David Chaytor has pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud. The poor soul's conscience must have simply been eating him up, though not fast enough to stop him from stalling and trying to use the Bill of Rights to claim that submitting fraudulent expense claims was covered by parliamentary privilege. I'm guessing Chaytor either thought or was advised that his case was piss weak and is now angling for a non-custodial sentence. I do hope the judge keeps in mind that the fucker fought tooth and nail to avoid a trial and has had to be dragged to court kicking and screaming and with several stops for the judicial system to pry his fingers off various things he was trying to hang on to. Hardly the actions of a penitent man overcome with remorse, I feel, so he really ought to do some time. Not very much, perhaps, and probably as part of a longer sentence which is mostly suspended. He's not likely to be a danger to the public or a repeat offender after all, but he also defrauded the public and abused his position to do so. I don't particularly want him to end up as B Wing's shared bitch and I don't mind if he spends a lot of time with an electronic tag, as long as he does at least a little time. If he doesn't what message will the current mob take from it? Some will think he's been bloody lucky but others will think, "Great. Lie, cheat, steal, avoid responsibility and fight any attempt of the proles to exact some measure of justice, and if the worst comes to the worst you can still avoid a Shawshank Redemption moment in a Wandsworth shower by pleading guilty once a trial is inevitable."
That's a message that cannot be allowed. Sorry, Dave. Some credit for finally coming clean, albeit extremely belatedly, but just as you've set a bad example for others to follow it's now necessary for you to set a better one.
PS - And Woolas has lost his challenge too. Good.
UPDATE - The Tele are saying he faces a maximum of seven years in prison but will probably get a lot less due to the plea. That actually sounds fair.
