DAVID CHATER MP EXPENSES CHEAT IN COURT FOR SENTENCING - SHOULD HE GO TO JAIL?

[barney15c]

His defence lawyer says he doesnt deserve to go to jail, despite systematic fraud. lots of character witnesses turned up saying he is "a good man"
My opinion is he should be made an example of and the maximum force of the law should come down on him, Anything less and it shows that politicians have learned nothing from this episode and they are as out of touch with the people as ever and things havent changed one iota.
What do you think, should he go to jail or not?

[bazwillrun]

7 years is the max for this crime but he pleaded guilty (i imagine his lawyer told him he didnt have leg to stand on) and no previous so he got off lightly.

The other three must be krapping it !
shame udin isnt being done, she blatanly fiddled but seems to have got away with it., to the extent that shes paying back the fiddled money from future expenses ! now if thats not taking the urine i dont know what is

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/292o5ab

He has been given 18 months, I wonder how much of that he will actually serve?

Will he also loose his job as a MP?

[andy-hughes]

AOG - I believe a criminal record automatically disbars you from being an MP.

[andy-hughes]

AOG - as a prisoner with a sentence of less than four years for a non-violent crime, he could be released by may, with a tag and a curfew.

Even now Chater (surely a vowel missing?) is trying to mealy-mouth his way out of his guilt - saying it was due to 'difficult financial circumstances'. This from a man who has paid the mortgage on a Westminster flat, and used his daughter's name to forge a tennency agreement and claim rent on it. he also claimed to be renting a cottage from someone who turnd out to be his mother - in a nursing home with dementia.

The man is an immoral reptile, and should never be allowed to be in charge of anything again.

[Gromit]

I don't think he is an MP. Labour disowned him before the last election. Should he however, be able to keep his fat generous Commons Pension? He was standing his employer all the time he worked for them, and yet he will still get this massive perk, at the taxpayers expense.

[Gromit]

*standing* please reading "sh*fting"

[andy-hughes]

Any man who can use his child and his mother to further his larceny should certainly be denied an MP's pension - a position he has soundly abused.

Snake!

[duntocher]

quite definately a prison sentence. He was fortunate in only getting 18months

[eyethenkyew]

I would have agreed with the poster(s) who advocated having him do community service instead of a custodial sentence but, and yes I fully realise that the terms of the offence do not mitigate the seriousness because of a person's standing etc, but Mr Chaytor was a public servant in an extremely privileged and (supposedly) trustworthy profession who betrayed not only that much maligned profession, but the faith instilled in him by his constituents who helped put him there in the first place.

As far as I'm concerned, therefore, his custodial sentence is fully justified. There are bound to be other "Rt/Hon bums a'twitching", I think it's fair to assume?

[VHG]

>Will he also loose his job as a MP?

It always amazes me when people dont know the difference between "lose" and "loose"

[DTCwordfan]

agree there, VHG, very loose of him; may be he will lose the plot.

[Invictas]

Definitely,as a lesson to the others.
Isn't it sad that this may be the ONLY fraudlently guilty MP that does get a jail sentence.
Mmm
*Thought*
Lets put all theHoise of Commons in one prison and treat them like convicts.
They could eat,sleep,and vote in there,that might sharpen their minds up a bit?

[modeller]

If he's good, the rest of us are saints. Community service is a farce . Even an open prison where he will probably go is a farce . When J Archer was there the chief warden took him to lunch in town and he was given VIP treatment . He should pay every penny back and have a hefty fine on top. He will probably write a book about his experience and make a tidy sum of money.

[naomi24]

I don't see what good jail will do him. Keeping someone like him in prison is a complete waste of money. Community service would have been a far more appropriate punishment. He certainly deserved to be prosecuted, but so did a lot more. The word 'scapegoat' springs to mind.

[Andyvon]

My first job when I was 17 in 1980 was in the Planning Department of my local council. On the first day my bosses took me out and showed me how to order and buy anything I wanted on the council's accounts. I did that for the next five years and so did everyone else. When I made my first mileage claim I got in trouble and had to have a meeting. I hadn't claimed too much _ I was in trouble for claiming the correct mileage! The section head told me to always add 50% as that's what everyone did! He then showed me his bent mileage form! He made me write out a new claim in front of him!
When I saw my old admin manager last year (he's still there as a 'lifer') he said nothing's changed. He said no one in the council pays for their own printer cartridges or reams of paper for home - they always order or take it from work! He said people even order cartridges who don't have a computer at work! Nothing is done because everyone up the line is doing the same! At the end of the finacial year everyone throws money away so they don't lose it off the next budget.

I used to go to NHS and council meetings as a public rep. I was the only person not claiming expenses. I was always under a lot of pressure at meetings to start claiming on the basis of "They are very good you know" with a nod and a wink. When I pointed this all out at meetings entitled "How Can the Council/ NHS save Money?" everyone looked very awkward and embarrassed - then they stopped inviting me!

We saw with the MPs that the theft goes right to the top. No one does anything for that reason and nothing's changed now. It just irritates me when they say they have to make all these cuts to the sick, unemployed, elderly etc when they are still at it!

[DTCwordfan]

presume that you have evidence Andyvon and if you do, I would head to the Press with what you have. If you don't I would be very careful as this medium is as liable as conventional media - you have made some swingeing comments viz the NHS.........