Pubdate: Sat, 06 Dec 2008 Source: News of the World (UK) Copyright: News Group Newspapers Ltd, 2008 Contact: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1682 Author: James Mulholland LAW'S IN A FINE MESS Courts 'Put Cash Before Business' LAW chiefs were last night accused of putting cash before public safety -- by REFUSING to prosecute violent thugs. A senior lawyer claims yobs who should be jailed are getting away with small fiscal FINES. And that means they can escape without even getting a criminal record. The Crown Office has also told local fiscals that people caught with up to UKP100,000 of heroin or cocaine should be tried in a SHERIFF court - -- so the longest sentence they face is five years. The highly experienced lawyer said: "Scotland's criminal justice system is being run like a business. It's all about profit and loss these days. "Giving out a fine instead of taking a case to court can save the taxpayer UKP2,000. "But this doesn't deter thugs from attacking people." In Dundee recently, a man accused of assaulting a nurse at the city's Ninewells Hospital escaped with just a UKP50 fixed penalty. The legal insider added: "The beancounters have worked out that High Court cases cost more than twice as much as those in sheriff courts. "Drug traffickers know they can be out of jail in 2 years -- that's an acceptable risk for them. The Crown Office is not helping the war on drugs. It's RIDICULOUS." Last night Scots Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken, above, blasted: "This sends out completely the wrong signal to criminals." The Crown Office denied that fiscals were making decisions based on financial concerns. A spokesman added: "Each case is considered on its own facts." - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath