Judge Gives Child Rapist Probation Because He's "Too Short" To Survive Prison

Of course, he didn't exactly check the height of his victim, did he?

A judge said a 5-foot-1 man convicted of sexually assaulting a child was too small to survive in prison, and gave him 10 years of probation instead.

His crimes deserved a long sentence, District Judge Kristine Cecava said, but she worried that Richard W. Thompson, 50, would be especially imperiled by prison dangers.

"You are a sex offender, and you did it to a child," she said.

But, she said, "That doesn't make you a hunter. You do not fit in that category."

Thompson will be electronically monitored the first four months of his probation, and he was told to never be alone with someone under age 18 or date or live with a woman whose children were under 18. Cecava also ordered Thompson to get rid of his pornography.

Is that bad? It gets worse. Look how lenient the judge has decided to treat him even if he violates the terms of probation:

He faces 30 days of jail each year of his probation unless he follows its conditions closely.

I don't know if that's a misprint or what, but that means he could violate probation and assault another child and get less than ten months in jail for doing so.

My favorite part of these bleeding-heart judges -- like Leona Brinkema -- is that they always end their sentencing decisions by attempting to make it sound as if they've really been tough on the criminal.

"I want control of you until I know you have integrated change into your life," the judge told Thompson.

Wow. You tell 'im, judge. He sexually assaulted a child, and you're letting him back on the street, but you'll be "controlling" him until he "integrates change" into his life.

"I truly hope that my bet on you being OK out in society is not misplaced."

Well, that's the best we could have had -- the hope that he won't assault another child back out on the streets.

Oh, wait, no it's not. You could have put him in jail and insured he wouldn't sexually assault another child.

So-- apparently it was too much of a risk to bear that this little midget pervert will be violated in prison, but this judge is quite willing to put a child at risk of violation at his hands.

That's some sweet liberal compassion and understanding for ya.

posted by Ace at 10:04 AM

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