Molesting Preacher Walks Free After Sheriff Says He Already Suffered a “Spectacular Fall from Grace”

Hemant Mehta over at The Friendly Atheist offers a good look at this awful miscarriage of justice, "If the man wasn’t a preacher, is there any doubt he’d be in jail right now?"

Sheriff McGowan said the law required courts only to impose custodial sentences when no other disposal was appropriate.

He said: "There are many cases where the gravity of the offences are such that a custodial sentence is inevitable.
"Without in any way seeking to downplay the severity of the offences in this case, my view is that this is not the position here.

"The criminal justice social work report has assessed you as suitable for a community-based disposal, and in addition you have already suffered a spectacular fall from grace."

Molesting Preacher Walks Free After Sheriff Says He Already Suffered a “Spectacular Fall from Grace”