I was thinking the other day about a friend of mine who's son was found guilty of arson (this is a few years back). Him and his friend crept into the school one night and had a few fags and lit a fire that got out of control and caused a lot of damage. He did it, so did his friend, they both got caught.

They were both advised to plead "not guilty" (even though they did it), but my friend said to her son you can't plead not guilty it's a lie. So after much soul searching it was decided that he should plead guilty which he did, he got sent down for six months (fair enough) but his mate who also did it pleaded "not guilty" and got off scott free!

It was found they were both on the premises at the time so why didn't the jury take into account that if one of them was guilty then the other must be?

And now she has to face up to the fact that if she'd let her son lie, he wouldn't have a criminal record. Sometimes it's hard to tell the truth.

Theres a case that has been running over here about a fight occuring outside a nightclub. drunken fight, lasting minutes, someone got killed. the people accused are the people who confessed their involvement the morning after (hearing about the death). 3 out of 4 were charged. however, there is witness testimony to support that there were more than 4 involved so the people who didnt confess, have got off scot free. I could go on with the details but i think, for me and quite simplistically, i cannot lie and not experience repercussions for myself. in some form. so i rate honesty as a quality that i regard in others and myself and quite selfishly relieves me of any horrible consequences.does honesty pay? i suppose it is about in what terms you are thinking. it might lead to a jail sentence, the break up of relationships, a lot of anguish but, again very simplistically, honesty keeps my engine running so there is no other way.

Yes I think I agree, tonee. In the end you are answerable to yourself.

I know it's only a soap, but I think that Katie would be much better off telling the truth and the Angela character is only making things worse by covering up and telling lies.

Yes I think I agree, tonee. In the end you are answerable to yourself.

I know it's only a soap, but I think that Katie would be much better off telling the truth and the Angela character is only making things worse by covering up and telling lies.

I too agree Tonee and Dol, I couldnt live with myself and would just have to tell the truth!

I know what you mean about Katie, I was screaming at the telly, ffs tell the rozzers you did it Katie, I guess she does eventually, but we will have weeks of her shivering, shaking, crying, whinging and whining first :wallbash:

Whether or not you should plead guilty depends on the evidence against you. Judges and Magistrates do not appreciate having their time wasted, and look very unfavourably upon those who plead "Not Guilty" to a crime they very obviously committed. Those who waste Court time are always sentenced more harshly than those who do not.

There is another benefit to pleading guilty. If you plead Not Guilty, the other side gets the chance to put all their evidence to the Court. If you are guilty as hell, and they have a clever brief, he'll bring out every last detail of what a case you really are.

If you plead Guilty, you get the chance to put your case for mercy to the Court and the prosecution cannot cross examine you. So you can say you were guilty, but give mitigation, e.g. you were suffering the aftermath of a marital breakdown and weren't in your right mind, have never done it before etc, without fear of reprisal.

That's why a lot of briefs will tell you to plead Guilty. You will always get a lesser sentence than if you don't, and are found guilty by the Court.

If your brief is telling you to plead Not Guilty but knows you are, it suggests there is some glaring flaw in the prosecution case that he feels he can exploit. Trouble is, if he's wrong, you're not gonna get off lightly.

I would have to tell the truth too, my conscience wouldn't let me lie. And I am such a crap liar that I would give myself away anyway...

I would have to tell the truth too, my conscience wouldn't let me lie. And I am such a crap liar that I would give myself away anyway...

and me chick - I would be scarlet, and if it wasnt for a serious thing, I would be giggling like a schoolgirl, I just cant tell lies!

bull****ter???? yes - I can spin a yarn all for a laugh, but thats it!

The sad part of this story for me - is that the 'liar' got off scott free. Yet the honest lad - despite his crime got sentenced!!

However, thinking more deeply about it - the 'liar' will have to live with his part in this, with his dishonesty, his reputation and his integrity in tatters, I wonder if he cares though?

Lying is bad, but there have been times when I've done it to save my skin. I've always felt really awful about it - luckily there haven't been too many occasions in my life so I have a trustworthy reputation amongst my pals, I'm not very good at lying.

Couldn't lie to a court though.. not for anything.

Why did the other lad get off, Dol? It seems so unfair.

And we wonder why our justice system is in such a mess. Plead Not Guilty, even though you know you done it and you will get a lesser sentence or maybe not even one at all. It just isn't right.