Court Of Trial : The Sentencing Of Tom Mobey

On the 8th of November I visited Oxford crown court; whilst I had previously attended various levels of courts to witness trials, I had never watched a sentencing. Therefore, intrigued to see the process, I decided to watch the sentencing of Tom Mobey. Immediately upon entering the courtroom I noticed a very different atmosphere to trial, one that was much more private and personal. There was a limited number of people in court: just the two opposing counsel, a clerk, the defendant and his accompanying custody officer. In addition, the defendant was not retained in the dock behind glass, but rather sat in front of it. As we raised upon the judge’s entry, I instantly noticed she was female which was refreshing and encouraging to see considering the profession is notoriously male dominated; something I myself have previously experienced until this point.

The hearing then commenced with the prosecutor outlining the facts of the case. Mobey, the defendant, owned a small business called ‘1st choice guttering maintenance ltd’ which specialised in gutter repairs and general maintenance work. However, Mobey also advertised advanced roofing services, despite the fact neither himself nor his staff were qualified in this area. It transpired that both Ms Dainton and Ms Benton, two very elderly ladies, had contacted Mobey enquiring about roof repairs. Upon brief inspection, Mobey provided a quote and requested large cash deposits. In both circumstances, Mobey later claimed there was