Judge blasted for golf holiday decision (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Judge blasted for golf holiday decision

7:16am Wednesday 7th May 2008

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A JUDGE was blasted yesterday for lifting a curfew on police atacker Lee Jones, 24, so he can go on a golfing holiday to Portugal!

Judge Martin Picton's decision was branded 'a joke' by angry Police Federation county chairman Ian Anderson.

"The only people smiling about this will be the criminals," said Mr Anderson. "Everyone else will just look at it in disbelief.

"What kind of deterrent was the sentence if it can just be forgotten about for a few days so the offender can go off golfing in the sun?"

Roofing worker Jones, of Station Lane, Tewkesbury, Glos, had been sentenced on April 8th to six monthsjail suspended for two years with a six months 8pm-5am home curfew after he admitted assaulting Pc Geoffrey Lloyd in the early hours of Oct 14th last year.

He was also ordered to do 150 hours' community work and pay £750 compensation to the police officer.

But yesterday probation officer Sian Worrallo applied to Judge Picton for the curfew to be lifted for the period May 8-13th so that Jones can attend a weekend away in Portugal.

"The application is to have the curfew requirement amended between 8-13 May in order that he be allowed to attend a weekend away in Portugal," she said.

"So far he has complied with all the requirements of the order.

Looking at a brochure for the holiday, Judge Picton quipped "I was almost dissuaded from allowing this when I looked at the brochure. You don't really deserve a golf course of that quality!"

But he went on "OK, I think it's justified."

Later, the probation service explained that they had made the application because Jones already had the golfing trip booked before he was sentenced last month.

"Where people already have holidays booked we have to take it before the court and ask for any orders to be varied so they can take those holidays," a spokeswoman said, However Mr Anderson, chairman of the Gloucestershire branch of the Police Federation, said "If he already knew about the holiday when he was sentenced why wasn't it mentioned in court then?

"That would have allowed the judge to consider it as part of his sentencing - and it would have prevented the time and expense of it having to be brought back to court today for this application.

"The punishment should always fit the crime and I'm sure people would question whether lifting this curfew for him to go on a holiday is appropriate. Is this really a deterrent to others? Will it make others think twice before they assault a police officer?"

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