Maggie Beer lends support to winemaker

[davidc4430]

Food icon Maggie Beer lends support to bitter winemaker who destroyed $60k of wine

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-16/food-icon-maggie-beer-lends-support-to-bitter-winemaker/905458...

dear old maggie, its not a popularity contest.

he may well be a very nice man when hes not breaking and entering and causing criminal damage, but thats not why hes in court.

its because hes acused of breaking and entering and causing criminal damage.

why does he need a catacter witnes? he needs an alibi lol

[kopenhagen5]

Prison is probably a little much, but a court order to repay the value lost and a fine I think would suffice.

Maggie is only giving character reference, a small part of the whole procedure.

[lyndal1838]

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why does he need a catacter witnes? he needs an alibi lol

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He does not need an alibi....he has confessed.   If anyone gave him an alibi they would probably be charged with perjury.

A character witness testifies to his previous good character and it is used to help the judge determine what sort of penalty to impose.

In this case I don't think a jail sentence would achieve much but a financial penalty might make him realise how his actions have affected others....make him repay the value of the lost wine, which was probably insured anyway.

[springyzone]

I think the idea of a possible 10 years jail for this is over the top. Many killers get off with less.

I am not convinced jail is the answer for a lot of crimes. I think fines, home confinement in certain hours, community work etc might fit the bill better for non violent people.

I guess that is where a character reference comes in-for the system to judge what sort of person they are dealing with, whether he is always volatile or if it was likely to be a one off.