Cherie Blair ‘wrong to spare religious man jail’

Secularist group complains over leniency shown to violent man because of his belief

LAST UPDATED 9:34 AM, FEBRUARY 4, 2010

The former prime minister's wife, Cherie Blair, is in trouble. Not for any money-making or property-spending ruse on this occasion, but for sparing a man from prison because he was religious - a decision she made in her capacity as a judge at the Inner London Crown Court.

Cherie Booth QC - the name she uses professionally- is well known for her own strong beliefs as a Roman Catholic. Her husband, Tony Blair, converted to Rome soon after he left Downing Street.

Yesterday, she heard the case against Shamso Miah, a 25-year-old east Londoner who broke a man's jaw during a row in Lloyds Bank in East Ham. Miah - who had just been to the mosque - got into a dispute with Mohammed Furcan about who was next in line.

Miah punched Furcan inside the bank and again on the pavement outside.

Judge Booth said violence had to be taken seriously but that because he was religious, and had not been in trouble before, she would give Miah a suspended sentence. "You are a religious man and you know this is not acceptable behaviour."

Now the National Secular Society has stepped in, issuing a formal complaint that the suspended sentence was unjust and discriminatory if - as it appeared from Booth's comments - a non-religious man would have been treated differently.

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Religionistas have to stick together, even if holding wildly different fantasy beliefs. Surely someone who is 'religious' and 'knows this is unacceptable beahviour' should be punished more severely; he not only committed violence against the secular law, but HE KNEW BETTER, while a heathen might have thought it perfectly acceptable. Yet more PC bending over backwards to muslims.

Posted by Peter Simmons at 2:21pm on February 4, 2010

The evidence of many hundreds of years' history suggests that religion is a major cause of violence. In the specific case, shouldn't the assertion "you know this is not etc" have led to a higher sentence? People who no no better perhaps cannot help doing wrong; those who do can and should be held responsible. (Perhaps "you are a religious man, obviously you are not very bright...." would have made more sense.

Posted by TomNightingale at 2:27pm on February 4, 2010

The K.K.K. in the southern states of America also claim to be 'religious', attend their churches and, there after, venture forth on their racist rampage.... Bobby Sands was, as judge Booth would applaud, a practicing Catholic... The 'Pro Life' mobsters claim a Christian ethos whilst openly sanctioning and encouraging participation in the murder of practicing doctors, through a 'religious' fervor or some message from their god....The young man captured for the attempted Xmas day bombing of the flight to Detroit attended his Mosque and was, therefore. 'religious'.... In all fairness, should not all 'religious' defendants be granted equal leniency? The only person in need of suspension in this case is the judge herself. Once again the great divides between law, justice and common decency have been amply displayed. What price the legion of atheists? Will she suspend our sentences or have us burnt at the stake as did her renowned forebears?

Posted by Roddy Steele at 2:50pm on February 4, 2010

deeply religious. bull----. look at theire track record then say they are deeply religious.

Posted by Harold Jones at 3:52pm on February 4, 2010

Like her mouth the woman is bananas. A megalomaniac. She needs putting away.

Posted by Anglo Manglo at 6:18pm on February 4, 2010

Yes, and if he'd been a Catholic he'd have to go to confession and say three Hail Marys. Or maybe she would have said, (like Tony did)," I'll let God be your judge."

Posted by John Tidswell at 8:31pm on February 4, 2010

I, for one , always regard muslims as a violent sect because of their Fatwa, shariah and sucide beliefs, I can't term them as religious but a danger to humanity. I really don't understand what Cherie meant when she said this man is a religious man, when she knows pretty well what these people 's beliefs are.

Posted by Majahamahle Ndlovu at 5:40am on February 5, 2010