On 02/09/07, John Sessoms, discombobulated, unleashed: >And it's not uncommon for a jury to propose, and a judge to impose, >punishment for things the defendant wasn't actually convicted of. That's >the whole purpose of those charges that get dropped " late in the trial". >
The jury decides sentence?? Hole moly. We do things different here. The judge decides. Besides, juries are notoriously fickle - if I was guilty, I'd opt to be tried by a jury. If I was innocent, I would opt to be tried by a just a judge. > >Bottom line - whether the sentence he gets is fair or not, a >50-something year old man who gets involved with a 19 year old drug user >and takes pictures of them doing kinky shit is an idiot. > >He's ultimately the victim of his own stupidity. Personally I think that's a bit harsh. Without knowing all the facts of the situation - and there's only one person who does - it's too easy to be judgemental, especially when we place our own life values into a situation that pertains to someone else's life. I think Bob fell into a set of circumstances - either of his own making or not - that became very difficult, and eventually tragic. Life is all about choices - and those choices lead to other choices. If you misjudge your decisions, then the consequences can be startling to outsiders. That may not ultimately be stupidity. Personally I hope Bob understands the consequences at the juncture he has arrived at, and now he will be forced into a scenario where he will be able to consider the results of his actions, rightly or wrongly, for some considerable time. And that's just plain sad. -- Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com _____________________________ -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
