UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

[hotelkilo]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

its all about context i would say

and in this context prison is unnecessary to achieve the desired effect of making sure they dont do it again

are you suggesting that drink drivers should get a custodial sentence for actually risking others lives etc?

because statistically drink drivers are a much greater risk to society than people who steal from stores at hereford to sell onto airsofters and enthusiasts from around the world

[Fizzy]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

and in this context prison is unnecessary to achieve the desired effect of making sure they dont do it again

You mean like banned drivers who never get caught driving, so never simply get banned for longer, then rinse and repeat? Yeah, because that works!

Like I said earlier about him being made an example of, the MoD Plod have had a huge investigation and have seized kit, computers, you name it.

If they then let Stevens off with a fine, then unless it's a stupendous fine, anyone else doing the same may well have made enough money already to simply pay a similar fine

[colinjallen]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

Murder and rape are as old as humanity; does that make them acceptable?

I would like to see anyone who steals restricted kit imprisoned. If that was to happen, people might get the message and mostly stop doing it.

Someone I know managed to sell off quite a lot of the stores for which he was responsible while serving in the Grenadier Guards. When he realised that he was about to be found out, he legged it to France and joined the Foreign Legion; a few months later he deserted because as he put it: "It's supposed to be a foreign legion but everything was in fu**ing French". On his return to the UK, he ended up serving a stretch in Colchester glasshouse; Andy is getting it easy being in a civilian prison.

[hotelkilo]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

Murder and rape are as old as humanity; does that make them acceptable?

no, not to a modern moral civil society, however from an evolutionary standpoint (ie 'as old as humanity') murder and rape are not only acceptable but almost encouraged

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If they then let Stevens off with a fine, then unless it's a stupendous fine, anyone else doing the same may well have made enough money already to simply pay a similar fine

its not being 'let off' if you are still punished, just a lower form of punishment

and thats my original point, he doesnt deserve prison and costing us more money, he's a businessman so get the fkr out there working off his huge fine. that would actually benefit society rather than imprisoning someone who is clearly only a danger to himself

[colinjallen]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

Well, you are somewhat wrong about the evolutionary standpoint, but never mind.

The problem with your approach to Andy's punishment for this is that it appears to be based on his ability to generate revenue and pay a large fine. What would you do with someone who could not do that?

Imprisonment is appropriate and also sends a message to others.

[Fizzy]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

I'm sure Andy can make a few quid somewhere

[Dentonboy]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

yes they are thieves, but they are businessmen and opportunists not bank robbers, so in this particular case i don't think a custodial sentence is at all helpful

i have very little sympathy for people who would break into an airsoft site, i certainly wouldn't send them to prison myself unless it was clear that they posed an actual risk to the public


all im trying to do is put this into perspective, these three hurt no one and no one was ever at risk from their actions

FOR EXAMPLE in the UK, if you get caught drunk driving for a 1st offence you can expect a 12 month driving ban and a fine. maximum sentence for this offence is 6 months in prison. between 200 and 300 people are killed every year in the uk by drunk drivers. what kind of signal are we sending to potential drink drivers..??


if these three had stolen actual weapons, ammunition etc then that would make them an actual danger to society at large and imo would be deserving of a prison sentence.

all they stole was high end gear from a huge organisation, no one got hurt, no individual lost their personal property.

in normal criminal proceedings the state can punish people in many ways with prison being the final and highest level of punishment.

i think that any custodial sentence in this case is the state being vindictive instead of dispensing justice, the punishment should fit the crime

look we've all done stupid sheeet in the past, personally im just glad that i learned from my mistakes before it all came 'on top'

ultimately they broke the eleventh commandment 'THOU SHALL NOT GET CAUGHT'

It's alright lads, they were just in it for a bit of cash, no-one got hurt, let's put this one down as a boy's own caper gone sour, eh?

Burglary of your car from a house = bad, prison now, but burglary from the Porsche showroom = it's all fine, big business and it's only high end goods, mind. Slap 'em with a fine, officer.

This must be one of the biggest wind-up posts I've ever seen.

Precis of the case as I see it; three people conspire to steal property not belonging to them, sell for a profit and brag about it on a messaging forum. Not to mention, potentially denying an elite unit access to said items when they might chuffing well need them at the drop of a hat. A custodial sentence is a just and fitting punishment that might just put off the no doubt dozens of others who do similar up and down the country.

Of course, if it was a troll post, bravo Sir, bravo.

[Jam_Man]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

If it were just a few pairs of boots being pinched then a slap on the wrist would be enough, but it was organised theft of restricted gear. What was he actually doing taking them to Hong Kong anyway? Thats an expensive trip to be making.

He may not have "hurt anyone", but Im not sure I like the idea of NVG finding its way to someone able to nullify the advantage our troops have in darkness for example.

I dont like the way some people are putting this on the community either, like their wish for gear makes them responsible for it. I want gear but Id never buy anything I knew to be illegal or restricted and doubt most would want it either. Even those who may want to buy restricted gear don't absolve those that pinch it anyway. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. He is clearly a popular guy but from the information Ive seen he has made a mistake and has received his punishment and something he and his family now have to deal with sadly. At least his airsoft business can run in his absence.

He got 2 years http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/cri...sman-1-7735476

According to his missus on facebook yesterday only 1 year in prison, the 2nd he is out.

[Fizzy]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

I dont like the way some people are putting this on the community either

Like his own missus, according to her Facebook post

As an out of control collector of all things military, this obsession alongside the willingness of people who have access to the sort of kit he spent every minute of the day looking for and that many of you so covet has resulted in him being sentenced to 2 years, he will serve 1 year inside and then 1 year on licence.

I understand she's quite upset, but Andy's a big boy...

[colinjallen]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

The sentence is two years; most prisoners only serve half the time and are released on licence for the other half.

[hotelkilo]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

i said that prison should only be for the most dangerous of criminals, there are a myriad of ways to punish people nowadays that dont involve locking them away in expensive and overcrowded prisons

these guys are not dangerous criminals

[Dentonboy]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

I am fairly sure they were aware of the consequences if they were caught.

[steve grey]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

To Hotelkilo, I'd just say this. You are probably a very nice tolerant sort of guy, but you seem to have a very lefty view of justice, which I personally think is very misguided, but please think on this. Sometime back, I was in court for a minor driving offence that I contested. For one reason and another, I ended up hanging around in the foyer, anyway, out comes this moron, who I later found out had a wonderful record for car theft, been caught time and time again, and this time had been given 18 months, but the dreaded word suspended was added to it, as he walked out, some other Jeremy Kyle candidate shouts across to him, "how'd you get off Jasp'"... his answer, with a big toothless smile.. "great, I got off with it, mush".. that's what suspended means to them.. and why wouldn't it? when you go out, as free as you came in...... suspended sentences are a total joke to criminals, and it's time the judiciary and the so called do-gooders realised this.

[hotelkilo]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

habitual criminals treat the justice system like an inconvenience, like an occupational hazard

if you ever watch the news footage of an obvious low life attending court they often look up beat, arrogant and seemingly almost happy to be there. thats because to them its an occupational hazzard and all part of the game

if you ever see normal, but foolish, people brought to court on serious charges, they look sick. like the whole world might very well just be about to fall on them, thats because they have a value system and they know they've broken it. you have to actually have some morals to know that you have transgressed them

[hotelkilo]

Re: UCAP airsoft owner admits to stealing MOD equipment

To Hotelkilo, I'd just say this. You are probably a very nice tolerant sort of guy, but you seem to have a very lefty view of justice.

i read this part out to my kids, they burst out laughing.

i am not at all tolerant nor very 'lefty'

i just think our overburdened and underfunded justice system would benefit from only imprisoning the criminals who pose an actual threat to society, they rest can pay fines (to help with the underfunding) and get tagged adfinitem etc

and steve, you are reading too much into the words of (by your own description) 'morons'. for instance the guy you highlight didnt 'get off' with anything, no matter his poor use of the english language. he was still punished yes? just a lower form of punishment. he received a suspended sentence, which means that if he appears before the court again he's going to jail for both offences, the old and the new guaranteed. 'go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect £200'

suspended sentences are not a total joke to anyone, however their behavior in court may have fooled you.

also steve im not quite judgemental enough (YET...) to assume that all toothless people and all jeremy kyle veiwers are irredeemable scum, i do however see the picture you're painting with your bigoted generalisations

i do like your sig tho