Sir, - Is there something wrong with our criminal law, which in effect punishes a person for the effect of his crime or offence, and does not consider the act committed by him?
Under the Road Traffic Act dangerous driving which causes death or serious bodily injury carries a very heavy punishment of prisonment and/or a fine of £3,000. Yet the same offence of dangerous driving, provided nobody was injured, merits a maximum penalty of six months or a fine of £1,000.
Similarly, a serious assoult on any person renders the assailant liable to a maximum of two years imprisonment, while the same assoult, if it resulted in serious injury, could leave the assailant liable to a long sentence of penal servitude from seven years to life.
In other words the crime is regarded as comparatively minor, if no ome is injured, but if the same crime causes injury it is regarded as serious. We are punishing the effect and not the cause. - Yours, etc.,
Dalkey, Co Dublin.