with Lance!

Frank the tank

RDW wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

Several times Huhne stood in front of tv cameras and told absolute bare faced lies, and this surely knowing that one day he'd be found out.

And imagine, a man like this could easily have become leader of the Liberal Democrats! Luckily, history took a different turn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc8i8ujDHHI

You still have the likes of Nick Clegg et al saying he's a decent man, their idea of decent and mine are at odds with each other. I suppose it's how you define decent my standards are obviously higher than theres and they consider themselves fit for public office. DISGUSTING THE LOT OF 'EM.

cornerblock

Rolf F wrote:

SoloSuperia wrote:

Giving his soliloquy, don't know the correct way to describe the way I saw it. He seem to be saying "Yes I did these things....But it wasn't really me".

He'd get on great with Lance!

Maybe he could use the time in jail to write a book entitled 'It Is About the Car'.

bianchimoon

MaxwellBygraves wrote:

On Huhne, Cameron said 'Huhne case shows no-one, however high and mighty, is out of the reach of justice'.

International war criminal Tony Blair, anyone?

oh if only, although Huhne was/is a self obsessed / self important fool, Blair is in the top league but i fear will never be called to account as his peers would open themselves up to the same justice one day

izza

We've still got the trial of the judge to go - she was the one who put Pryce in contact with the journo and then told police that she never spoke to the press.

Sweepstake anyone? Another 8 months or admit quickly and get 4 months suspended is my guess.

ballysmate

She deserves longer for abject stupidity. As for the neighbour/friend of a judge that was advising her. Wtf?

thefd

Tom Butcher wrote:

I have a bit more sympathy for her - initially at least the offence doesn't seem to be about her own self interest. For that reason I think she's been a little bit harshly treated - I know her defence was bullshit but if a barrister told you it had a chance and you were scared of jail time you can kind of understand why she tried it. Maybe a shorter sentence or a lot of proper community service - ie something physical she isn't used to not making best use of her skills.

Him I reckon it's about right.

Hmmm - revenge wasn't that sweet for her...

I have no sympathy for either.

Peddle Up!

I can't say I have much sympathy for either of them, especially as their children have suffered from their actions. For all her supposed intelligence, Vicky Pryce seems to have been stitched up like a kipper by her "friend" Isabel Oakeshott

Frank the tank

Peddle Up! wrote:

I can't say I have much sympathy for either of them, especially as their children have suffered from their actions. For all her supposed intelligence, Vicky Pryce seems to have been stitched up like a kipper by her "friend" Isabel Oakeshott

Ordinary low life do their dirty washing on Jeremy Kyle. Power mad low life do theirs in court.

ballysmate

Chris Huhne's judgement needs to be questioned. Fair enough, his missus turned into a bow wow, but surely he didn't have to run off with another.

bdu98252

Perverting the course of justice is seen as serious because if not then I would be happy to lie all day long in court with impunity as the Judge has no power to reprimand me. The reality of modern life is that individuals are more than happy to change their version of events to suite as they do not believe they will end up in court. In most cases this is true however if you have a profile then a good journalist can make you pay through an authoritarian route that once started cannot be seen to fail.

Good on the justice sysem. I hope Hulne gets a good rogering and Pryce comes out a lesbo. I was particularly impressed by her, "I am just a poor downtrodden house wife slash independently minded top economist". It must have pained her a bit to see the idiot she was being protrayed as in court to attempt to get off from the rap.