The scales of crime, justice and punishment are unbalanced - Bruce Whitehead

Two years ago 16-year old Lucy Runciman slammed a younger schoolgirl to the ground where she cracked her head, permanently scarring her victim, before repeatedly punching her unconscious at a fast food outlet in Edinburgh city centre.

Sheriff Fergus Thomson said it was only a matter of "luck" that the victim's injuries were not worse, calling it "an extremely serious assault".

Scottish sentencing guidelines allow for six months in prison for common assault, with extra time added for aggravating factors and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment available to judges for the most serious cases.

The Sheriff himself described the case as "extremely serious", yet despite all this he merely tagged Runciman for three years and assigned her a social worker.

The victim's mother called the sentence "a joke", telling reporters she was disappointed - and so must be every person who cares about children's safety.

Recently I suggested most cyclists might not agree with the Procurator Fiscal, Faith Currie when she suggested Joseph Hedley's tagging had brought him "fully to account for his crimes" after he battered and almost killed a cyclist.

I wonder if the same applies to her colleague Sheriff Thomson's lenient sentence for an unprovoked, prolonged and aggravated violent attack on an innocent 15-year-old schoolgirl.

In August, the driver who killed 11-year old Thomas Wong in Barnton got his licence back, after being given just 17 days community service.

Still, sentences are sometimes increased on reflection and appeal; one example was in June when Kevin Smith's 28-month jail term for knifing and battering a friend was doubled.

Sometimes though, it's no surprise how little respect there is for a legal system with such unbalanced scales of crime, justice and punishment.