London, Oct 2 (IANS) A judge in Britain declined to jail a career criminal believing that spending time in prison would actually prove ‘too easy’ place for him.
Judge Gillian Matthews QC said that with over half of his life spent behind bars, serial crook James Wanley could do jail ‘standing on his head’ and that he needed to be given ‘a tougher punishment’, Daily Express reported.
Wanley,39, of Hartlepool town in north east England, has been offending despite spending 20 years behind bars, Teesside crown court was told.
He admitted having committed burglary. He has 21 convictions for the offence and a record that stretches back to when he was aged 13.
While sparing him a return visit the Judge Matthews said: ‘I am going to give you a chance, but this chance is actually harder than custody – but it is your choice.’
The judge awarded the heroin-user Wanley, a 12-month suspended sentence, a month-long curfew and an order to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Venting his anger at the lack of respect the non-custodial sentence showed to innocent victims blighted by repeat offender burglars, Tory MP Phillip Davis said: ‘What an absolutely damning indictment of the prison service this is.
People already think that prison is too easy – what with access to phones, Sky TV and computer games – and now we have a judge admitting it. Is it any wonder criminals have no fear of being caught?’
