2013-03-11

Sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose

Mr. Justice Sweeney sentences Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce to 8 months apiece for perverting the course of justice:

In my view the matters advanced on your [Pryce] behalf do not amount to exceptional circumstances, thus it is clear that an immediate custodial sentence must be imposed in your case as well.
There can be no discount for a plea, nor any for genuine remorse – clearly there is none.
Having weighed all the various features, including the fact that CH was somewhat more culpable than you but his sentence was discounted to reflect his plea, the sentence that I impose on you is also one of 8 months' imprisonment.
There's not much to say here, beyond no doubt thousands of other couples thinking "there but for the grace of God..." It also reminds me of a proverb to which Vicky Pryce should have paid attention: "when you go to seek revenge, dig two graves."

I think Huhne and Pryce were fortunate that Mr. Justice Sweeney started from the point of a minimum sentence, realising that for the offending pair even one week of jail would be 90% of the punishment. It's quite possible that another judge would have leaned more heavily on the deterrence angle, especially for an ex-Minister such as Huhne who, if anyone, should be responsible for upholding and respecting a law.

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