Why is this guy still a judge?

[ZedBloke]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-18811809
Burglary takes courage, so murder, well that must take serious courage! please with those kinds of thought processes surely this guy isn't fit to judge others; is he?

[Duncer]

He also said he thought prison did criminals "little good".

Apart from incarcerating them somewhere they cannot commit crimes.

[FredPuli43]

It was an ill-considered remark, intended to give hope to the defendant that, given a chance, he had the character to turn his life around. That said, it was a stupid thing to say; at best, it sounded like a general observation about all burglars. Anyway, the judge has been reprimanded and given a chance himself. That seems sufficient for a first offence. After all, it takes courage to make a remark like that!

[askyourgran]

So the stupid man only got a reprimand, he should have been de-wigged or whatever they do the judges.

[sandyRoe]

He clearly hasn't got judgement enough to weigh his words. If he'd said: Burglary takes a hard neck...' he might have been nearer to the mark. When were criminals ever sent to prison to do them good?

[Duncer]

You're having a laugh. It was stupidity at best, and gross insenstiviity at worst. Hasn't he heard of victims? After all, to become a judge he must have appeared in one or two courts beforehand?

[ZedBloke]

I just find it disturbing that one so learned, in theory at least, can think such thoughts and compound it by saying it out loud.

[Duncer]

Not as disturbing as the victims will find it........

buit since when were they important?

[jno]

burglary takes a lot more courage than accounting or working in Tescos; about on a par with bungee jumping, I would have thought. And it isn't the job of a judge to make the victims feel good.

Murder is typically committed in haste without the need for courage or otherwise; burglary is often planned.

[youngmafbog]

//burglary takes a lot more courage than accounting // Not if you are accounting a great fraud with master criminals who are likely to bump you off if you error I would say.

This judge should be sacked. No two ways about it, he clearly does not have the correct attitude and is stuck in the Noo Labour days of the criminal comes first and s*d the victim.

[ludwig]

Burglary only really takes courage if you're a normal well adjusted person - ie not the kind of person who commits burglary.

If you're got a sociopathic personality or a drug habit that needs feeding, or you're just plain nasty, you're not thinking the same way as the rest of us.

That's why the use of the word courage is inappropriate and stupid.

[andy-hughes]

I think everyone - including the judge himself - realises that his use of the word 'courage' was careless and inappropriate.

That said, it was a mistake, for which he has been formally rebuked, and will carry the embarassment of that for some time - so I do believe the punishment fits the crime in this instance.

We all speak without thinking from time to time - it's more of an issue when a judge does so in court, but it is still a human error, and shoiuld be treated as such.

[jno]

ludwig, do you really think burglars are all junkies or psychos? I'd love to see the evidence.

http://www.secondmoment.org/articles/burglars.php

[Duncer]

"burglary takes a lot more courage than accounting or working in Tescos; about on a par with bungee jumping, I would have thought. And it isn't the job of a judge to make the victims feel good."

Nor is it his job to praise scumbags for supposedly being brave. As for the evidence that courage is required to sponge off people by stealing their property.........?

[ludwig]

// ludwig, do you really think burglars are all junkies or psychos? I'd love to see the evidence. //

No, as I said, I think others are just plain nasty people. I'm sure there are a few other categories including naive and stupid thrill seeking youngsters for example, but I wasn't putting forward a scientific thesis or anything.

Simply making the point that 'courage' is the wrong word to use when describing criminal acts, because there's a different mentality at work behind the act. You might as well as say 'It's very courageous to commit murder'. It's equally as stupid.