Justice? You must be Joking!

Glancing through today's Daily Mail on line, I noted the following two news items:

 

Thug who kicked terminally-ill grandfather in the head in unprovoked attack walks free from court (here)

"Vicious Reece Kent, 19, repeatedly punched Ken Oliver in the head before kicking him on the floor because he mistakenly thought he was the father of a girl he knew."

"Cancer sufferer Mr Oliver - who has been given just three months to live - was left in a pool of blood on his doorstep with horrific injuries. He spent a week in intensive care following the attack, with bleeding on his brain."

"Mr Oliver watched in disbelief as his attacker walked free from court last week with a six-month suspended sentence."

 

Tracey Emin conman jailed for 16 months for selling fake artwork on eBay  (here)

"Controversial artist Tracey Emin was left 'hurt and distressed' after a conman sold forgeries of her work for £26,000."

"Jonathan Rayfern, 32, made at least 11 fake items said to be by Emin, who became famous as one leading lights of the Britart movement."

"Today he was jailed for 16 months at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to ten counts of fraud and one count of deception."

 

Now, regardless of what you think of Tracy Emlin's art (and I don't think much of it), it would seem that a "distressed" Tracy Emlin and the production of forgeries which sold for £26,000 warrents 16 months jail, whilst punching and kicking an elederly man, leaving him in a pool of blood requiring intensive care in hospital, merely attracts a suspended sentence.

 

The two courts concerned may believe that justice was done, but I suspect they would have great difficulty in finding many other people in this country who would agree with them.

Incidentally, the statement by counsel for the thug in the first case that he did it  "because he mistakenly thought he [Mr Oliver] was the father of a girl he knew" seems typical of the ludicrous excuses offered in court these days. If he had beat up the right person, would he have been found not guilty and released without a stain on his character? Perhaps the NHS should sue him for the cost of Mr Oliver's treatment, and indeed, one might ask why this wasn't considered by the court as I would suspect it cost us considerably more that the £26,000 that the forgeries sold for.