ktlight
4th August 2011, 07:40
FYI:
A London court has sentenced the protester who threw a pie of shaving foam at media tycoon Rupert Murdoch to six weeks in prison, media reports said.
Jonathan May-Bowles, 26, pleaded guilty last week to assaulting the 80-year-old Murdoch as he was giving evidence before a British parliamentary committee about the phone-hacking scandal by his newspapers within his media group.
May-Bowles, also known by his comedy stage name “Jonnie Marbles”, is to serve three weeks of the sentence for disrupting proceedings when he launched a paper plate of shaving foam in Murdoch's face, while the latter was speaking at the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee about the scandal.
Judge Daphne Wickham also ordered May-Boyles to pay 265 pounds in court costs.
The incident happened towards the end of the media mogul's appearance alongside his son, James, before MPs in the Wilson Room in Portcullis House on July 19.
Condemning the defendant's actions, Wickham said the committee before which Murdoch sat was "of huge importance" to many people.
"This is a parliamentary process, which as you know conducts itself with dignity and in a civilised fashion. Everybody else in the room expected that, with one exception - you", Wickham added.
May-Bowles, of Edinburgh Gardens, Windsor, Berkshire, admitted assault and causing harassment, alarm or distress at a hearing on Friday.
Tim Greaves, defending, said the part-time stand-up comic intended to "make a statement" through his actions.
"Slapstick and throwing pies dates back to the 1900s as a recognised form of protest," he said.
"He intended to express how he was feeling and how he believed the British public were feeling, and he sought to do that in the least harmful way he could", added the lawyer.
He said May-Bowles was an educated father of a young son who was involved in protest groups and had no previous criminal convictions.
Greaves returned to court later to announce that the protester was appealing against his sentence and to apply for bail.
He argued that the jail term was "excessive" and that sentencing guidelines had not been followed.
He said it was likely that May-Bowles would have served his sentence in full by the time the appeal came before a crown court judge.
But Wickham said she was not prepared to grant bail and ordered the comedian to remain in custody.
source
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192148.html
A London court has sentenced the protester who threw a pie of shaving foam at media tycoon Rupert Murdoch to six weeks in prison, media reports said.
Jonathan May-Bowles, 26, pleaded guilty last week to assaulting the 80-year-old Murdoch as he was giving evidence before a British parliamentary committee about the phone-hacking scandal by his newspapers within his media group.
May-Bowles, also known by his comedy stage name “Jonnie Marbles”, is to serve three weeks of the sentence for disrupting proceedings when he launched a paper plate of shaving foam in Murdoch's face, while the latter was speaking at the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee about the scandal.
Judge Daphne Wickham also ordered May-Boyles to pay 265 pounds in court costs.
The incident happened towards the end of the media mogul's appearance alongside his son, James, before MPs in the Wilson Room in Portcullis House on July 19.
Condemning the defendant's actions, Wickham said the committee before which Murdoch sat was "of huge importance" to many people.
"This is a parliamentary process, which as you know conducts itself with dignity and in a civilised fashion. Everybody else in the room expected that, with one exception - you", Wickham added.
May-Bowles, of Edinburgh Gardens, Windsor, Berkshire, admitted assault and causing harassment, alarm or distress at a hearing on Friday.
Tim Greaves, defending, said the part-time stand-up comic intended to "make a statement" through his actions.
"Slapstick and throwing pies dates back to the 1900s as a recognised form of protest," he said.
"He intended to express how he was feeling and how he believed the British public were feeling, and he sought to do that in the least harmful way he could", added the lawyer.
He said May-Bowles was an educated father of a young son who was involved in protest groups and had no previous criminal convictions.
Greaves returned to court later to announce that the protester was appealing against his sentence and to apply for bail.
He argued that the jail term was "excessive" and that sentencing guidelines had not been followed.
He said it was likely that May-Bowles would have served his sentence in full by the time the appeal came before a crown court judge.
But Wickham said she was not prepared to grant bail and ordered the comedian to remain in custody.
source
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192148.html