ABC Newslink Jail for stealing towel sparks outrage Wednesday 12 May, 1999 (2:57pm AEST) The Aboriginal Legal Service is outraged over a homeless man in Darwin being sentenced to 12-months jail for stealing a $15 towel to keep warm. Kevin Anthony Cook, who had previous convictions for minor property offences, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Magistrate's Court to stealing the towel from a clothes line last month. Under the Northern Territory's mandatory sentencing laws, a third conviction on a property-related offence means an automatic 12-month jail term. John Sheldon, from the North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service, has called on the Chief Minister to change the law. "I think all Australians should be ashamed that this result took place today, whether you're from the south, whether you're from the west, whether you're from the east or whether you're from the north," she said. "It's something that we all share some sense of responsibility for because this law has been around for over two years now, and it should be a surprise to no one that unjust results like this will be taking place." ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
