Britain's Latest Legal Salvo.

Dispelling any remaining doubt that Britain's interest in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Syria has anything whatsoever to do with Syria Britain has today (1/2/12) launched a salvo of stories about the intricacies of the British legal system. Firstly the Julian Assange extradition case has come up before the Supreme Court. Then there is the news that the Coroner who ruled in Amy Winehouse inquest resigned in November 2011 after it emerged that she had no qualification to act as a Coroner although I think that was obvious to everyone when she returned a death by misadventure verdict that contradicted the autopsy report and all the medical evidence. Finally there is the news that Gary Dobson and David Norris's sentence for the murder of Stephen Lawrence won't be referred to the Court of Appeal for being too lenient.

This last point has actually been annoying me because the argument being used is that because although they were adults when convicted Dobson and Norris were minors at the time the crime was committed the Judge could only give them a reduced sentence. This is nonsense because there are no maximum sentences for murder only minimum sentences. There are though guidelines and convention that suggest minors should be given lighter sentences. However no murder case has had such a significant impact on the British legal system and wider society as the Dobson/Norris case so it would be all to easy to argue that those conventions and guidelines don't apply because of the exceptional nature of the case. This argument is strengthened by the fact that as adults Dobson and Norris are still showing such a complete lack of remorse they're appealing their convictions.