The Independent reports on a case from the UK where a man apparently received a light sentence for a serious assault because he was religious:
In court Mr Miah pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. At sentencing, Mrs Blair appeared to take into account Mr Miah's religious convictions as a partial reason for imposing a more lenient sentence.The UK's National Secular Society has lodged a complaint with the Judicial Complaints Office, and rightly so. Its one thing to suspend a sentence for a first offender who is unlikely to reoffend - but this goes beyond that, and apparently grants favourable treatment on the basis of religion. And that is simply not acceptable in a modern democracy. What next? They'll decide to give higher sentences to atheists because we're obviously immoral godless people?“I am going to suspend this sentence for the period of two years based on the fact you are a religious person and have not been in trouble before,” she said. “You caused a mild fracture to the jaw of a member of the public standing in a queue at Lloyds Bank. You are a religious man and you know this is not acceptable behaviour.”
