What is a human life worth? Prior to 1964 the penalty for taking a life in the UK was capital punishment.

This was replaced five years later by a ‘mandatory life sentence.’ The British public understood this to mean a lifetime spent behind bars.

Fast forward to Chester Crown Court January 20, 2010 where 30-year-old, John Anthony Cunning-ham was sentenced for killing Neil McDonald, from Percyvale Street, Macclesfield, in an unprovoked attack in Waters Green.

Judge Elgin Edwards, who sat stony faced throughout, said he accepted evidence Cunningham was laughing as he walked away from the assault.

"On the night in question I am afraid you were looking for trouble," he said.

"I am driven to the conclusion that you are dangerous."

So, we have an unprovoked killing of an innocent man by a violent thug Judge Edwards considered ‘dangerous’.

What do you suppose the Government meant with their ‘mandatory life sentence’?

In 1969 it seemed very clear, hence the word ‘life.’ A decade or so later it appeared that ‘life’ could mean 20-25 years but each subsequent year brought reduced sentences.

By the 1990s a ‘life’ sentence could mean as little as 10 years but I doubt anyone anticipated the 30 months that Cunningham is expected to serve following his five-year sentence and four years under licence upon release.

Exactly how this serves as a deterrent to those bent on unprovoked violence or values the life of an individual I know not.

Given that Lester Piggott was sentenced to three years for defrauding the taxman and eccentric Bolton artist Shaun Greenhalgh four years and eight months for producing fake works of art in his garden shed, it appears the value of human life has diminished considerably since 1969.

I fail to see how an effective two-and-a-half year sentence constitutes justice or how it protects the public from a violent killer the judge considers ‘dangerous’.

Will we be subjected to another ‘lessons have been learned’ statement should some other unfortunate victim lose his or her life?

I suspect you know the answer.

The views on this page are Vic Barlow's and not necessarily those of the Express