Sycamore Gap Trial Begins

Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
Interesting to see what the sentence is. They've cut a tree down.
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The "it was just a tree" comment from one of the defendants is probably going to turn more people against them.

However, he has a bit of a point. How does this compare to violence against people, GBH, or even incitement to violence against people?

On the other hand, if it was "just a tree", I have to wonder why they picked that one? Many other far more convenient trees they could cut down if they just wanted to chop a tree. Why that one? Because they knew it was more than just a tree.
 
Airsumaces1968 said:
A tree that brought huge revenue from tourism and then there’s the historical significance of the tree in and of itself - the context informs me, 10 years each without parole and they would be getting off lightly
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That would be utterly ludicrous. The context of having worked in the courts for many years informs my knowledge. I have seen people get less for horrendous sex offences.
 
Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret said:
That would be utterly ludicrous. The context of having worked in the courts for many years informs my knowledge. I have seen people get less for horrendous sex offences.
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I know it's a can of worms but some of the sentencing for sex crimes are ridiculously low and there is seems to be a lot of inconsistency, for this case there is little to go on with similar crimes I reckon they could be looking at 7-8 years as a deterrent to any other thick idiots out there
 
I know it doesn't fit with the media narrative or that of the single mothers on Facebook but...it's just a tree? The reaction has been WAY over the top and to jail them would be a scandal
 
Airsumaces1968 said:
A tree that brought huge revenue from tourism and then there’s the historical significance of the tree in and of itself - the context informs me, 10 years each without parole and they would be getting off lightly
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Well the criminal damage has been valued to be £600k, so equivalent to bull-dozing a high-end house to the ground. You'd get time for that. I would give them 30 days and a year community service planting trees.
 
Sherriff will have a better idea how it might pan out.

Me, I wouldn't jail them, we have spent to much on these pair of idiots as it is. I would give them 300 hours of community service and the biggest fine possible. I wonder what that fine could go up to?
How do you value this ? I really think this will sicken them as much.
 
Fines potentially unlimited with it sitting in the crown court. I’d jail them for 6 months, give them a massive fine potentially to the value of all assets they own and make them serve community service for 6 months.

Failing that some time in the stocks with some rotten veg at Haidrians wall should suffice
 
Hicktonpen10 said:
Not particularly bothered what happens to these two but disgusted by the notion "it's only a tree". Have we really come to this that something of beauty and significance is meaningless.
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precisely this, its been a symbol and site of interest and emotion to so many for as long as any of us have been alive in real life and popular cultre. From TV and film to regular walks and memories with family and friends to proposals and the scattering of ashes. Its a place that grew to mean so much to so many. Its not "only a tree".
 
Also with regard to arguments about other "more serious" offences. Each offence needs to be looked at in its own right and be unrelated to any other crime. Its perfectly valid (IMO) to say various crimes are not given harsh enough sentencing and in many cases that's probably right, but we should be arguing for the sentencing of those crimes to be looked at and reviewed. We shouldn't be calling for lower sentencing for crimes just because we feel there are some crimes that don't currently get punished as sufficiently.
 
When I first read about this case of stupidity I thought ok two blokes just doing stupid things. But I wonder if there’s something more sinister about this particular act of idiocy? Maybe a bet or perhaps collaboration with someone a little higher up but it just seems odd that these two would go all that way to cut down a tree. Punishment wise I’m not too sure maybe we get them to plant at least 10 trees per year for the rest of their lives but I don’t know how you could enforce this. Are we looking at a jail term for an act of environmental destruction— perhaps.
 
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