A CAMPAIGN group has questioned why a stalker will only have to pay £2,000 towards the cost of an “entirely avoidable” £17,000 trial.
Penny Mellor harassed Colchester child abuse campaigner Shy Keenan with hundreds of offensive tweets and emails.
But despite a family income of £120,000 a year, Mellor will only have to pay back a fraction of the prosecution costs, while the rest will be footed by taxpayers.
Judge David Turner told Mellor the trial came at a “considerable cost” and was “entirely avoidable”, but she still plans to appeal her conviction, which is likely to cost taxpayers again.
A spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “Taxpayers will wonder why the punishment appears so lenient. You can’t put a price on justice, but there have to be questions about how much of the bill should be picked up by taxpayers.”
Mellor, 53, was also sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday. The child abuse campaigner made a series of accusations, and was found guilty of stalking Ms Keenan by a jury last month.
http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/12896349.Tormentor_of_child_abuse_crusader_avoids_jail/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel