Zach LarkinsTHE EIGHT BALL
Tom Brodbeck writes a column for the Winnipeg Sun and he has an award given out called ‘The Eight Ball', which he hands out to highlight some of the worst perversions of justice in our court system. After reading his latest column, I couldn't agree more with his choice.
The latest winner of this award is provincial court Judge Fred Sandhu. Why don't we take a look at what Sandhu did to merit this honour and see if you agree with both Brodbeck and me.
I will leave out the more graphic examples Brodbeck put in his article, but believe me, they are stomach churning. The story revolves around a man named Timothy Blake Kozun, 25, who was caught five years ago masterminding an elaborate child pornography scheme where graphic and disturbing images of young children were exchanged in an international kiddie porn swapping operation. He was caught with 3,522 files on his computer containing horrific pictures and movies of young children and infants as young as eight months old, which he wished to share with other perverts so they could trade them.
Those children's lives are ruined forever and it goes without saying that without salesmen like Kozun to distribute this material, there would be no market for it. In June 2006, he pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography, a serious crime that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. This is where our buddy Sandhu gets involved. What terrible sentence did this judge bestow upon our buddy Kozun?
An 18-month conditional sentence. Read: house arrest.
Sandhu says because Kozun has turned his life around, sought therapy and shown genuine remorse for his crime, he should not go to jail. He further ruled Kozun is no longer a danger to society and putting him in jail would have little or no effect on deterring him from doing it again. Excuse me? Am I the only one who sees this as outrageous?
While emphasizing the sentencing principles that bolster his argument, Sandhu neglects the ones that truly count. He completely ignores a very important one which states that "a sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender." House arrest for this type of serious crime is clearly not proportionate to the gravity of the crime. His ruling does not denounce the crime in any way. All it says is that if you delay your case long enough, get therapy and say you're sorry, you're spared jail time. Sandhu argued the Manitoba Court of Appeal has made it clear that ‘a conditional sentence is a serious consequence, it has deterrent value and can often be considered harsher than a real jail term." He seems to have forgotten that the same appellate court also ruled against conditional sentences, arguing house arrest can be demonstrably unfit in some cases because it can undermine public confidence in the justice system.
This judge has failed on all counts and we can only pray that he will be removed from the bench as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the sickos are free to run the asylum.
Agree with me or not, but the way I see it, the judge should have to do more time than Kozun is liable for, just for being an idiot.
Sources: Tom Brodbeck Judge Grossly Wrong The Winnipeg Sun
The latest winner of this award is provincial court Judge Fred Sandhu. Why don't we take a look at what Sandhu did to merit this honour and see if you agree with both Brodbeck and me.
I will leave out the more graphic examples Brodbeck put in his article, but believe me, they are stomach churning. The story revolves around a man named Timothy Blake Kozun, 25, who was caught five years ago masterminding an elaborate child pornography scheme where graphic and disturbing images of young children were exchanged in an international kiddie porn swapping operation. He was caught with 3,522 files on his computer containing horrific pictures and movies of young children and infants as young as eight months old, which he wished to share with other perverts so they could trade them.
Those children's lives are ruined forever and it goes without saying that without salesmen like Kozun to distribute this material, there would be no market for it. In June 2006, he pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography, a serious crime that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. This is where our buddy Sandhu gets involved. What terrible sentence did this judge bestow upon our buddy Kozun?
An 18-month conditional sentence. Read: house arrest.
Sandhu says because Kozun has turned his life around, sought therapy and shown genuine remorse for his crime, he should not go to jail. He further ruled Kozun is no longer a danger to society and putting him in jail would have little or no effect on deterring him from doing it again. Excuse me? Am I the only one who sees this as outrageous?
While emphasizing the sentencing principles that bolster his argument, Sandhu neglects the ones that truly count. He completely ignores a very important one which states that "a sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender." House arrest for this type of serious crime is clearly not proportionate to the gravity of the crime. His ruling does not denounce the crime in any way. All it says is that if you delay your case long enough, get therapy and say you're sorry, you're spared jail time. Sandhu argued the Manitoba Court of Appeal has made it clear that ‘a conditional sentence is a serious consequence, it has deterrent value and can often be considered harsher than a real jail term." He seems to have forgotten that the same appellate court also ruled against conditional sentences, arguing house arrest can be demonstrably unfit in some cases because it can undermine public confidence in the justice system.
This judge has failed on all counts and we can only pray that he will be removed from the bench as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the sickos are free to run the asylum.
Agree with me or not, but the way I see it, the judge should have to do more time than Kozun is liable for, just for being an idiot.
Sources: Tom Brodbeck Judge Grossly Wrong The Winnipeg Sun
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