British Justice ... it sucks in this instance.

Damocles said:
oakiecokie said:
Damocles said:
He should have turned his back. Or at least had a verbal confrontation rather than following him into the toilets and jumping him.

There's a very easy test to show that this is the correct cause of action and it's that one of them led to prison and the other one led to minor frustration.

Again, if this lad wasn't a mate of yours you'd see this from a completely different point of view.

And had the truth come out I wouldn`t have started this thread.

"Truth".

Or more accurately "truth as told to you by a convicted criminal about the events that led to him becoming a convicted criminal". Everybody in prison is a miscarriage of justice with extenuating circumstances

Truth being that in this instance NO weapon off a glass was used and even the police and hospital could find no injuries to back up this "fantasy attack".
The other attack with head and fists happened,something which has never been denied,but to be imprisoned for a crime that never happened is criminal and not just in this instance.
 
chris85mcfc said:
Ever thought that he might have bottled him?

No.Witnesses have claimed that they never saw Anthony enter the toilets with any sort of glass or bottle and although Anthony was wrong in attacking him,I honestly believe that he did not use anything that caused injury apart from head and fists.
Medical and police reports could find NO evidence to support his victims claims.
 
14 months for someone with no previous record, carrying out a presumably unpremeditated assault seems harsh.

What offence was he actually charged with? When you say he pleaded guilty to assault but not to the grassing, I'm assuming these weren't separate offences and that he pleaded not guilty? Or did he plead guilty, meaning a jury wasn't required? Surely if he pleaded Not Guilty then it would go to a jury trial?

I'm not a lawyer but it doesn't sound like he's been well advised based on what you've said.
 
oakiecokie said:
chris85mcfc said:
Ever thought that he might have bottled him?

No.Witnesses have claimed that they never saw Anthony enter the toilets with any sort of glass or bottle and although Anthony was wrong in attacking him,I honestly believe that he did not use anything that caused injury apart from head and fists.
Medical and police reports could find NO evidence to support his victims claims.

I'm no criminal law enthusiast, but surely if there is no evidence to back up the allegations then surely he can't get convicted of it?

Is it not the barristers job to try and convince the judge that he did bottle him? If he can't prove that then he must be innocent

Attacking someone with no witnesses can probably work for and against you id say, no one can say what you did but also can't accuse you of anything

He should have just denied everything hahaha
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
14 months for someone with no previous record, carrying out a presumably unpremeditated assault seems harsh.

What offence was he actually charged with? When you say he pleaded guilty to assault but not to the grassing, I'm assuming these weren't separate offences and that he pleaded not guilty? Or did he plead guilty, meaning a jury wasn't required? I'm not a lawyer but it doesn't sound like he's been well advised based on what you've said.

Col,he`s never even had a parking ticket,honestly.I can`t remember the exact wording that is used (something Court) when an individual pleads NOT GUILTY,before a trial and the only persons in the Court were both legal teams,no witnesses,my mate wife and the Judge.
He was originally charged by the police with assault,but then charged with assault with a weapon (a glass/bottle),something which Anthony was never ever going to plead guilty to,for no other reason than it never happened.
The Judge in his summing up claimed that Anthony had deliberately wasted the Courts and Police time by pleading NOT guilty to an attack with a glass,even though medical evidence showed that injuries sustained were from bruising to the face and not the back of the head,as claimed.
Anthony did in his police statement claim that he was guilty of an assault,using head and fists,but the Judge convicted him of assault with a glass/bottle.
I hope some of our learned friends on Blue Moon can remind me what such a case is actually called when a Jury is not used and a Judge makes the be all and end all of a decision.Come on Members of the Bar whats it called ??
 
Was it a Newton Hearing? That's when a defendant pleads guilty to an offense but disputes the CPS's version of events.
 
oakiecokie said:
Prestwich_Blue said:
14 months for someone with no previous record, carrying out a presumably unpremeditated assault seems harsh.

What offence was he actually charged with? When you say he pleaded guilty to assault but not to the grassing, I'm assuming these weren't separate offences and that he pleaded not guilty? Or did he plead guilty, meaning a jury wasn't required? I'm not a lawyer but it doesn't sound like he's been well advised based on what you've said.

Col,he`s never even had a parking ticket,honestly.I can`t remember the exact wording that is used (something Court) when an individual pleads NOT GUILTY,before a trial and the only persons in the Court were both legal teams,no witnesses,my mate wife and the Judge.
He was originally charged by the police with assault,but then charged with assault with a weapon (a glass/bottle),something which Anthony was never ever going to plead guilty to,for no other reason than it never happened.
The Judge in his summing up claimed that Anthony had deliberately wasted the Courts and Police time by pleading NOT guilty to an attack with a glass,even though medical evidence showed that injuries sustained were from bruising to the face and not the back of the head,as claimed.
Anthony did in his police statement claim that he was guilty of an assault,using head and fists,but the Judge convicted him of assault with a glass/bottle.
I hope some of our learned friends on Blue Moon can remind me what such a case is actually called when a Jury is not used and a Judge makes the be all and end all of a decision.Come on Members of the Bar whats it called ??

Pretty certain that 99% of criminal offences are dealt with at Magistrates Courts
 
chris85mcfc said:
oakiecokie said:
Prestwich_Blue said:
14 months for someone with no previous record, carrying out a presumably unpremeditated assault seems harsh.

What offence was he actually charged with? When you say he pleaded guilty to assault but not to the grassing, I'm assuming these weren't separate offences and that he pleaded not guilty? Or did he plead guilty, meaning a jury wasn't required? I'm not a lawyer but it doesn't sound like he's been well advised based on what you've said.

Col,he`s never even had a parking ticket,honestly.I can`t remember the exact wording that is used (something Court) when an individual pleads NOT GUILTY,before a trial and the only persons in the Court were both legal teams,no witnesses,my mate wife and the Judge.
He was originally charged by the police with assault,but then charged with assault with a weapon (a glass/bottle),something which Anthony was never ever going to plead guilty to,for no other reason than it never happened.
The Judge in his summing up claimed that Anthony had deliberately wasted the Courts and Police time by pleading NOT guilty to an attack with a glass,even though medical evidence showed that injuries sustained were from bruising to the face and not the back of the head,as claimed.
Anthony did in his police statement claim that he was guilty of an assault,using head and fists,but the Judge convicted him of assault with a glass/bottle.
I hope some of our learned friends on Blue Moon can remind me what such a case is actually called when a Jury is not used and a Judge makes the be all and end all of a decision.Come on Members of the Bar whats it called ??

Pretty certain that 99% of criminal offences are dealt with at Magistrates Courts

A Newton hearing is an unusual form of court trial found in British law. Taking both name and precedent from a landmark 1982 case, R v Newton, a Newton hearing is sometimes requested or awarded in the event that the defendant pleads guilty but disputes the evidence for the crime. If the defense wants to be sentenced on a factual basis that significantly differs from what the prosecution alleges, a judge may call for a Newton hearing.

The case that originated this practice R v Newton, involved a peculiar he-said, she-said trial over a sexual act that would soon be decriminalized in most of the world. Mr. Newton, the defendant, was accused of "buggery," also called sodomy, with an adult woman. Newton claimed that he was guilty of the act, but insisted that it was consensual between partners. Since the issue of consensus could greatly affect the sentencing, the judge ordered a special hearing in which only the judge, and not a jury, would try to reconcile the facts to determine sentencing.

There are several rules of procedure that guide a Newton hearing. First, the hearing almost always results after a defendant has pled guilty. If a defendant pleads not guilty, the trial will proceed normally and the defendant's counsel can mount a defense of facts. The judge must also determine that the dispute of facts is significant enough to have an impact on sentencing.
 
chris85mcfc said:
oakiecokie said:
Prestwich_Blue said:
14 months for someone with no previous record, carrying out a presumably unpremeditated assault seems harsh.

What offence was he actually charged with? When you say he pleaded guilty to assault but not to the grassing, I'm assuming these weren't separate offences and that he pleaded not guilty? Or did he plead guilty, meaning a jury wasn't required? I'm not a lawyer but it doesn't sound like he's been well advised based on what you've said.

Col,he`s never even had a parking ticket,honestly.I can`t remember the exact wording that is used (something Court) when an individual pleads NOT GUILTY,before a trial and the only persons in the Court were both legal teams,no witnesses,my mate wife and the Judge.
He was originally charged by the police with assault,but then charged with assault with a weapon (a glass/bottle),something which Anthony was never ever going to plead guilty to,for no other reason than it never happened.
The Judge in his summing up claimed that Anthony had deliberately wasted the Courts and Police time by pleading NOT guilty to an attack with a glass,even though medical evidence showed that injuries sustained were from bruising to the face and not the back of the head,as claimed.
Anthony did in his police statement claim that he was guilty of an assault,using head and fists,but the Judge convicted him of assault with a glass/bottle.
I hope some of our learned friends on Blue Moon can remind me what such a case is actually called when a Jury is not used and a Judge makes the be all and end all of a decision.Come on Members of the Bar whats it called ??

Pretty certain that 99% of criminal offences are dealt with at Magistrates Courts

99% start there. But indictable only offenses are then sent to the Crown Court. There is also a category of "either way" offenses where the magistrates can send the case to the Crown Court if they believe their sentencing powers are inadequate, or the defendant elects for trial by jury.
 
oakiecokie said:
chris85mcfc said:
oakiecokie said:
Col,he`s never even had a parking ticket,honestly.I can`t remember the exact wording that is used (something Court) when an individual pleads NOT GUILTY,before a trial and the only persons in the Court were both legal teams,no witnesses,my mate wife and the Judge.
He was originally charged by the police with assault,but then charged with assault with a weapon (a glass/bottle),something which Anthony was never ever going to plead guilty to,for no other reason than it never happened.
The Judge in his summing up claimed that Anthony had deliberately wasted the Courts and Police time by pleading NOT guilty to an attack with a glass,even though medical evidence showed that injuries sustained were from bruising to the face and not the back of the head,as claimed.
Anthony did in his police statement claim that he was guilty of an assault,using head and fists,but the Judge convicted him of assault with a glass/bottle.
I hope some of our learned friends on Blue Moon can remind me what such a case is actually called when a Jury is not used and a Judge makes the be all and end all of a decision.Come on Members of the Bar whats it called ??

Pretty certain that 99% of criminal offences are dealt with at Magistrates Courts

A Newton hearing is an unusual form of court trial found in British law. Taking both name and precedent from a landmark 1982 case, R v Newton, a Newton hearing is sometimes requested or awarded in the event that the defendant pleads guilty but disputes the evidence for the crime. If the defense wants to be sentenced on a factual basis that significantly differs from what the prosecution alleges, a judge may call for a Newton hearing.

The case that originated this practice R v Newton, involved a peculiar he-said, she-said trial over a sexual act that would soon be decriminalized in most of the world. Mr. Newton, the defendant, was accused of "buggery," also called sodomy, with an adult woman. Newton claimed that he was guilty of the act, but insisted that it was consensual between partners. Since the issue of consensus could greatly affect the sentencing, the judge ordered a special hearing in which only the judge, and not a jury, would try to reconcile the facts to determine sentencing.

There are several rules of procedure that guide a Newton hearing. First, the hearing almost always results after a defendant has pled guilty. If a defendant pleads not guilty, the trial will proceed normally and the defendant's counsel can mount a defense of facts. The judge must also determine that the dispute of facts is significant enough to have an impact on sentencing.




Buggered by a Newton, just like the OPs mate!
 
Not saying this is the case, but I know first hand how someone who does something like that doesn't want the rest of the world to know what they actually did and twists and dilutes the facts so much that instead of the victim getting the sympathy for the incident, the attacker does for such a 'terrible' miscarriage of justice.

After the court case they tell everyone how unfair it all was and that it should never have gone to court, the forensics were wrong, the victims statement was a pack of lies etc.

My ex still tells me that it was all an unfortunate accident and how unfair her sentence was - she seems to forget I was there and know exactly what happened and there was nothing accidental about it - it was a deliberate violent attack that was a fraction of a second from taking my life.


As I said it could be that he's been hard done to but sometimes the person you see out and about aren't really as nice as they seem to be and what you are told isn't what actually happened. Very few people who knew my ex had seen her true and violent side and were shocked at what she did - I was only surprised it took so long to happen!
 
Damocles said:
I don't actually see what your problem is. Ignoring all the bits about how lovely the guy is, and the "judge with a vendetta" which every single person in prison and their entire family thinks, there's nothing here that seems particularly untoward.

A guy followed a man into a pub toilet and violently assaulted him. The attackee claimed he used a bottle and the evidence found at the scene fits this story. The attacker isn't suitable to be given early release because he lives next door to the person that he attacked.

This is actually the judicial system being quite sensible and putting victim's rights first. If you didn't know this lad oakie I'd wager you'd feel differently about it.

THIS
 
Is there an actual charge of Assault with Glass/Bottle? I thought it was all lumped in under Assault with a Weapon. If this also includes headbutting (which your mate admits to), I can see why the judge might be pissed off at his request for a Newton Hearing as his version of the 'facts' doesn't greatly alter the sentence that the judge can pass.
 
Forgetting that we only have your mates word that he didn't use a bottle I don't get why you think there has been any injustice here. Your mate followed a guy into the toilets with the sole intent to cause him serious harm. There are people serving very lengthy sentances right now for hitting someone once and they fell funny and died so really your mate is lucky that didn't happen to him over some stupid argument with his neighbour. Personally I'd say the sentance is fine as you can't just go around seriously hurting people who piss you off. He's lucky he has a decent cell mate so he should just keep his head down, do his time and hopefully learn his lesson.
 
Oakie in your OP you say that Anthony and his Wife had endured years of hell from the neighbour he assaulted , can you elaborate on what this "hell" was and do you know if Anthony documented this anywhere ie with the Police / Council and was any of this used as evidence in his favour?
 
Just reading the OP again - surely the glass found on the floor would have been fingerprinted and proved to have been picked up by the defendant?

If not his defence would have had that thrown out as evidence surely?

If the glass found on the floor does have his prints on it then the case is more damning than him walking into the toilets with a bottle in his hand - at least that way he could have said it was his drink and he carried it in with with him so nobody took it whilst he was away. An argument started and he hit the other guy with something he already had in his hand. If he had been drinking out of the bottle prior to the attack then it's hard to prove that he took it to use as a weapon. If I was on my own I'd take my bottle with me for safekeeping - as I'm sure many people do.

Instead it sounds like he's deliberately picked up a bottle that was in the toilets with the sole intention of using as a weapon and to cause harm to the other guy - you don't hit people with bottles for any other reason do you? Big difference between hurting someone and deliberately hurting someone.

Just because he didn't cut him doesn't mean it doesn't deserve to be treated the same way as if it had. Would you expect me to get away with it if I shot at your family with a double barreled shotgun but missed? The intent was there.

I'm getting the feeling that you or your friend aren't going to get much sympathy on here ;-)
 
Pelly Greeny said:
Not saying this is the case, but I know first hand how someone who does something like that doesn't want the rest of the world to know what they actually did and twists and dilutes the facts so much that instead of the victim getting the sympathy for the incident, the attacker does for such a 'terrible' miscarriage of justice.

After the court case they tell everyone how unfair it all was and that it should never have gone to court, the forensics were wrong, the victims statement was a pack of lies etc.

My ex still tells me that it was all an unfortunate accident and how unfair her sentence was - she seems to forget I was there and know exactly what happened and there was nothing accidental about it and it was a deliberate violent attack that was a fraction of a second from taking my life.


As I said it could be that he's been hard done to but sometimes the person you see out and about and what are told isn't actually happened. Very few people who knew my ex had seen her true and violent side and were shocked at what she did - I was only surprised it took so long to happen!

Not being nosey but what happened here mate?

Also i don't think we can judge this Antony fella until Oakie provides pictures of his Mrs :)
 

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