Let us remember it was the people behind him, to further their careers, bent cops, corrupt media, who were the real criminals. But, also, can we have some sympathy for the poor loony? Rather as I hate The Pope condemning bent priests when he should be giving them love and support, why are so many incapable of caring for all sides? Yes the victims of serial killers deserve and get sympathy but so do the loonies who kill them. Yes, condemn terrorists but help them survive too. Or we are as bad as them. Today we, society, humanity, killed 180 innocent people off the coast of Libya because of our desire to protect us and our loved ones from needing to pay more taxes to help the needy. It's easy to crucify mad Beech; not so easy to spot that we created him. It was a great story. We bought it, read it, watched it.

18 years? Far longer than his stupid crimes deserved. Why? Because Judges love the media attention. Killers have had shorter sentences. And we won't be seeing bent cops and corrupt journalists who wanted a good story at any price face justice.

I thought that too.

Carl Beech's sentence is actually above the sentencing range (12-16 years) for the very worst category of GBH. An absolutely horrific, maiming attack might get an 18 year penalty.

Likewise with robbery. The most grave category has a sentencing range of 10-16 years. The sentencing guidelines say, "In a case of particular gravity, reflected by extremely serious violence, a sentence in excess of 16 years may be appropriate."

The most serious category of rape has a sentencing range of 13-19 years. A particularly brutal and violent rape would get an 18 year sentence.

With due sympathy to the people Carl Beech accused, what he did isn't even in the same solar system as a frenzied knife attack, a viscious home invasion robbery or a sadistic rape. I wonder whether part of the sentence is punishment for making a mockery of the system, and making a monkey out of all those other poor victims, Like Mark Watts and Tom Watson and whole units of the Metropolitan police...

No Randall I think the answer lies in all the coverage given by the media and the Judge (one of the Goss Brothers?) heard chanting When oh When - Will I Be Famous?