Man imprisoned for holding girlfriend hostage for 9 months

[Redway]

A mother-of-two looking for love online was held prisoner by her new boyfriend for nine months in a house with no electricity while guarded by a dog who would routinely maul her.
Becky Keegan, 24, only escaped David Lacey by jumping from a window and running away despite having a broken ankle.
Lacey was jailed in July for 22 months after pleading guilty to false imprisonment and abstracting electricity after 'stealing her life for almost a year'.

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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3286007/Young-woman-24-tells-boyfriend-met-online-imprisoned-NINE-months-escaped-kitchen-window.html#ixzz3pWXkbcQ9
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Shocking he only got 22 months for such a horrific crime (and he might even get it halved for "good behaviour").

[Josy]

22 months? what the hell kind of sentence is that

[Ashley.]

22 months? what the hell kind of sentence is that

The circumstances of this case meant that he was given a longer jail sentence. It's usually around a year, give or take a few months.

[Josy]

After reading the entire article some things don't add up, I know he admitted the crime he was jailed for but she says 'I was allowed to go to his mums for an hour or two', why not leg it? or attempt to alert someone else of her situation :eek:

[Josy]

The circumstances of this case meant that he was given a longer jail sentence. It's usually around a year, give or take a few months.

That's not accurate tbh, more serious cases that involve threats and or violence can be sentences of up to 20 years.

[Ashley.]

That's not accurate tbh, more serious cases that involve threats and or violence can be sentences of up to 20 years.

Time for false imprisonment is close to a year. The addition of acts such as GBH, threats and whatever else is what contributes to such long sentences.

[Josy]

Time for false imprisonment is close to a year. The addition of acts such as GBH, threats and whatever else is what contributes to such long sentences.

Which is what I just posted?

And in this case there was both violence and threats involved which is why I found the sentence to be very lenient however after reading the entire article some things don't add up...

[Ashley.]

Which is what I just posted?

And in this case there was both violence and threats involved which is why I found the sentence to be very lenient however after reading the entire article some things don't add up...

It's interesting. I can imagine that if she wasn't allowed to leave and pay regular visits, he'd have got a longer sentence. You're completely right, she had the chance to leave whenever she wanted, so was the imprisonment that strong? She must've chosen to return to him so you could argue that the imprisonment wasn't really that strong at all. Especially since that there's no evidence of him forcing her to return to him or threatening her with violence.

[Cal.]

Why didn't she just smash a window when he left?

[Dollface]

She was allowed to leave to go to see his mum :conf: that's strange, why didn't she run to a police station on one of these visits to his mum's house?

[Ammi]

...this sounds like Misery only without the cutting off of limbs bit/so scary...I agree though, the bit about her going to his mum's house sounds odd in that even though he would have probably taken her, so still never letting her out of his sight and I reckon she would have felt too terrified to say anything while there ...did his mum also know what he was doing...

[Ammi]

...I guess not actually and I can understand why she wouldn't have said anything there as she wouldn't know either, what reaction that would have with it being his mum and not really a 'neutral' place to try to escape from...

[Northern Monkey]

I think my misses should be locked up for holding me hostage for the last 8 years:laugh:

[bots]

this story is 1 side of events, its not a report from court, under oath or anything else. Given that and the seeming lenience of the sentence, I'm guessing there is more to it than is being portrayed

[JoshBB]

Should've been at least 5 years

[Ashley.]

Should've been at least 5 years

If it should have been 5 years, he would have got 5 years...

The judge wouldn't take away a few years just because he was feeling generous. We don't even know the circumstances of the imprisonment and it seemed she had the chance to leave but didn't, which would have helped his defence.

[Kizzy]

22 months?!! :/ That's crazy, for any victim of domestic violence that is going to be a really disheartening message.

[Ashley.]

22 months?!! :/ That's crazy, for any victim of domestic violence that is going to be a really disheartening message.

Did violence occur in this case?

[joeysteele]

Had he stolen around £20,000+ he would have been locked away for years likely, unbelievable.
The sentencing process needs a massive overhaul.

[Kizzy]

Did violence occur in this case?

He imprisoned her in a house and had his dog regularly maul her, have you read the article?

[Livia]

The circumstances of this case meant that he was given a longer jail sentence. It's usually around a year, give or take a few months.

Still giving us the benefit of your "legal expertise" I see. Is that your opinion as a "defence attorney"?