Whilst the original judgement seemed lenient I am convinced it was arrived at using the usual process of applying the sentencing normally given at the time of the offences, and taking into consideration the guilty plea and other circumstances. I'm not going to stick up for the man after learning what he did, but I don't think that changing the judgement/sentence was obviously the right course either. Still 1 year 3 months, or 2 years 6 months, I'm not that fussed which is applied.
If you go back to what the punishment was when the offence was commited all those years ago. If someone was to have commited murder in the fiftys,and been found guilty now. Would they now face hanging.???
Lol, interesting point Hawkesley:)
As far as Stuart Hall is concerned I think he should have had his sentence increased to 5 years since some of the offences involved children as young as nine.
you could probably sentence him to hanging, you just couldn't actually hang him as there aren't any gallows or any hangpersons. The Home Secretary would have to reprieve him.
The principal of going by the sentence at the time of the offence I believe only applies if the sentence at the time was more lenient. Sort of the same principal as not being tried for doing something which wasn't an offence at the time it was 'committed'