Soft justice slammed after magistrate gives thugs 'an early Christmas present' and postpones curfew so they can go to football match - 22nd Dec 2011

Karl Smith (right) and Jeffrey Burton, who beat a teenager up on a night out, have had their curfew relaxed so they can watch football.

Magistrates relaxed the curfews of two thugs so they could go to a football match ‘as an early Christmas present’.

Karl Smith and Jeffrey Burton had been ordered to stay at home between the hours of 9pm and 6am after they attacked a teenager outside a bar.

But their sentence was changed for one night so they could watch yesterday’s game between Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion.

The court’s decision has angered victim support groups who described it as an ‘outrage’ and another example of ‘soft justice Britain’. Read More