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Yorkshire Post asks Leeds Solicitor to comment on Riot Sentencing
August 26 2011
Grahame Stowe comments in the Yorkshire Post on how the legal system can best deal with those responsible for the widespread rioting.
As one of the leading criminal lawyers in Leeds, Grahame Stowe was recently approached by
the Yorkshire Post to present his thoughts and offer a professional opinion on how the legal system
can best deal with those responsible for the widespread rioting. During his interview, Grahame commented,
"I look at this with two hats - firstly as a solicitor but secondly as a member of society and as a member of society I feel the sentences have to be harsh in order to deter people from doing anything like this again.
"But as a criminal lawyer, if I were representing a client who had received one of these harsh punishments I would be looking to lodge an appeal on their behalf.
"Magistrates and judges are given very clear sentencing guidelines which set out the parameters of what they can and can't do and as far as I can see many of these go way beyond those parameters. But the message has gone out that those guidelines don't quite apply to this climate.
"I think the real test will be when or if the cases reach the Court of Appeal. I think there will be one test case that sets the benchmark for all others.
"If, in the case of the Cheshire lads that have just got four years for attempting to incite a riot on Facebook, they decide a sentence is excessive then it will probably lead to many more appeals.
"On the other hand if they decide these were exceptional circumstances and the punishment was valid then that will probably stop many other appeals in their tracks.
"Ultimately, we have yet to see if higher courts decide these sentences are too harsh or whetehr they are justified."