It shouldn’t matter who you call to court as a character witness if you’re actually of previously good character, but it certainly feels like this character witness managed to sway things somewhat. Either that or this judge / court happens to be very lenient in general…

We’re unsure how the legal system in this country still manages to claim that…

1. The law and threat of punishment acts as a deterrent to those thinking of committing offences and…

2. That all offenders are treated fairly. We can’t imagine that the same leniency would be shown to inner-city kids with more genuine grievances (for example) than the terriermen from the prestigious Belvoir Hunt who were faced with nothing more than 2 calm monitors setting up camera equipment.

Apparently you can:

– premeditate an attack (tell your son to ‘go get the boys’ and for your son to then return with 4 other masked men)

– be part of an attack which leaves one of your two victims with a broken neck, in a neck collar for 4 months and initially fearing that he may be paralysed

– refuse to tell police and courts the identities of the 4 masked men (who it’s fairly obvious you know)

– plead guilty to GBH, theft and criminal damage…

and then get away with not being charged with conspiracy, you avoid prison time because if you had to serve time you would lose your job (and you’re hardworking of course), you have to pay a mere £500 to one of your victims, do a few hours community service and not break the law again for 2 years or face only just over a year of jail time (only half of which actually in prison).

Shame on Judge Jinder Singh Boora for failing to see that there is no way that these men just “flipped”. In the time it took to go and find the other 4 men and drive back, the father and son could have calmed down and changed their minds about causing injury. The 4 masked men didn’t run into the monitors and just ‘lose their shit’ either – they were called on specifically to come and assault 2 peaceful people and could have chosen not to do so at any point.

We hope that Mr. Cunnington brings a civil case against these men as the £1000 they’ve been told to pay him will in no way make up for the fear, stress, pain, loss of movement and loss of earnings, etc that they caused him. They are said to be hardworking and we know that one of the reasons they avoided jail time was in order to keep their jobs, so they should be able to adequately compensate him in future…

The law is not a deterrent. It gives people the opportunity to look at what it would cost to break the law and whether it’s worth the price. More like a menu where you choose what you can afford, not a way of keeping anyone safe…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-44488533