Sadly tis nothing new

Old boy's network is alive and kicking

How do you know the third guy will serve his full sentence?  He may be able to avail of the home detention curfew scheme if he poses a low risk threat?

HA !! Answer that one CupCake yer bugger

Oh, I definitely agree with letting him out and tagging him.

I don't know how much tagging costs, but it has to be a lot less than keeping him locked up.

Prison should be used mainly for those who are a danger to society.

This ^^^  

what Blizzie said 

Yeah...why punish the greedy white collar crooks?

Do you really want that many MPs in there Blizz?

He almost certainly will not serve his full sentence, unless he misbehaves inside prison. I'm no expert, but I'd imagine he'd be out within 15 months or so - possibly even within a year.

"Time off for good behaviour" has been standard for a long time, and hardly anyone ever serves their full sentence now.

I agree that a quarter sentence still seems unusually lenient though...

.....the whole blooming lot should be in there

The fella who pied Satan Murdoch just got six weeks in jail. Should've got a medal and the freedom of London.

yep, my thoughts  too, bliz

OP, America can do what it likes as far as its justice system is concerned.  It's like comparing the UK with the justice of Sharia courts in Iran. 

On matters of parole, it's not as if ex MP Jim Devine is going to be a recidivist offender.  It's difficult to imagine him being allowed back into the Labour Party, never mind getting nominated and re-elected so he can defraud the system again!

Four months sounds quite reasonable to me for fiddling £8.5k.  He's lost his job, his career and spent time in prison and is now under curfew.

Especially in view of the fact that David Laws fiddled £30,000 with a very weak excuse and all he lost was his cabinet position.  Likewise, Derek Conway put his son on the public payroll for a year as an 'advisor' but his son did virtually no hours at all. All that happened to Conway was that he lost the party whip.

I understand that it is relatively easy to refine and personally use homemade bio-diesel tax free up to 2500 litres.  The emphasis is personal use, though.  I didn't watch that episode of Rogue Traders so don't know the circumstances of the case but I certainly wouldn't assume he'll serve his entire sentence.

Pretty much spot on, as usual!  Eugene's Lair.