Sir,

I wish John O'Donoghue (he of the zero tolerance doggerel) would call
to my guesthouse and try consoling one of my guests, a young American
tourist, who was viciously assaulted in Dublin last week. As she
walked along one of our busy streets, two thugs pulled up alongside
her in a car. They snatched her handbag, she held on, and was dragged
for some 20 yards, eventually giving up. She lost her bag, credit
card, money, etc., and also suffered significant personal injuries.

Much was made of the harsh sentence handed down to a young heroin
addict who snatched a handbag, and the leniency with which Charles
Haughey appears to have been treated. As a society we have become very
tolerant of serious crime, and if someone is a drug addict, it seems
to be a plausible excuse for any felony. I say yes to tough sentences
for white-collar criminals, but also yes to the nine-year sentence for
the heroin addict who snatched the handbag.

Yours, etc.
DAVID P. JAMESON, The Cumberland Lodge, York Road, Dun
Laoghaire, Co Dublin.