AN ANGRY and disillusioned magistrate resigned from the bench after claiming the law had gone soft on criminals.
Hyndburn magistrate Brian Rutter quit in protest at new rules contained in the Criminal Justice Act, which set penalties according to what people could afford, and prevented magistrates from taking previous convictions into account when sentencing many cases.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article