Lesson 22

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    Rachet Farrington, of Maypole Road, Sheepbridge, Huddersfield, was only 16 when she left Yorkshire and went to London with her boyfriend.
    A year later she was threatening to shoot a gang of drug dealers while her accomplice, a hardened criminal, tied them up.
    The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to robbery, having an imitation firearm and aggravated burglary on July 5, 1986, but thejudge deferred sentencing for six months and told her to go home.

    "I had intended to impose a sentenee of two years in prison," said Recorder James Crespi, QC. "Your co-defendant was lucky to get only six years.
    "But I am reluctant to send you to prison. You were extremely young. You came to London and got involved with drug dealers. Go back to Yorkshire. Try to get a job and lead a sensible life."
    The judge was told that Rachel found herself involved in London's drugs underworld soon after she arrived.
    She met "a man involved with drugs " who became her new boyfriend, said her defence counsel, Mr.Stephen Leslie.

　

    Within a month the relationship had turned ugly and she finally left after a horrifying attack.
    "She bore a grudge, but because of things that had happened earlier she did not report it to police," said Mr. Leslie.
    Rachel found a new friend, Garnet Gibson, who proved equally dangerous. He was ten years older than her and had been in prison many times.
    When she told him what she had endured in the attack by her exboyfriend and his associates, Gibson told she could get her revenge and Rachel agreed.
    "Except for the grudge this was completely out of character and she was completely out of her depth," said Mr.Leslie.

    The coupie burst into a flat in North London, where Gibson, armed with an air-pistol, ordered Rachel to tie up the three men found inside.
    But the inexperienced girl did such a poor job of it that Gibson handed her the gun while he tied up the men.
    The victims soon realized Rachel was helpless despite her threats to shoot them and they fought back.
    She was biushed aside by one man and finally she just walked out of the flat and threw the gun away.
    Gibson was soon overpowered by the men and police were called in.

　

    Rachel admitted everything to police and was bailed, but she fled to Portugal and did not return until a month after Gibson's trial. He was jailed for six years in July last year.
    Rachel was rearrested as she entered Britain. Her mother had sent her the fare home so that she could return for medical treatmeot for a cyst.
    The court heard that Rachel was one of nine children and was from an "excellent" family.
    Her mother, Mrs. Mary Farrington, told the judge that her daughter had got out of hand after her father died of cancer and Rachel lost her job through illness.
    She said: "I have a home for her and the family is willing to help her in any way we can."

　

                     5. Police Are Pals to Convicts

    It doesn't look like a jail at first sight. Situated in Jixi County in remote
northeastern Jilin Province, this prison has neither high walls nor electrified barbed wire to prevent prisoners from escaping.
    A small wooden fence around the compound looks like those around farmers' fields. Only the wofd "Cordon" printed on the planks suggest something unusual about the place.
    Since 1986 none of the several hundred male prisoners jailed here has tried to escape. And those who have finished their sentences seldom return to crime. The recidivism rate in only 0.5 per cent, much lower than the 3 per cent common in other Chinese prisons.

    Perhaps even more amazing is 80 per cent of the released inmates have become friends of their guards.
    Some ex-convicts have travelled many miles back to the prison to see Wang Hongwu, the head of the security police.
    One sent a bull of fine breed when he heard that a bull was badly needed in the prison.
    It was quite a different story when the prison was first set up years ago. The prisoners toed the line during the day but were hellions at night, stealing chickens from the farmers' cottages and causing all sorts of mischief .These acts precipitated many letters of complaint to the authorities from residents who had become vicitms.
    Then Wang stepped in. That was in 19

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