A STUDENT, from Macclesfield, who pleaded guilty to outraging public decency after he was photographed urinating over a war memorial has avoided a jail sentence.
Philip Laing had been warned he could face a custodial sentence after the picture showed him soaking a poppy wreath following a drinking session in Sheffield city centre.
The 19-year-old admitted the offence when he appeared earlier this month at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.
On Thursday District Judge Anthony Browne ordered Laing to do 250 hours community service.
Opinion: Crass acts insult our fallen heroes
But the judge told the court that “something does need to be done” about the drinking culture that led to his behaviour.
The District Judge said he had considered jailing Laing but he said he had never seen anyone before him who was more contrite.
Sentencing him Mr Browne said: “I said to you when you last appeared that the image of your urinating over the wreath of poppies at the city war memorial was a truly shocking one.
“That was no understatement.
“There you are, a young man of 19, urinating on the war memorial erected to honour the memory of so many other young men.
Alcohol
“I have no doubt at all, and this is accepted by the prosecution that you did so because of the vast quantity of alcohol that you had consumed.
“There was no other motive whatsoever.”
He referred to Laing’s evening beginning with him sharing a bottle of whisky with a friend before consuming vast amounts of alcohol at an event organised by the Carnage organisation.
Mr Browne said Laing had told probation officers all the drinks were £1 for the Carnage bar crawl.
He said he understood Laing was so drunk he couldn’t remember anything of the evening.
The District Judge said: “Now, let me make this perfectly clear. No one forced you to take all this drink, or forced it down you, or persuaded you to commit a criminal offence. You did that all by yourself and you must take responsibility.
“But all this is set against a backdrop, as your solicitor has said, of a culture of drinking far too much.
“In my view something does need to be done to change this culture.
Outraged and offended
“What you have done has outraged and offended many and has saddened most.
“I received many letters from members of the public but I am required to decide your sentence on the basis of the facts of the case and principles of law alone.
“I have never seen anyone more contrite for what has happened nor one who regrets more the hurt and distress he has caused.
“You have understandably had the wrath and indignation of the public heaped upon you and your family.”
Mr Browne said Laing had already been significantly punished and said Sheffield Hallam University was still to decide on his future.
Opinion: Crass acts insult our fallen heroes
Student who urinated on war memorial escapes jail
November 26, 2009
Comments
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It will surely be the biggest headline when someone in Manchester actually gets sent to jail for breaking the law.
can i just say that there are so many crimes committed because of alcohol, and the amount of people that get off lightly is a bleeding joke, i will vote for any political party thats rules with an iron fist to criminals
That's your yellow card Mr Laing. I think your remorse has served you well with a caution, now hopefully the university will do show the same mercy. Get your head down, get a 2:1 be a model student, maybe spend some time decorating a few flowerbeds around war graves on a couple of sundays. Like many people I like giving 2nd chances this is yours because there are no such things as 3rd chances when it comes to things like this. If you want to be anti war protestor this is not the way to do it.
You've had your punishment in the media, get yer head down...
Good luck !
Why am I not at all surprised at this outcome
Rammlylad: "It will surely be the biggest headline when someone in Manchester actually gets sent to jail for breaking the law. "
Perhaps, but this was in Sheffield.
Ah well Gary, that accounts for it, being in the wrong side of the Pennines.
Seriously though, jail ? - let's get realistic. maybe a public flogging or month of Sundays scrapping the **** from the memorial with a toothpick. That way he would have plenty of time to consider the effect of his actions, the shame he has brought upon himself, his family and his university and the revulsion of the people of this land.
Students get drunk, it's happened since Adam were a lad, it's not a product of the times, it's just life. The lad has done wrong and needs to reflect upon it by giving something back - he shouldnt't have his life totally ruined by one moment of stupid drunken madness - the judge is totally correct.
I hope he does some of his community service with the RBL.
Stop whittering on about jail for this lad for crying out loud, Jail, haha, what is wrong with you people, what on earth would that achieve?? incarcerate him at the cost of the taxpayers, make him lose his chance at a degree, so his job chances are now slim, meaning he will probably have a life funded by the taxpayers. Good thinking there!
He was drunk, he did something incredibly stupid, he owned up and apologised, at most he should be given some community service, ironically if it is cleaning graffiti off memorials then that would be all the better.
I agree with you Blue Dude. There are posters screaming for his head on the Sky News website. Whilse I don't condone what he did which was very disprectful, I'd rather see burglars and violent criminals in prison than this type of thing. The community service will do him some good (I'd have had him cleaning war memorials)and one aspect of his punishment has been by the media which must have shamed him no end. Let him have his second chance. I think he will turn his behaviour around.
Either the censor is hyper sensitive today or the M.E.N is on a go slow again, way does it take so long to get comments posted on some stories?
Oh very smart put that comment on after 30 seconds and why this… 10 comments but only show 4 of them? Will we ever be able to have a proper discussion? On this site
Fair sentence. Hopefully he learnt his lesson. Maybe soem of service will be for the War Memorial Commission or helping out the veterans in some way.
A correct sentence. I would hope he now understands why war memorials exist and that the names are there for a reason. He should now keep his head down, work hard and graduate with flying colours.
Enough is enough. I hope that Philip is allowed to continue his studdies and thrive. "Fair play" is what all those brave young men died for as well. Now lets be fair.
He should be made to do his community service cleaning toilets in army barracks with his tooth brush!!
I am from Sheffield and two of my father's family are honoured on the memorial. He was POW and I am certain he would say that ruining someone's life for a stupid act committeed in drink as a kid was not what he fought for.
What he was fighting against was "the iron fist" that Dessie is so keen to have used against other people.
The judge got it right both with the comments made and the sentence. It was a dreadfully disrespective act given lads of his age are losing their lives in a futile political stunt in Afganistan. But in the final analysis it was't a violent crime nor was any permanent damage done and a custodial sentence would have been disproprtionate. We have all been nineteen and done some something stupid whilst under the influence. The lad had shown remorse, he should do his communiuty work, and put it behind him. He has his family with him and I think he has learnt his lesson.
My daughter is also nineteen and at Sheffield and I think it is irresponsible of the organisers to arrange a "Carnage" pub crawl at £1 per shot. What are they thinking of?
I think this guy has learnt his lesson. I think we have all done a moment of madness in our lifetime and this is his. In his drunken stupor he just innocently took a p****. Only the morning after when seeing himself all over the news he happend to be p*****g all over a War Memorial and probably went into hiding away from the public outrage. He didn't get off light. 250 hours community service is a lot of hours to put back into the community and will take a long time to complete and his sentence would not end there...Hence the public outrage. This guy will be looking over his shoulder for some time to come- but all in all he has been punished enough.
The best that could happen to this clown would be to ship him of to Afghanistan where youngster are fighting and dying for people like him. It is all very well blaming it on drink he obviously has no respect and is probably a spoilt brat who has never done anything of any use in his life and probably never will.
This is the type of moron this country is now producing God Help Us
Readersdigest
“The best that could happen to this clown would be to ship him of to Afghanistan where youngster are fighting and dying for people like him”.
Why are people like you obsessed with shipping people out to a warzone?
Do you really believe that this lad who urinated in a public place should be sent out to fight untrained in a war? What exactly is that going to do to help anyone?
The fact that his crime was on a war memorial (although not very nice) is just the same in the eyes of the law as urinating up a shop front, it’s only the public outcry that has made it seem a lot worse than it was.
The way people like you carry on there will be no one under the age of 40 left in this country in while they will all be out in Afghanistan fighting.
I am impressed by the dignity and thoughtful humanity shown by John Bain.
Disgusted by the vicious, vengeful nastiness expressed by others here.
You are disgusted by the comments but not necessarily the act. Perhaps you need to re examine your standards.
I have made no comment about the act and any suggestion about what I think about it is pure invention on your part.
Perhaps it is those who would debase the memories of those who fought for freedom by their vicious and vengeful nastiness who could be asked to think about what they suggest.
While i think that this was extremly disrespectful, at the time, he probably didnt even realise where he was. He understands his wrong doing and i think that jail would be a bit harsh, i agree with Alex
Tezza,
I would send him to Afghanistan on the next plane, he knew what he was doing and didn't care one bit probably all a big joke to him. Nice to see how his parents dressed him for court the picture of innocence but in all truth a pathetic clown who probably hasn't got the bottle to do anything with his life unless guided by his parents. Aways remeber the people on the memorial fought and died for this country for you and for me.