I was troubled by the front page headline in last week’s Devizes edition of the Gazette and Herald, ‘Thief walks free’, because it implied that the thief is receiving no punishment at all. That is not true. Towards the end of the article, there is a statement that “Carter was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and told to pay compensation of £458.” The unpaid work requirement restricts his freedom, the compensation requirement restricts his freedom to spend his money as he likes and he has a prison sentence hanging over him.

The headline seems to imply that only prison sentences are appropriate sentences. I cannot believe that the editorial view of the newspaper is that, for instance, fines, driving bans, and sentences served in the community are not worth considering. The lapse into a sensational headline has distorted the truth and has done a disservice to your readers’ understanding of local justice.

Stephen Brazier, via email.