Detectorists

[brainiac]

Does anyone else think that sentences of 10 and 8 years is excessive for stealing ancient coins? People get less than that for manslaughter or rape

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-50516329

[drmorgans]

£3 million quids worth?

[emmie]

i was watching this on the news, yes i do think that it's excessive for the crime, and you are right rapists often get much lesser sentences.

[emmie]

its a lot of money, and i guess had they been bank robbers they would have got a much harsher sentence/
but i still feel that it's too long.

[Spicerack]

Large amounts of money(or treasure in this case) have always attracted seemingly harsh sentences. To discourage others, I suppose.

[davebro]

May seem harsh but I guess it's the monetary value and the fact that most of it is unrecovered. Sentences need to be a deterrent so it's not seen as "worth doing".

[naomi24]

Perhaps the argument should be not that this sentence is excessive but that sentences for manslaughter or rape should be harsher.

[emmie]

Naomi, totally agree.

[drmorgans]

Not really on topic, but all too often the CPS accepts a guilty plea for manslaughter rather than taking a murder charge to court.

[Old_Geezer]

Manslaughter or rape doesn't usually mess up a chance to correct the world's understanding of history. Got of lightly some might say.

[andres]

As the judge pointed out ,if they had declared the coins they would probably have received half the amount as a reward . They were greedy and look what has happened to them them.

[davebro]

In fact they probably got less selling off to dubious collectors than they would have got from treasure trove. Idiots!

[youngmafbog]

Noami 13:31 - Hit the nail on the head.

[fender62]

they should have owned up, and admitted where it was, or who now has it...all of it.

[david small]

Sad that what should have been celebrated, has turned to ashes through greed. They would have received about one and a half million, instead they’ve lost everything.
I think the sentence is totally disproportionate.

[THELOONYCORBYN]

An awful lot of laws were made hundreds of years a go, Middle Ages ...they were made by the landowners (think Sheriff of Nottingham) to protect their property and belongings etc, so the peasants who had to live off the land and poached the landowners fish, deer, boar etc in order to live, faced harsh punishments....thats why sentences like this are seen as severe in comparison to those mentioned in the OP...
Considering this stuff had been "lost and buried underground" for so long the sentence is ridiculous...

[Gromit]

Benefit cheats can be sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for swindling a few thousand pounds.

So 10 years for stealing £3million seems a tad lenient.

[ladybirder]

I usually think benefit cheats get off lightly. Do they really get as much as 10 years G?

[Spicerack]

All the ones I've seen have to pay the money back..........£1 a week, out of the benefits they still, somehow, receive. ;-)

[THECORBYLOON]

The rate of benefit paid because of a claimant's medical condition may be dependent upon the claimed effects of that condition.

If the claimant is entitled to a benefit based upon the actual effects still, the entitlement will continue.

If a claimant has been overpaid because of a failure to declare income or earnings, they may be entitled to a lower rate after taking the income or earnings into account.

In both cases, the overpayment can be recovered and entitlement to benefit at the correct rate remains.

[Gromit]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-24104743