Some justice (1/3)
A businessman gets caught with ten pills. He's fined £950. A clubber gets found with five Es. He gets four years inside. What's going on with the British legal system?
GARATH McGee was arrested while sitting in his car outside London's Chunnel Club in July 1998. The police found a bag of nine pills in the car, and took him down to Kennington police station. He was strip searched, and officers found another E and two wraps of speed in his underpants. In the presence of his solicitor, McGee confessed to the police. Like thousands of clubbers every weekend, he had volunteered to score drugs for himself, some friends and his wife. He claimed he had been taking E for more than ten years, and was planning to go clubbing to celebrate his birthday. McGee, a 45-year-old computer executive, must have thought his career and family life were over. If he were to be given a typical sentence, he would be behind bars for at least 18 months. He would lose his £60,000-a-year job, and be unable to pay the mortgage on his Oxfordshire home. And he would have to tell his parents why he could no longer pay the mortgage on their home, as he had been doing. Five months later, his case went to trial. "He should know better," thundered magistrate Roger Davis. "At 45, to be dabbling in this ridiculous drug! It's a killer!" Then he passed sentence: McGee was fined. £950. Simon Kirkham, legal advisor to drugs charity Release, says he is surprised by Garath McGee's sentence. "People who plead guilty and can show they weren't dealing drugs for profit will get credit in court," he said. "But he was still very lucky to avoid prison. The sentence was lenient, but understandable and certainly sensible." This kind of sentencing may be sensible, but it's also incredibly rare. Compare McGee's experience to Tony, a Birmingham clubber and Mixmag reader currently serving time in prison. He and his friends used to take it in turns to buy drugs for their nights out. Tony bought four Es and four trips from a dealer who, unfortunately, was under police surveillance. The dealer got away; Tony was caught. This is what the judge said at the trial: "Your kind of clubbers and ravers need to be stopped. It's all about drugs, that's all you go to clubs for. You are the cause of crime and you're corrupting youngsters with your death and destruction drugs." Verdict? Guilty. Only this time the sentence was three and a half years in prison.Dear Mixmag
I was arrested on July 3rd 1997 and charged with supplying four Es, and possession with intent to supply two grams of amphetamine. In February 1998, I was sentenced to two years in prison. Lee, Cardiff Dear Mixmag A friend of mine was in my car after a club with three Es on him. We were stopped by the police and searched. They found his pills and charged him. He got 18 months in prison. Mark, Somerset