Sometimes the written word can be misread or misinterpreted. And there are some things that really shouldn’t be left open to interpretation.

When my Yahoo News bulletin flashed up an article from SkyNews about a Japanese student who was arrested after driving for four miles with the body of an 80-year-old pensioner lodged in her car windscreen, I had to backtrack and reread the piece to ensure I had read it right.

However, considering the nature of shocking things you read in the newspapers these days, I was less perturbed by the story itself than by the statement at the end which stipulated that if convicted of this crime, the woman “faces up to 17 years in prison or a fine of up to £13,500.”

17 years in prison or a fine of up to £13,500??? That makes it sounds like she gets the option – Spend two decades behind bars or pay up! Which led me to think – that’s a bit unbalanced? Is a mere £13,500 the value they place on avoiding 17 years in prison?

Then I figured they must mean she will at the very least be fined around £13,500 and at the very most get 17 years in prison. But isn’t that a rather huge disparity in possible punishments?

If I could email SkyNews or Yahoo News I would ask for some clarification please.

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity Manager