Shamed Rossendale PC loses sentence appeal (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Shamed Rossendale PC loses sentence appeal
9:32am Tuesday 28th June 2011 in Crawshawbooth By David Strand
NO CUT Michael Fletcher
A FORMER police officer jailed for having sex with a suicidal woman while on duty has failed in an appeal against his prison sentence.
Michael Fletcher, 31, made a bid to cut the length of his two years and eight months’ jail term. But it was rejected by Lord Justice Leveson, Mr Justice Griffith Williams and Mr Justice Holroyde.
Lord Justice Leveson said it was a ‘terrible’ case for everybody involved, as Fletcher, a father-of-two, had lost his marriage and career.
“The complainant was a vulnerable woman with serious alcohol problems, who suffered from depression and who was talking about committing suicide,” said Mr Justice Griffith Williams.
“His conduct that day amounted to a gross breach of trust and of his responsibility as a police officer.
“The vulnerable victim, who was entitled 110 per cent to rely upon the integrity of the officer, was let down by him and abused by him.”
He had been sent to the woman’s home after responding to a welfare call from an alcohol dependency service officer last July.
In February, having pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office, the former Royal Marine, of Compston Avenue, Crawshawbooth, was jailed at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.
Comments(14)
happycyclist
says...
9:44am Tue 28 Jun 11
The 'justice' system SUCKS.
bottletop
says...
9:52am Tue 28 Jun 11
As happycyclists says . There are people getting much less for far more serious crimes .
The whole thing is a disgrace !!!!
Chuck-Norris
says...
10:19am Tue 28 Jun 11
What planet are these judges on!???
Gob
says...
10:49am Tue 28 Jun 11
Mill62
says...
12:43pm Tue 28 Jun 11
I agree that other sentences are too lenient.
Dave Harwood
says...
1:25pm Tue 28 Jun 11
Chuck-Norris
says...
3:42pm Tue 28 Jun 11
Chris P Bacon
says...
5:27pm Tue 28 Jun 11
happycyclist wrote:Consensual? The victim was a vulnerable woman that this piece of filth abused and took serious advantage of. He deserves every second he got, as proven by the appeals findings.
Two and a half years for consensual sex???
The yob who killed Adam Rogers only got three and a half years.
What laws did Michael Fletcher break? This warranted nothing more than disciplinary action/dismissal from his employer. Sending him to prison is WRONG.
And comparing this sentence with others is plain daft. After being found guilty, he wasn't going to be sentenced based on other tariffs but what sentence the crime demanded.
There's three eminent legal brains named up there who were all privvy to the horrific details of the case but it's your word against theirs, of course.
the halitosis kid
says...
5:39pm Tue 28 Jun 11
Chris P Bacon wrote:i agree with you chrispy shanks,unlike the rest of the comments on here(you can only imagine what goes through their minds), the woman had a mental illness and this scumbag thought i'll have a bit of that easy pickings...
happycyclist wrote:Consensual? The victim was a vulnerable woman that this piece of filth abused and took serious advantage of. He deserves every second he got, as proven by the appeals findings.
Two and a half years for consensual sex???
The yob who killed Adam Rogers only got three and a half years.
What laws did Michael Fletcher break? This warranted nothing more than disciplinary action/dismissal from his employer. Sending him to prison is WRONG.
And comparing this sentence with others is plain daft. After being found guilty, he wasn't going to be sentenced based on other tariffs but what sentence the crime demanded.
There's three eminent legal brains named up there who were all privvy to the horrific details of the case but it's your word against theirs, of course.
bottletop
says...
7:18pm Tue 28 Jun 11
I also believe she tried to withdraw her complaint and wrote to the police force involved .
The sentence was far to harsh .
Chris P Bacon
says...
7:45pm Tue 28 Jun 11
bottletop wrote:The original sentence, imposed after all the evidence presented to the court, was ratified by the appeals system. So he had two chances and the sentence found justified both times.
The woman was an alcoholic and drug user. Does this make her incapable of deciding if she wants sex or not ? If it does a lot of people should not be shagging .
I also believe she tried to withdraw her complaint and wrote to the police force involved .
The sentence was far to harsh .
Ian123xyz
says...
9:45pm Tue 28 Jun 11
nice person
says...
12:58am Thu 30 Jun 11
happycyclist wrote:Spot on.
Two and a half years for consensual sex???
The yob who killed Adam Rogers only got three and a half years.
What laws did Michael Fletcher break? This warranted nothing more than disciplinary action/dismissal from his employer. Sending him to prison is WRONG.
happycyclist says...
9:41am Tue 28 Jun 11
The yob who killed Adam Rogers only got three and a half years.
What laws did Michael Fletcher break? This warranted nothing more than disciplinary action/dismissal from his employer. Sending him to prison is WRONG.