Of crime and punishment

Sir, – A strange contrast was revealed in two sets of sentences reported recently: one list related to drugs offenders at T in the Park and the other to a driving offence (The Courier, 16/10).

A driver who undertook two cars on the Dundee-Perth dual carriageway and failed to turn up in court ... was taken off a plane at Heathrow and brought back to Scotland, where he was fined £400 and had six penalty points put on his licence.

In contrast, offenders caught in possession of illegal drugs at T in the Park received fines varying from £60 to £270; none was sentenced to prison or community service.

The offending driver was certainly breaking the law but many drivers, including myself, will identify with his frustration when forced to stay behind two drivers driving under the speed limit in the overtaking lane and refusing to move over.

This driver was fined £400 — far more than any of the drug offenders.

The police and stewards did a good job at T in the Park, but what’s the point of it if our courts are so lenient? I am sure there would be a substantial decrease in drugtaking and dealing if there was an automatic jail sentence for anybody found in possession of class A drugs, swingeing prison sentences for drug dealers and, at the very least, community service for anybody found with less dangerous drugs, such as cannabis.

The do-gooders keep telling us prison does not work. If it does not, it is because sentences are too short, they are rendered even shorter by over-lenient legislation and parole boards, while prison regimes are too soft. When criminals dread going to prison, potential offenders, including those tempted to take illegal drugs, will think twice about breaking the law. George K McMillan. 5 Mount TaborAvenue, Perth.