Monday, October 23, 2006
PUNCHY PACIFIST PUNISHED
Remember Christiaan Briggs, the former human shield who punched a teenager into a coma after being accused of leering at the kid’s girlfriend? He’s been sent to prison ... for eight months:
In mitigation Bartholomew Casella said Briggs was a “committed pacifist” and was “absolutely horrified by his behaviour”.
He told the packed courtroom that Briggs was a man of “far beyond good character, quite an exceptional young human being who has devoted a lot of time to helping others, who has rather selflessly gone about in his own way trying to make the world a better place."
He said Briggs, of Bacon Lane, Kingsbury, North West London, did not smirk as he left the scene, but nervously smiled back at a bus passenger.
As you do after punching a teenager in the face. Briggs’ lawyer offered a Fisk defence:
Mr Casella said that Briggs was bullied as a child and was horrified that he had now turned into the bully and was capable of such violence.
Judge Peter Birts QC bought it:
He said Briggs was being punished by his own insight, but a custodial sentence was necessary to act as a deterrent and by way of reparation ...
"You are a serious, intelligent, hard-working and utterly decent young man of talent and ability and you will undoubtedly bear a heavy burden of guilt and sorrow about what you have done.
"It’s a tragic irony that you, yourself as a gifted musician and theatre lover, caused such great injuries to someone who is so talented and has given pleasure to so many others in life."
Via Lumberjack, who asks, reasonably enough: “Why not five years?”