A Donny Fans View

[Guest joeroamin]

Popped on here to have a look at the reaction and TBH am not suprised by both sides of the camp.Tell me to p*** off and mind my own business if you want, but here's what I think.

The law as it stands today (for most magistrates/crown courts) is to hit the "working man"-Most of us are the only one's that 99-100% of time try and obey it .

The law does not work for the Smackheads/Specialbrew Chav's - They really don't care about society !You see them hanging about outside everycourthouse up and down the country laughing their balls off-While the working man in his suit is crapping himself-for fear of job/family/life.

"To make an example" of anyone is not right- ITS NOT FAIR !

I am not Privvy to the in's and out's - but for 3 young footballers to lose their Liberty for an over the top night on the town is bang out of order- Big fine maybe/community service maybe -Jail NO !

This same judge would have probably have put a drug addict on a rehab course or sent a Paedo for treatment/councilling- This countryis going bonkers !

Not condoning violence in any way- But the punishment should be Equal regardless/parity of esteem/..

Think Speed camera's !!

by speed camera's- Who are they designed to take money from ?

OK speeder's , but again lets hit the working man who is already being screwed inside out !

[Brianred]

Popped on here to have a look at the reaction and TBH am not suprised by both sides of the camp.Tell me to p*** off and mind my own business if you want, but here's what I think.

The law as it stands today (for most magistrates/crown courts) is to hit the "working man"-Most of us are the only one's that 99-100% of time try and obey it .

The law does not work for the Smackheads/Specialbrew Chav's - They really don't care about society !You see them hanging about outside everycourthouse up and down the country laughing their balls off-While the working man in his suit is crapping himself-for fear of job/family/life.

"To make an example" of anyone is not right- ITS NOT FAIR !

I am not Privvy to the in's and out's - but for 3 young footballers to lose their Liberty for an over the top night on the town is bang out of order- Big fine maybe/community service maybe -Jail NO !

This same judge would have probably have put a drug addict on a rehab course or sent a Paedo for treatment/councilling- This countryis going bonkers !

Not condoning violence in any way- But the punishment should be Equal regardless/parity of esteem/..

Think Speed camera's !!

by speed camera's- Who are they designed to take money from ?

OK speeder's , but again lets hit the working man who is already being screwed inside out !

Cheers Joe, While what the players did was out of order, being first offences it should have been a slap on the wrist. No doubt we will hear other comments directed at the players around the country on our troubles, at the end of the day the law is an ass!

[exiledinwatford]

We're easy targets. People who pay their taxes, and stay within the law should be heroes. I'm not necessarily against people who are aggressive and start fights being put away but can the law be applied to everyone equally?

What is a greater danger to society the people who senslessly get involved in drunkem fights or crackheads who steal at every opportunity to fuel a habit? No contest.

Nothing to do with BCFC and football - sadly until today that is!

[Tom Fleuriot]

We're easy targets. People who pay their taxes, and stay within the law should be heroes. I'm not necessarily against people who are aggressive and start fights being put away but can the law be applied to everyone equally?

What is a greater danger to society the people who senslessly get involved in drunkem fights or crackheads who steal at every opportunity to fuel a habit? No contest.

Nothing to do with BCFC and football - sadly until today that is!

It is disgusting the way honest taxpayers are treated when all they're trying to do is give someone a harmless group beating. They funded that prison place - they shouldn't be in it!

If you've paid as much as they do in taxes, you should never have to go to prison.

This would all have been so much simpler if we just had a system where the more taxes you pay, the shorter sentences for your crimes. Then we wouldn't have the inconvenience of our thugs being locked up and ruining a very good football game.

[Guest joeroamin]

This isn't really about Bristol City- Its about the sham court system we have in place !

The lower you stoop the less you get punished (or punishment seems a waste of time ). Bow your head, be genuinely sorry,wear a suit and go to prison !

The 3 Bristol city players would have been better off ,with a weeks worth of stubble -staggering in and mumbling to each other as the judge thought about it- They would'nt be in prison today !

[Chappers]

When I did jury service, one guy with no previous, a decent job, and had committed an offence due to personal problems had the book thrown at him 'as he should know better'. Meanwhile, the 'misfits' with much previous seemed to be offered a chance to change, and light sentences. The same seems to apply here, where 'role models' get made an example of, whilst Judges are under pressure not to send people to jail unless necessary. In tonights Bath Chronicle, a gang who badly beat up 4 Hindus in a drunken, unprovoked and racially motivated attack escaped jail. Good job they were not footballers!

To Bairdsmiddlefinger - I posted this on another thread. It is not about condoning the players, it is about the law applying equally to all.

Apologies for duplicating my post, it saved typing.

[exiledinwatford]

It is disgusting the way honest taxpayers are treated when all they're trying to do is give someone a harmless group beating. They funded that prison place - they shouldn't be in it!

If you've paid as much as they do in taxes, you should never have to go to prison.

This would all have been so much simpler if we just had a system where the more taxes you pay, the shorter sentences for your crimes. Then we wouldn't have the inconvenience of our thugs being locked up and ruining a very good football game.

Why not? Today we have a system where the more taxes you pay the worse you are treated. Just after a bit of parity mate!

[Olé]

It's reassuring and refreshing that opposition fans can take the trouble to come and comment on something like this based on your principals rather than partizanship, because what you have said is more or less true.

The behaviour of the players was inexcusable and we shouldn't have been so complacent as to believe they could walk away from it, but what has now happened smacks of a transparent attempt to set an example.

Rugby players walk away from this sort of thing on and off pitch, and as you say, repeat offenders known well to the courts, tend to get given every opportunity to change their ways before ever being put behind bars.

But here we have professional football players with no previous thrown in jail as a result of one incident. It's hard not to see this as the judge trying to send a message to football fans by sending high profile stars down.

You can bet that was it four unemployed people known only to the police, they probably wouldn't have wasted the time putting them away. But today they took the opportunity to set an example to a far wider group.

I've suffered enough in the way of theft, damage and violence at the hands of criminals known and unknown to know that custodial sentences for people committing crime in Bristol is not typical. Even arrests are pretty rare.

Which is what makes today so laughable. You only need to have had any experience of what your average criminal or idiot gets away with in Bristol to see that as professional footballers they got made an example of.

None of this of course excuses their disgraceful actions, but knowing as we all do that none of these players poses a threat to society and had all learnt their lesson, its painfully obvious this wasn't about them.

It was about you and I the football fan, demonised by police and society at every turn, they've now decided they need to send footballers to prison just to make sure the rest of us 'troublemakers' know the score.

Well it hasn't worked - as a repeat victim rather than purveyor of crime (I realise this doesn't fit with football fans' portrayal) this decision has served only to further show how pathetic our so-called justice system is.

[Guest joeroamin]

You summed it up better than me matey, but exactly what I was trying to say ! 3 or 4 young Matelots(Navy) down union street in Plymouth-same situation...

£200 fine tops !

Why should the same young footballers be made an example of ?

It's reassuring and refreshing that opposition fans can take the trouble to come and comment on something like this based on your principals rather than partizanship, because what you have said is more or less true.

The behaviour of the players was inexcusable and we shouldn't have been so complacent as to believe they could walk away from it, but what has now happened smacks of a transparent attempt to set an example.

Rugby players walk away from this sort of thing on and off pitch, and as you say, repeat offenders known well to the courts, tend to get given every opportunity to change their ways before ever being put behind bars.

But here we have professional football players with no previous thrown in jail as a result of one incident. It's hard not to see this as the judge trying to send a message to football fans by sending high profile stars down.

You can bet that was it four unemployed people known only to the police, they probably wouldn't have wasted the time putting them away. But today they took the opportunity to set an example to a far wider group.

I've suffered enough in the way of theft, damage and violence at the hands of criminals known and unknown to know that custodial sentences for people committing crime in Bristol is not typical. Even arrests are pretty rare.

Which is what makes today so laughable. You only need to have had any experience of what your average criminal or idiot gets away with in Bristol to see that as professional footballers they got made an example of.

None of this of course excuses their disgraceful actions, but knowing as we all do that none of these players poses a threat to society and had all learnt their lesson, its painfully obvious this wasn't about them.

It was about you and I the football fan, demonised by police and society at every turn, they've now decided they need to send footballers to prison just to make sure the rest of us 'troublemakers' know the score.

Well it hasn't worked - as a repeat victim rather than purveyor of crime (I realise this doesn't fit with football fans' portrayal) this decision has served only to further show how pathetic our so-called justice system is.

[Guest surreyred]

I do not disagree with a lot of what has been expressed in this thread, but here is another view...

The players concerned are, by working class standards, very well paid young men, who receive a lot of adulation, and are generally seen as role models by a large number of young men. These are the very same young men who are likley to go out binge drinking on a Friday night and become involved in fights themselves.

If the players are seen to get away with this type of behaviour with nothing more than "a slap on the wrist" it sends out the message that drinking to excess and fighting is acceptable.

Whether the players like it or not, their privileged position comes with responsibilities behond that of the average "Joe", and if they break the law there must be an expectation that any punishment will be greater than the average man because of their position of infulence.

The players have been punished by the club, and now by the courts. In my opnion the best way the players can restore both the clubs, and their own, tarnished images is to do their time without complaint, and when they come out use their influance over the young men of Bristiol not to do has they have done.

[leadman]

Popped on here to have a look at the reaction and TBH am not suprised by both sides of the camp.Tell me to p*** off and mind my own business if you want, but here's what I think.

The law as it stands today (for most magistrates/crown courts) is to hit the "working man"-Most of us are the only one's that 99-100% of time try and obey it .

The law does not work for the Smackheads/Specialbrew Chav's - They really don't care about society !You see them hanging about outside everycourthouse up and down the country laughing their balls off-While the working man in his suit is crapping himself-for fear of job/family/life.

"To make an example" of anyone is not right- ITS NOT FAIR !

I am not Privvy to the in's and out's - but for 3 young footballers to lose their Liberty for an over the top night on the town is bang out of order- Big fine maybe/community service maybe -Jail NO !

This same judge would have probably have put a drug addict on a rehab course or sent a Paedo for treatment/councilling- This countryis going bonkers !

Not condoning violence in any way- But the punishment should be Equal regardless/parity of esteem/..

Think Speed camera's !!

by speed camera's- Who are they designed to take money from ?

OK speeder's , but again lets hit the working man who is already being screwed inside out !

cant help thinking community service and a big fine was the right result.

first offence and all that, plus they could realy have done some good with the kids.

i just thing the judge was gas and thats that.

[Tunley Legend]

Likewise, I'm no animal rights person but fox-hunting with hounds is now illegal by Act of Parliament. If a toff/snob engages in this illegal sport whether he/she be a judge, magistrate, Crown Prosecution Service lawyer or some other toff/snob type then maximum punishment should be used. This should include land and asset confiscation.

If the royalist toff/snob types are seen to get away with this type of behaviour with nothing more than "a slap on the wrist" it sends out the message that hunting down wildlife is acceptable.

You have a good point there Red Goblin as ripping apart foxes with dogs goes on exactly as before with the police turning a blind eye. But why would you punish a few well educated public school chaps letting off steam, having fun and partaking in jolly japers?

[icamanicity]

The farmer Tony Martin got banged up for a few years to the delight of this country's corrupt toff/snob Crown Prosecution Service. In the state of Texas in the USA Tony Martin would have been entitled to a $5,000 reward for shooting dead a burglar on his property. The difference is that in the USA the legal system is 'for the people' in this country the legal system is in place to protect and provide employment for corrupt toffs and snobs on behalf of a German descended imposter Queen who cares little for ordinary people.

Free the BCFC 3 from the royalist prison camp !!!!!!!!

I think you are right we should start a campaign, FREE THE CITY THREE, FREE THE CITY THREE, FREE THE CITY THREE, all together now.

[Robbored]

IIf the players are seen to get away with this type of behaviour with nothing more than "a slap on the wrist" it sends out the message that drinking to excess and fighting is acceptable.

Whether the players like it or not, their privileged position comes with responsibilities behond that of the average "Joe", and if they break the law there must be an expectation that any punishment will be greater than the average man because of their position of infulence.

(1) Do you suppose that the fact three footballers were sent to jail for affray and ABH detered the boozed up yobs that were fighting outside various nightclubs in town last night?

(2) I don't agree with your second point and would argue that the law should be consistant and that the same crime should be given the same sentence no matter who are.