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Cherie Blair was criticised today after she spared a violent offender jail because he is “a religious man”.
Shamso Miah, 25, broke a man's jaw following a row in East Ham. Mrs Blair, the wife of ex-prime minister Tony Blair, was sitting as a judge at Inner London crown court and sentenced him to six months in jail, suspended for two years.
She said: “I am going to suspend this sentence based on the fact you are a religious person and have not been in trouble before. You are a religious man and you know this is not acceptable behaviour.”
The National Secular Society said her attitude was “discriminatory” and has complained to the Office for Judicial Complaints. It said: “This seems to indicate she would not have treated a non-religious person with the same latitude.”
Reader views (36)
Does this mean that terrorists who perpetrate acts of violence and carnage will no longer be tried as they allegedly do this in the name of religion? Does this mean that paedophile priests will no longer be brought to justice because they are religious?
Are all religious people now absolved from being accountable for acts of violence?
- Patricia, LONDON, 05/02/2010 11:50
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Some of the most evil people I have ever had the displeasure to meet were 'born again'. Pitching up at your local god bothering emporium once a week for 2 hours of hypocricy in sub zero temperatures does not make you an instant decent human being.
- Loki, Roskilde, dk, 04/02/2010 17:32
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Ms Blair - Most Muslims are not terrorists, however, most terrorists are Muslims, so you see religion doesn't necesarily make you a nice person!!
- Sue, Devon UK, 04/02/2010 16:16
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Religious:
IRA
Al Queda
Hitler
Spanish Inquisition
Iran
Blair/Bush
I would not trust any of these religious groups. Just look around the world at the damage these groups have done.
- Oh My ....., London, 04/02/2010 15:55
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This is outrageous, so much for justice, but what else would you expect from a religious airhead.
- Anna, London, 04/02/2010 15:29
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You just look at her picture to see she is from another planet.
What puzzles me is how they manage to get these money soaked jobs,I have had to work hard every hour of every day to get my pittance,and am just a stones throw away from benefits.
- Davey_Bouy, Chertsey, 04/02/2010 15:20
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What a strange couple the Blairs are ? One will murder hundreds of thousands of innocent people without batting an eyelid and the other is prepared to let a violent thug go free, simply because he happens to be a violent religious thug. We have to assume then if he had been an atheist or an agnostic he would have been locked up.
- Jimmy, London England, 04/02/2010 14:25
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Does being relgious make his victim's jaw any less broken??
- Very Angry At Mp'S Expenses, Home Counties, 04/02/2010 14:12
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What would be her reaction if another judge had given the same sentence to someone who broke her Son's jaw.
Interesting - maybe she would be kind enough to respond!!!
- Elizabeth Taylor, tx us, 04/02/2010 14:05
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Daveb - All the leaders of the main political parties go to church too and they all prove themselves to be as bad as each other sooner or later. Personally I think anyone other than atheists and agnostics should be barred from holding any position of power. You wouldn't want someone high on drink or drugs 27/4 making decisions that affect your life so why have someone who's in a religious trance? If anything that's even worse because it's never switched off and of course they're far more sanctimonious than any drunk or druggie. You don't even have the hope of jail or rehab for that lot, they can do anything with impunity and say it's the will of god (or whatever deity they happen to fixate on). I think it should be recognised for what it is: a form of severe brainwashing and/or mental illness.
- M Farbiash, Highgate, 04/02/2010 14:02
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What is it with the God squad? Do their beliefs cloud any rational thought or common sense?
Religion has killed more people on this planet over the years than anything else. That is a good enough reason to punish this religeous numpty who broke someones jaw. In fact, just because he is religeous, he should get double the punishment of a non believer.
- Lucifer, London, 04/02/2010 13:55
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Daveb, don't forget that Blair is religious.
- Bob, Cheam, 04/02/2010 13:24
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Surely a religious person should follow the teachings of whatever religion they follow, which is usually based on non-violence and loving thy neighbour. Therefore, they should know better.
A judge could then be tempted into making an example of them and actually giving them a harsher (not more lenient) sentence!
However, religious affiliation should NOT come into the judgement at all.
- Tricia T, Camden, London, UK, 04/02/2010 13:22
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You stupid women.
- Dee Jay, Fleet Hampshire, 04/02/2010 13:22
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Her religious views are as dotty as her husbands. In a channel 4 religious documentary last she was in the US bible belt castigating Western Europe for not being religious enough and how we should get be more “modern” like America by holding prayer meetings in shopping malls.
- Ian, London, 04/02/2010 13:15
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hitler was religious.
Al queda are religious.
Israel and gaza are religious....
theres a trend forming here.
- Daveb, LONDON, 04/02/2010 13:07
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I always thought, and believed, that the key element of any modern democracy was that the law was 'blind' and was applied equally to all.
Of the all things that Labour have done the silent removal of this cornerstone of democracy is the most dangerous. In fact without it can we say that we are actually living in a fair and free and democracy?
- Mikkiduk, Hackney, London., 04/02/2010 12:58
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As someone who is religious, i can only say that i am disgusted with the above story.
If this would have been a non-religious man punching someone at a football match, then he would have been looking at 3 years.
This isnt about religion, its about liberalism of morons like Bliar
- Lb, London, 04/02/2010 12:48
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The belief in the supernatural should
1. Be no excuse for criminal behaviour
2 Disqualify anyone so afflicted from being a judge.
- Convenient Truth, Reading, 04/02/2010 12:42
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Charles Manson claimed to be religious!
- Paul, London, 04/02/2010 12:30
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This women is unfit to sit on a park bench....let alone sit on a bench in a court room!!! Absolute disgrace!!!
- Mark Egan, Sidcup, 04/02/2010 12:27
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Be reasonable. The courts have doling out feeble sentences for years. In the 1970s it was quite common for girl friends to get suddenly pregnant so that defence lawyers could mitigate that the defendant was a changed man. And don't forget that bastion of the 1980s: PMT.
- Bj, East London, 04/02/2010 12:24
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I'll never forget the comment she made on tv about "young terrorists being desparate men and how she can understand them." This woman is a disgrace to humanity. Lots of people hide behind religion.
- Sue, Kent, 04/02/2010 12:09
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Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, we have this odious creature made a Judge. Muslim terrorists are supposedly religious people, any chance of a conviction?
When is the next flight to Australia?
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 04/02/2010 11:58
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Tojo of new hythe, engage brain before opening mouth. She is a member of the judiciary not the executive, they are mutually exclusive much to the annoyance of the executive.
However, thisa is a bad judgement, but as her husband is a violent religious fundamentalist, it is hardly surprising.
- Kerry, Purley, 04/02/2010 11:54
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This is perfect proof of the danger of letting religious maniacs into positions of responsibility. Irrelevant which religion they subscribe to, it's obvious you're deranged if you base your entire life on something there is no proof of.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 04/02/2010 11:54
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Tony and Cherie are well matched !!!
- Nick Holland, glasgow, 04/02/2010 11:40
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Absolutely disgusting.
- Teddy, Islington, London, 04/02/2010 11:39
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Totally unfit to be a judge; what have we done to deserve her?
- Jules_London, london, 04/02/2010 11:35
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I really think she was acting in her legal capacity"tojo,Hythe,Kent"She has never been a member of Parliament! However there are serious issues here, and implications of impartiality for us, and the legal profession to consider. If one is to receive a lenient sentence because one holds similar views to the Magistrate"in this case religious" that implies you will receive a harsher sentence if you do not hold similar views to the magistrate!and that sets a dangerous president for every body.How long will it be before a judge lets some body of lightly because he or she belongs to the same political party as the magistrate! or lives in the same street,or belongs to the same branch of Freemasons etc!I have made a official complaint about this incident to the judicial review society,as her actions disturb me greatly,im just great full she was not on the bench that tried the London transport bombers,after all they where all religious believers! so in her twisted logic"they were not really bad people!! But if we look at our history the facts are that religious believers have been responsible for some pretty horrendous crimes against humanity.Since when did a persons beliefs entitle them to a different form of justice to others,Religious privileges should be curtailed,after all it is only a belief,and to suggest you should receive preferential treatment because you hold those beliefs is outrageous,and is something we should all fight against.
- Kev, London uk, 04/02/2010 11:25
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Cherie is utterly stupid.How can she posibly carry on being a judge when she believes in all the myth of religion,
- El Del, Valencia Spain, 04/02/2010 11:16
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This seems an odd ruling. also:LATITUDE should read ATTITUDE, tut,tut.
- Adrian, London UK, 04/02/2010 11:02
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Ah, British justice! If you assault someone who broke into your home and tied up you and your family, there's no excuses and you get a 2 year sentence. If you assault someone you think jumped the queue in a bank, the fact that you believe in fairies is enough reason to let you off.
- Kevin T, Beckenham, Kent, 04/02/2010 11:00
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Cherie a Judge? with her judgement? Nah Yer 'avin a larf guv!!
- Steve, Brentford, 04/02/2010 10:55
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It seems then that every bearded Muslim or rosary bead carrying Catholic can beat anyone up and get away with it. This woman is barking mad. Presumably, she would have given Osama Bin Laden a suspended sentence because he is a "religious" man.
- Cameron, London, 04/02/2010 10:48
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Nulabour what can we expect, spare the rod ruin the child?
- Tojo, Hythe,Kent, 04/02/2010 10:35
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