How on earth did a killer who took someone else's life given 5 years in prison?


Below is the article that made me open this thread.

A boxer who killed a man with a single punch during a brawl outside a nightclub has been jailed for five years.

Simon Tarry, 27, was 'spoiling for a fight' when he thumped John Millett in the face after an early-morning row about they way he had approached two women.

Mr Millett, a father of two, suffered catastrophic head injuries and died in hospital of his wounds a week after the attack in front of South, a night club in Manchester city centre.

A jury was told how, moments before the attack, Tarry threw a right hook at another man but missed, before throwing a bag of rubbish at a group of Mr Millett's friends.

At Manchester Crown Court Tarry, from Stretford, Greater Manchester, denied manslaughter but was convicted after a trial.

Judge David Stockdale QC told him: 'You were plainly spoiling for a fight - bouncing on your toes like a boxer. It is perhaps no coincidence that you are a former boxer.

'You knew how to move in a fight and knew how to punch and punch hard... You had the opportunity to move away but you chose not to do so.

'In my judgement John Millett was intending to hit you - but that was what you wanted him to do. With the skill you learnt in the boxing ring, as he moved towards you you moved quickly forward towards him and threw a hard, well-aimed punch to the left-hand side of his head.

'You wanted a fight. You goaded John Millett into trying to hit you and he was no match for you. You ended his life. That is an event from which his family and friends will never recover.'

Tarry threw the fatal punch on January 24 this year. Mr Millett, who was known as Salford John on Manchester's nightclub scene, was celebrating a friend's birthday at the club.

Tarry was seen approaching a group of women outside the club, which led to him being approached by an unnamed man. The court heard that he then threw a bag of rubbish at the man, prompting one of Mr Millett's friends to confront him about his behaviour.

When Mr Millett saw this he tried to intervene, which led to Tarry throwing the punch at his jaw.

John Wheeler, the friend whose birthday was being celebrated, said Mr Millett intervened because Mr Wheeler's sister was near Tarry, who was 'jumping around' aggressively.

He said the yob was walking backwards in front of him, 'ready to fight anyone who came towards him', saying 'come on then' as he urged him to 'chill out'.

Describing the fatal blow, he said: 'John kind of came alongside me, then I just heard this loud sort of slapping sound...I saw John go down.

'It happened really quickly. In hindsight it would've been ideal for me to get everyone together and say "there's going to be trouble, it's time to go home", and get everybody home safely.'

When Tarry was approached by a PCSO he said 'I f*****d up. I hoped the kid's OK', and added: 'He was going to rush me'. The following day he told police he was acting in self-defence.

The court heard he had previous convictions for public order offences, criminal damage, assault and GBH, in which he punched a 28-year-old man and fractured his cheekbone.

Mr Millett's sister Charlotte said: '100 years in jail wouldn't have been enough for Tarry. It's never going to bring John back. People need to think of their actions and the consequences that one punch can have. A lot of people don't realise when you punch someone you can kill them.'

Five years to kill a man, if you hate someone you know what to do next for those of you folks who live in Britain, the tariff is 5years chaps, cheap and quick 2.5years for disguised murder, it is not even worth paying a hit man.


Well That Just about Sums up the British Justice System.... Poor Great Britain.

Speechless

OK.........Meanwhile drake is still lost

Good old British justice. What a laugh.

CFCfan: Speechless

Indeed!

Another thug let off lightly! But a life in the Britain of today is usually extinguished cheaply. The assailant spends a few comfortable years in jail while the victims family have to suffer for the rest of their lives. Something is very wrong!

I honestly just had to slap myself around the face to check I wasn't dreaming! 5 years! How disgusting and disrespectful towards the life of that man and his family! The British Justice System is an absolute disgrace!

well u can say that again. if na naija, we all know the guys fate. . he should be lucky if he makes it to the court alive

ayusco85: well u can say that again. if na naija, we all know the guys fate. . he should be lucky if he makes it to the court alive

Lol.

Lynching tinz!

Gamesmart:

Lol.

Lynching tinz!

U wey know

Hahahaha I just laugh at them,to be honest ,he be spending 2and half year,if u get 1 year is 6 mnth,if u get 2 year is one year in ,same ish went down 4 a guy who killed one edo boyz in manchester .
I just don't get why there law is like That

Jfrezzy: Hahahaha I just laugh at them,to be honest ,he be spending 2and half year,if u get 1 year is 6 mnth,if u get 2 year is one year in ,same ish went down 4 a guy who killed one edo boyz in manchester .
I just don't get why there law is like That

I don't get it too, but it is what it is.

here its the difference between murder and manslaughter

just like the pretorius case

he was not found guilty of murder but manslaughter, which he is waiting for sentencing



http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/manslaughter

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/h_to_k/homicide_murder_and_manslaughter/

Feedmemore:


Indeed!

Another thug let off lightly! But a life in the Britain of today is usually extinguished cheaply. The assailant spends a few comfortable years in jail while the victims family have to suffer for the rest of their lives. Something is very wrong!

it's manslaughter....
he never intended to kill him. there was no ulterior motive other than to cause bodily harm to the victim. it's unfortunate the victim passed away & that was why the accused got only 5 years.

Our justice system was drawn from the English system. You do not visit a law lecture room in a nigerian university without seeing lectures citing English cases. The Indian system too was drawn from the good ole English law book. But i still don't think you can use one case to just determine the competence of a legal system.

coogar:


it's manslaughter....
he never intended to kill him. there was no ulterior motive other than to cause bodily harm to the victim. it's unfortunate the victim passed away & that was why the accused got only 5 years.

It's manslaughter yes, but he should have coped a minimum of 15yrs, it will serve as deterrent to violent thugs who think they can get away with murder.

Five years for a man's life? That's pathetic to say the least. A life sentence for his family and friends. Two children left fatherless. If we can't keep thugs like this locked up for life, then at least hit them in the pocket and make them pay either directly into the family's fund or into a community fund for the victims of violence - for the rest of their lives. People are pursued by the Courts to pay child maintenance when they separate, but if the separation is permanent and irrevocable and no fault of the parents involved but that of a third party, some similar ruling should apply when they are the victims of violence that takes away a contributor to the family's finances.

Feedmemore:

It's manslaughter yes, but he should have coped a minimum of 15yrs, it will serve as deterrent to violent thugs who think they can get away with murder.

minimum of 15 for what isn't intended? come on.....the law doesn't work that way. if the deceased thought he could die by a punch, he would have took to his heels. if the accused had brought out a knife or a gun, the deceased would have taken to his heels......causing a grievous bodily harm wasn't intended & this is why he got off lightly.

Five years for a man's life? That's pathetic to say the least. A life sentence for his family and friends. Two children left fatherless. If we can't keep thugs like this locked up for life, then at least hit them in the pocket and make them pay either directly into the family's fund or into a community fund for the victims of violence - for the rest of their lives. People are pursued by the Courts to pay child maintenance when they separate, but if the separation is permanent and irrevocable and no fault of the parents involved but that of a third party, some similar ruling should apply when they are the victims of violence that takes away a contributor to the family's finances.

the US legal system has corrupted you.
the brits don't just lock people up with long sentences - they look at the merits of the case. this dude is a first offender - he prolly has his own family as well plus other factors. i think what he got is commensurate to the crime.....it's just unfortunate someone died.