Express & Star comment: Soft touch sentences a disgrace
There are some criminals whose actions are beyond despicable.
The three members of a traveller family who shamelessly preyed on elderly and vulnerable victims certainly fall into that category.
Fred Smith, 62, and his sons-in-law, George Thomas Humberstone and Mitchell Seedhouse, knew exactly what they were doing.
The crooked roofers deliberately targeted their victims – often repeatedly – over months and years, providing shoddy and grossly over-priced work. Some of the jobs were completely unnecessary, and undertaken with the sole intention of conning cash.
In total, they defrauded more than £160,000 from 27 victims. Sentencing the trio, Judge Sean Morris rightly announced that he could not think of anything more low, describing the fraud as ‘sophisticated’ and ‘deliberate’, and noting the serious detrimental effect the men’s actions had had on the victims.
However, he then followed up his strong words with what can only be described as pathetic and woefully insufficient prison sentences. Seedhouse was jailed for five years, meaning he could be back out on the streets in half that time. Meanwhile, Smith could be out in just 18 months.
In what world does this so-called ‘punishment’ match the crimes? These cowardly men have caused untold misery by picking on those who were unable to defend themselves.
Their victims include a former army officer, who says he feels ashamed that he was duped. It is not he who should feel ashamed, it is those at the top of our broken criminal justice system that preside over this whole mess.
It is one depressing episode after another, the law-abiding public are being let down. In this sorry case, the judge noted that ‘trusting, decent folk’ had been targeted. Well where is the sense of justice for those people?
Time and time again the Express & Star reports on dreadful crimes resulting in sentences that are simply insufficient.
The lawmakers desperately need to address a situation that got out of hand a long time ago.
Sadly, in the corridors of power there does not appear to be much of an appetite for getting tough on crime.
It really is nothing short of a national disgrace.
