h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Topical question in the UK at the minute as a convicted criminal on day release from a life sentence for multiple rape has bought a lottery ticket and scooped a £7,000,000 win.

On the news last night 80% of those who voted in their poll (C5 new that is) thought this person should not collect the winnings.

What's hootoos take on this?

My own view? Well who *does* deserve to win the lottery? I play it, and if I win I'll be (a) very suprised and (b) very 'undeserving' as like everybody else who's won it I won't have worked an hour for that money.
I think banning criminals from winning it is ludicrous. Where do you draw the line? Do we ban people with points on their driving license, people who were idiots and mugged someone at 14 yet have led a clean life since? Drug addicts?

I'm sure nobody would disagree that this guy is/was a nasty piece of work who deserved the 15 years he spent in prison. But that is the justice system, we can't invent a new punishment (ie. punish him twice for the same crime) because he got lucky on a gamble.

Whatever he has done, he has gone through our legal system and has been banged up and brought to rights. Apparently, it is legal for him on weekend release to purchase a lottery ticket - therefore, he has as much right to get the money as anyone.

The typical knee jerk reaction from the despot Blunkett to now "Do Something" is a typical stunt from a stunted intelligence and will only appease the blue rinse handbag weilding shocked and horrified Daily Mail readers.

Indeed. Shockingly, I appear to be on the same side as Boris Johnson

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/08/12/do1202.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/08/12/ixportal.html

Criminals should be allowed to play the lottery. He should be allowed to collect the winnings. Of course the victims may want to sue him now. However, I probably wouldn't put lottery terminals in prisons.

You say that we cannot punish him twice for his crime, but this Blunkett's Britain. You will do as he says, or you will be picked up for littering or something of similar magnitude - and once you are in his criminal justice system that is it, game over. Well, maybe not yet - but it certainly seems this is the way it is going. Thank you for reading my paranoid ravings Until later....
BCNU - Crescent

Nothing wrong with the guy collecting his winnings as far as I can see. He bought a ticket fair and square and there’s apparently nothing in the competition rules against convicted rapists (or anyone else) buying a ticket. On what grounds could people like him be excluded from the Lottery anyway? If you don’t want to allow certain groups to enter, you need to change the rules and just where are you supposed to draw the lines, anyway? Should we let burglars, litter louts, gun owners, vegetarians, birdwatchers and people who won’t wear socks buy lottery tickets if they want to?

People are probably just frustrated as usual about the apparent injustices of life. But nobody should really expect life to be fair, unfortunately.

Why the fuss over this chap? It is because rape is a more 'newsworthy' crime than, say, being drunk and disorderly? There were no calls to take away the cash from another criminal unless I am forgetting something - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/3870535.stm.

Is this a case of the gutter press wanting to work the public up into a frenzy because there are no pretty, middle-class white girls missing believed abducted?

yet more diversionary tactics. Amazing how quick they are to respond to something that doesn't really matter but has a high profile.
What gets me is that I strongly suspect that a lot of the motive behind the 'not allowing them' movement is a case of jealousy. I.e. I haven;t won the lottery so why should someone else, oh and here's an arbitary reason that if I shout about enough people might believe.

Well, it does kind of show there is no justice in the world. But how would you have kept him from it. Make a law that says you have to show your criminal record every time you buy a lottery ticket or scratch card? And I think we are already taking too many options away from criminals. Remember, the most dangerous man is the one that has nothing to lose.

Ah yes, Mr Carroll, everbody's favourite lottery winner

I'm reassured, I thought I might get a more intelligent response than that generated on the news poll last night.

"Well, it does kind of show there is no justice in the world"
nowt new there, Presumably they will also be banning anyone with a criminal record from gambling in any other manner as well, presumably including starting up legitimate business and share dealing. And from having national savings bonds.

The people who took part in the news poll last night are probably all Daily Mail readers going purple with outrage under their blue rinse

Hang on - if this gets lovely "Middle" England all worked up in a lather, all we need now is the Lotteries to donate £30 million to somewhere like the Feltham young offenders unit to give the poor loves a nice Caribean holiday. Blunkett would implode with rage!
(One way of getting shot of him)

That would never happen - businesses and share dealing are heading towards the white collar end of the justice system, and if a politician is caught doing something dodgy, then you cannot take away their livelyhoods when they get out Until later...
BCNU - Crescent

"and if a politician is caught doing something dodgy"

*if*

Unsavoury though it may feel, I agree that he's won it fairly. I just wonder how long it will last him & how he will use it. Hasn't Carroll used up most of his winnings?

Yes, that's one of the attractions of the Lottery - anyone can win it.

"It could be YOU!"

Sulking and complaing that "Life's not fair!" isn't going to change things. Is it any fairer than 1 person winning £21 million? No. That's exactly the point.

I did read a newspaper report with the guy's brother, who expressed regret that his victims will have to suffer once more due to the uninvited rabble-rousing tabloid reporting.

On the (albeit minor) plus side - his victims now have a reason to claim for damages. (Usually not worthwhile)

What would happen if you won the lottery, but THEN went on to become a criminal?

Would that get the Daily Mail readers spinning in their bath chairs as well?

I would reckon there's been a fair few 'criminals' already who have 'won' the lottery. They just haven't been serving a sentence for rape and they haven't won 7 million.

I can't help but feel that there would be an equal outcry the first time 'our kev' goes to buy a ticket and is refused because of his 15 breaches of the peace and 6 ABH convictions.

Imagine the consequences.

"What do you mean I can´t cash the money, I got the winning lottery ticket!?!"
"Yes, but our CCTV shows that when you went to buy the ticket, you walked across the street where there was no zebra crossing. I´m afraid that invalidates it."

The victims of this guy cannot claim for compensation as there is a six year limit on such claims. He's been inside for 15 years.