9 Months Imprisonment Harsh?

[hc4361]

This young student did a very daft thing whilst drunk, hitting a sleeping woman across the face with his flaccid penis. She knew nothing about it until workmates of his friend reported it to the police after seeing a video of it on the friend's phone.
The victim is more upset by the thought that the video is still out there and could be seen by many. This man did not video it, his friend did. This man did not share it, his friend did.

He admitted the offence straight away, has apologised and took steps to make amends.

In light of recent sentencing of celebrity gropers, do you think the sentence was right?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2803524/Student-jailed-slapping-sleeping-woman-face-penis-friend-filmed-phone.html

[saintpeter48]

9 months for that and Pistorius will serve 10 months for 'murdering' Reeva, what a strange world we live in!! .........

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Nine months...now that is a slap in the face :-)

[Hopkirk]

Unacceptable behaviour, even if he was drunk.

I got drunk many times when I was a student, but would never have ended up doing such a thing.

It is no defence that he didn't film it - he could hardly have done so and must have been fully aware that his mate was filming.

I have no sympathy.

My only objection is the cost to the taxpayer of imprisoning him.

[Retrochic]

Thank god they didn't have mobile phones when I was at Uni.

[Retrochic]

It would have been an even better video if she'd woken up and bit it.

[douglas9401]

It does seem that the court is being a bit hard on him.

[Sqad]

Yes 9 months is fine.

There have been may threads on AB comparing the "old days" with the present time......but let me make it quite clear.......this wouldn't have happened in the 50,s and 60,s.

Totally unacceptable behaviour.

[tamborine]

No stiffy deserves a long sentence ;)

[Hopkirk]

Was that a pun, Douglas?

[jno]

in a way it's the guy with the camera who's committed the more serious offence - it's the filming, and the showing it to others, which has distressed her (and rightly so), and I wonder if he shouldn't have been in the dock too.

But it was a stupid and offensive thing to do. I can't feel much sympathy for him; he'll be out before long.

[ummmm]

Did this kind of thing happen before cameras on phones?

[Hopkirk]

Yes Ummmm, but you were asleep at the time.

[Psybbo]

It's a pity the person who videoed it isn't jailed as well

[sp1814]

Appropriate

It's not just the act, but the fact that the student colluded in videoing the act.

This young woman would have absolutely no idea a) how many people would have seen this and b) whether it had been uploaded to the Internet. Once a digital copy is available on the net, then technically every person in the c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶r̶y̶
the entire world could watch it.

It's a serious violation, and indeed, shoving your penis in someone's face is sexual assault.

[woofgang]

hmmm....he can't have been that drunk....

[Retrochic]

Sqad ''..but let me make it quite clear.......this wouldn't have happened in the 50,s and 60,s. ''

Think you must have led a very sheltered life . The 'swinging' sixties had little to do with the Thurible'

[agchristie]

9 months harsh? A phallusy.

[2sp_]

I think 9 months is fair. Just because there have been other more serious offences committed and relatively lenient sentences passed, doesn't mean the this person should get off lightly.

The woman must feel massively violated, not just by the act itself but also by the fact that the video has been posted online.

[ToraToraTora]

wasn't you was it hc! The thing is part of the offence is the the sufferring that they have inflicted on this woman forever. You describe it fairly but fail to see seriousness of the real crime here. If it had been done and unrecorded he'd have got a minor assualt charge now it's out there for ever. Seems harsh but really it isn't.

[Gromit]

And they said ot would never stand up in court.