Celtic player jailed for 5 years…

…could have been a headline in today’s newspapers, following the guilty verdict on Celtic player Ryan Caird, but it isn’t.


http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/celtic-youth-star-caught-with-knife.22718299


“CELTIC youth player Ryan Caird has been given a year to show he can be well behaved after pleading guilty to carrying a knife. The 16-year-old was caught with a four-inch knife in his pocket by police officers in February. Yesterday Glasgow Sheriff Court deferred the case until November 2014.”


http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/celtic-youth-star-admits-knife-charge-142917n.22735415


“Celtic youth star admits knife charge


CELTIC youth player Ryan Caird has been given a year to show he can be of good behaviour after pleading guilty to carrying a knife.

The 16-year-old was caught in February this year by officers on patrol who searched him in the street.

He had a four-inch knife in the pocket of his tracksuit top and was arrested and taken into police custody before appearing in court two days later.

The teenager, from Cambuslang, pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to having the blade on him, on February 23.

And yesterday at the court sheriff Charles McFarlane QC deferred the case for 12 months for Caird to be of good behaviour.”

Strangely this “sentence” flies in the face of the SNP Scottish Government’s proclamations on how they are addressing knife crime in Scotland.

http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2012/dec/msp-pledges-help-clear-knife-crime-streets

“MSP pledges to help clear knife crime from streets Sun, 02/12/2012 - 09:34

The success rate of the Scottish Government’s joined-up approach to combating knife crime in Scotland – and in particular South Lanarkshire – is being hailed by Christina McKelvie MSP.

This comes at the end of a week which saw Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill announce that the maximum penalty for carrying a knife is to increase from four to five years imprisonment, which is part of the strategic battle against knife crime.

Ms McKelvie, SNP MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, said:

“The joined up approach involving the Scottish Government, the police, Scottish Courts, Crimestoppers UK and people of all ages and backgrounds in our communities – nowhere more so than here in South Lanarkshire – will overcome the scourge of knife crime.

“There is now a record number of police on our streets which has helped drive violent crime down to a 30 year low; there are 44 per cent fewer weapons on our streets since 2006/7, but there are some who still persist in thinking it is OK to carry a knife.

“It is not OK - and together we will drive that message home.”

One has to wonder about this anomaly between these proclamations on knife crime, and allowing Caird to walk free without so much as a rap on the knuckles.

One also has to wonder at the same Sheriff sentencing someone to 6 months community service for abusing Celtic manager Neil Lennon via the internet.

Isn’t the Scottish Legal system odd?

Bill