Vicky Price

Couldn't' care less about the "demeaning women" bit.

Well yes I know that Ana but her whole defence was that he coerced her into doing it. Not sure she should have been found guilty if I am honest.
Any other woman who has taken the blame for anything on behalf of her husband/partner is hardly going to ever come forward now are they?

Aaaah but whenim64 surely this has only just come to light and he therefore held onto his licence for however long (?????) when he should have had a ban enforced. Should he not still have the ban enforced when he comes out of prison?

...........and while we are at it can we not have him in the stocks so we can all throw tomatoes at him and tie him to the lamp post outside parliament with a note around his neck saying I am a bad man and ........

His licence would have been taken from him in court, if he hadn't sent it in beforehand, as soon as he was convicted, but if those points were applied retrospectively, the other 9 points would be long gone. The 3 points that should have been applied will be put on his otherwise (now) clean licence and the driving ban will be applied from the date of conviction, if it was automatic (from sentence, if not).

She was guilty of perverting the course of justice too, gillybob - she kept quiet about taking his points for all those years.

Yes I understand that he pleaded guilty (eventually). But I still cannot understand what "she" was guilty of ? Am I right in thinking she was guilty of taking his penalty points and that is all?

I don't think the speeding points should be irrelevant. They should be put back to where they should have been all along on his licence and he should have a driving ban enforced when he get out.

He pleaded guilty so automatically gets a bit knocked off his sentence – in his case only a small bit because he pleaded guilty pretty late in the day. She didn't plead guilty and there were two trials because the jury couldn't agree at the first one. The speeding points themselves are totally irrelevant; this was all about perverting the course of justice.

I agree with those who say they sentencing was unfair. If it had not been for Chris Huhne's speeding in the first place then the entire thing would not have happened.

Also I wonder does anyone know if he has had his licence taken from him?

Yep! Lazy judge I reckon.

I agree - I thought he'd get a longer sentence. OK so they both perverted the course of justice, but he lied and lied about it for months, declaring his innocence and implying she'd made it all up.

I don't understand why they both got the same sentence. Presuming they both pleaded guilty to the actual offence, what was the point in the longish trial spent examining ing the circumstances and the background. Did the judge really feel it was six of one and a half-dozen of the other? No thought at all to who actually did the speeding? And who did the persuading?

Seems a lazy, and dismissive way of sentencing.

"When you seek revenge, dig two graves." Chinese, I think.

I was rather miffed by Chris Huhne's claim that he had "exchanged" licence points with his 'then' wife. The word implies that she got something in return doesn't it? In the interview before sentencing, he expressed contrition for what he had done but I definitely got the sense of a man who likes the sound of his own voice and that his contrition was not genuine.

I just can't help feeling sorry for VP - hell hath no fury etc....and boy, was she scorned. "I love you - here's my sperm to prove it - child? children?get rid of them! speeding points? you take them or my career will be ruined! No? Ok I'll go and find someone else then". Who amongst us would not want a bit of revenge?

Moved things were different 20 years ago, in terms of how much money we could apportion for offender need, but probation officers have always had to do some of their studying on the job, in practice placements, post-graduate criminological research and for particular projects, all for the benefit of the service in terms of advancing effective work with offenders. What you wouldn't see in the office was POs studying at home, out of hours, and writing their reports so they could concentrate without office interruptions. It was common practice to do home visits after five, when offenders were coming in from work (lots of offenders have jobs). The unions (NAPO and Unison) encouraged staff to work their hours to the clock in those days, as they were campaigning strongly for more jobs, as probation officers don't get paid overtime on the principle that more people could have employment.

You always get the odd slacker, or office with a particular culture, but in general POs are ridiculously hard-working. Before I retired, most of us did very long hours because of staff cuts, which have been savagely reduced even more, to levels that are judged unsafe.

Moved in many fields studying & attendance at training and conferences is considered all part of professional development. If the training /study had nothing to do with the job that is another matter!!

That's reassuring when. I temped in Sutton Probation when we first moved to Surrey and there was nothing about those POs to give me confidence! They worked 9-5, took time off to study, and gave their clients money when they asked for it! One of the girls in the office made such a fuss about a particular 'client' that the PO eventually took her to a supermarket to buy the food she kept saying she couldn't afford, She never asked again! That was 20 years ago so things may have changed, I hope so! In my field it is normal to study in your own time, not the company's.

To be fair to Chris Huhne he was considered to be a very good constituency MP and a very competent and committed Minister. I can't imagine that he would shirk community service.
Not excusing what he did for one minute.

nanaej

Yes - amounting to hundreds of thousands of quid, according to news reports.

Moved you'd be surprised how many celebrities and high-flyers the probation service has to supervise, and the staff are geared up so that no-one who would be in awe of them go anywhere near them. The majority are humble and ready to get on with it. I remember Eric Cantona doing his Community Service, coaching local Salford boys. He put his heart and soul into completing his hours, and continued to offer them time and support afterwards. Apparently, Jeffrey Archer, who is insufferable at the best of times, was one of the best behaved and most helpful of prisoners and complied with his supervision afterwards!

indeed..do they get charged costs?? If not why not?

As long as they are not given anything nice and clean and easy to do nanaej! The tasks you list would be ideal but I wonder if the person allocating the work might be a bit overawed by them? I wouldn't be, they should be punished as much for making the whole thing go to trial as for what they did. An MP and an economist should fully understand the cost of their trials!

I do think there could be a future for my weekend curfew/prison with community service. CH & VP could be clearing fly tipping sites e.g in streams/rivers, motorway litter picking, painting schools/community centres etc etc. We used the Youth Offending Team to lay a bark chipping path at our school and to clear an area for us to develop a wild life centre. They came at weekends so no kids bout!

I agree with the idea of putting them in the same cell and letting them get on with it.

Yesterday it was said on the radio that they will need special supervision, presumably so the other prisoners don't hurt them. It was also suggested they could make themselves useful by teaching other prisoners to read which would at least mean some good would come out of it. I'm not sure either of them has the right attitude for helping people less able than them though.

I do wish our system could come up with a really good punishment which didn't cost the rest of us so much. Imprisoning them may perhaps act as a warning to others not to cheat the system so perhaps it is a good idea?

bet the two of them are both ruing decisions and actions this morning!

TBH if CH had not had an extra marital relationship &/or announced his affair to VP nothing would have come to light.

wonder how many couples are worried about swapped points today...

I meant saga not sage!!

Yes it is, gracesmum - I just wish the judge thought like us!! The whole sage is better than a soapy any day.