A British Crown Court judge has castigated a teenage defendant for mocking his judgment in a Facebook posting.
Judge Neil Ford QC, the Recorder of Bristol, lambasted Liam Cunliffe, 18, for boasting on the social networking site about escaping a manslaughter charge over the death of 80-year-old Pauline Reddick.
Mrs Reddick died from a stroke just hours after he and Louis Corbett, also 18, ransacked her semi-detached home in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol.
Cunliffe, of Weston-super-Mare, bragged online minutes after the court ruling last month that they would not face charges relating to her death, writing: "Liam Cunliffe is a happy bunni. All i can say DROPPED!! YAA.
"I'm only lookin at six months. Haa. Bring it on. Easy!"
Sentencing Cunliffe and Corbett to 27 and 24 months respectively in young offenders institutions at Bristol Crown Court today, Judge Ford ruled that there was not enough medical evidence to prove the "terror" of their raid had caused Reddick's stroke and that they would be jailed for straightforward burglary.
But he told the court the comments, disclosed by the media, were an extra "dagger through the heart for the bereaved.
"I was surprised and saddened by the fact that this young man, knowing what had happened to Pauline Reddick, should consider what he thinks is his own good fortune far above the disastrous consequences to others.
"One of these days it might be that Cunliffe will experience a personal loss in his life. It might not be but it could be in circumstances similarly tragic. When he does he might then get some understanding of what this lady's family and neighbours in this case have experienced.
"It has caused the most understandable and extensive offence."
Cunliffe and Corbett broke into Reddick's home as part of a burglary spree on several houses in the dead of night.
They fled empty-handed in the act after they were over-heard by the elderly lady, who thought it was her daughter.
Hours after the break-in in August last year, Reddick, who had a history of high blood pressure when in stressful situations, died at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
The pair, who admitted the break-in, were charged with manslaughter over her death but the charges were thrown out after Judge Neil Ford QC ruled they could not have known about her medical condition when they decided to burgle her.
Today he said the pair would not be sentenced with a view to their actions having played a part in it, because there was not enough hard scientific evidence to link the symptoms of her stroke to the high blood pressure she was known to suffer at times of stress.
Judge Ford said: "Her family will all come away with a feeling justice has not been done - I have to sentence them for causing burglary and not for causing death. It is something that will not generally be understood."
PA
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When an offender fronts the court over the crime of manslaughter and the presiding judge lets him off with just a warning, it is like giving the offender license to mock society and its laws.
And how did we arrive at this sorry state of affairs? We are here because some bleeding hearts think that criminals will be rehabilitated by words of kindness and understanding. No such kindness and understanding for the victims or their families though!