JOHN CRONIN,
Madam, - On Thursday a citizen found guilty at Midelton district court of possessing child pornography had his jail sentence commuted to community service on payment of €40,000 to charity.
On the same day at Rathdrum district court, five non-nationals were sentenced to between four and six months' imprisonment because, while the owner of a shop admitted that they had stolen nothing, the judge ruled "it reasonable to infer that they had intended to commit an offence".
On this basis they might have been better to steal than to think about it. But then they probably didn't have €40,000 either. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN CRONIN, College Crescent, Terenure, Dublin 6w.
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Madam, - It must be of great comfort to users of internet child pornography that a donation of €40 to charity for each downloaded image will purchase a non-custodial sentence in our courts. - Yours, etc.,
JONATHAN HESSION, Northumberland Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
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Madam, - According to its website, a 12-week certificate cookery course at Ballymaloe Cookery School costs about €7,000 (with waiting lists for two courses in 2003).
It strikes me that half-a-dozen participants will cover the contribution to the Edith Wilkins Foundation for street children in India. - Yours, etc.,
ULTAN Ó BROIN, San Francisco, California.