Spit On & Bite A Cop...

[Mr. Blunt]

John Marquez, 36, received a life sentence after spitting on a policeman during his arrest for allegedly beating his wife. Marquez from Sapulpa, Oklahoma received such a severe punishment because of the risk of transmitting a potentially deadly disease. Marquez, who was drunk at the time, also bit the policeman when he tried to prevent him from spitting again. Both men tested negative for any communicable diseases.


Source: http://start.earthlink.net/newsarticle?cat...es0200310171150

Whoa. I don't even know were to put this. Should this be here, or in funny stuff? I understand the reason about transmitting a disease, but to bad they don't say were the spit was at. If it was on his shoe or something, theres no way you can get a disease from that. (Well diseases that can be passed by spit.) This guy was already in deep shit for beating his wife, but damn, a life sentence?

Comments?

[MagicNakor]

Best guess would be he spat on the officer's face. Nasty drunks don't tend to go for the shoes.

[Rat Faced]

Even if it was in the cops open mouth and he swallowed it, it does not deserve a Life Sentence, unless he knew he had a comutable disease and there was intent to spread it....

And even then; only if it was a fatal disease with no cure or something....


As they both tested negative for a disease, i cant see how there was any "intent".....

[MagicNakor]

But perhaps beating your wife deserves a life sentence.

[Rat Faced]

Maybe... however i was commenting regarding this line:

Marquez from Sapulpa, Oklahoma received such a severe punishment because of the risk of transmitting a potentially deadly disease.

He deserves to be sent to the lower hells for beating on a women anyway....but to "receive such severe punishment" for spitting at a cop is, frankly, outrageous. If he had reseived "such severe punishment" for nearly killing his wife, and the spitting had been mentioned in passing, i wouldnt have a problem.

[MagicNakor]

Although if he's serving a life sentence, he won't be beating his wife anymore.

So maybe it all works out anyway.

[sparsely]

It'll never hold up on appeal, if anyone there has any common sense...
but, then agai, they gave that clumsy coffee-drinking bitch millions.

[billyfridge]

To take this post a step further, if you sneeze in lift\escalator etc, you could get a life sentance. the message we're getting here is, you can beat your wife, but god help you if you spit on a cop. what a load of bollocks

[J'Pol]

Don't take the phrase life sentence too literally, in relation to how long he will serve in prison. It seldom means anything even remotely like that.

In the UK the judge will say that and then also say what term should be served, which will then be subject to parole.

The life sentence part means that when the person is released they will be out, on licence. If they re-offend the licence will be revoked and another term will be served. However as they are re-offenders I have little sympathy.

That's my understanding of the UK situation.

PS I find it difficult to have sympathy for a wife beater who bites and spits on a Policeman who is arresting him. I would venture that he is guilty of serious assault / actual bodily harm, whether he is disease ridden or not.

[Busyman]

Originally posted by JPaul@19 October 2003 - 10:45
Don't take the phrase life sentence too literally, in relation to how long he will serve in prison. It seldom means anything even remotely like that.

In the UK the judge will say that and then also say what term should be served, which will then be subject to parole.

The life sentence part means that when the person is released they will be out, on licence. If they re-offend the licence will be revoked and another term will be served. However as they are re-offenders I have little sympathy.

That's my understanding of the UK situation.

PS I find it difficult to have sympathy for a wife beater who bites and spits on a Policeman who is arresting him. I would venture that he is guilty of serious assault / actual bodily harm, whether he is disease ridden or not.

Regardless, a "life sentence" even being said is outrageous.
It wasn't attempted murder.

It sounds like 2 counts of assault and 1 count of resisting arrest.
Where the hell do we get these dumb ass judges/jurors?
America's judicial system is ultimately too powerful.