Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramrod
Agreed, but they didn't actually kill anyone so I'm mystified why they have received longer sentences than some people who have killed someone  |
They have not received longer sentences than a murderer. Everybody who commits murder goes to prison for life. A tariff is set which is the *minimum* time they must serve before they can be considered for parole. Very few murderers get out of jail on or close to the date the tariff expires. Many of them remain in jail for a lot longer and have no idea when, if ever, they will be released. If/when they are released, they can be sent back to jail at barely a moment's notice for even minor misdemeanours.
The idiots sentenced this week have fixed *maximum* terms of 35 and 29 years which will be subject to the usual 'time off for good behaviour' .... unless they're very bad boys in jail they will be out in 15 years or so and in the care of the probation service.
Edit
The basic, minimum tariff for life imprisonment in England & Wales is set at 14 years in cases where there are no mitigating or aggravating factors. Mitigating circumstances like mental illness or killing an abusive partner can lead to a reduction in the tariff. Aggravating factors can lengthen it significantly (e.g. killing someone in the course of an armed robbery).
Had they killed someone as a result of shooting at the helicopter, their life sentence would have carried a tariff considerably longer than the 15-odd years they are likely to be behind bars under the sentences passed this week. Remember, though, the key factor is a life tariff is *minimum* jail time, all other sentences are *maximum* jail time. The judge has set the sentences in this case so as to be comparable with an actual murder, IMO.