SIR – Having read about the Romanian rapist who had his jail term cut, and now about Hewan Gordon and his ‘right’ to stay in this country, I am wondering if our judiciary system has gone mad.

Since when do the rights of convicted criminals hold such sway with courts? The poor woman who was raped has been insulted by the Appeal Court judge, while her attacker gets three meals a day and tuition in English.

Likewise, all right-minded people will be appalled that Hewan Gordon gets to stay here on the grounds of human rights – no doubt at the taxpayers’ expense.

People who arrive from abroad and commit crime should be jailed then sent back to their country of origin. If they are at risk there, then hard luck. They should have thought of that before getting into trouble. Better they are at risk than members of the public or the police who try to protect us.

As for the judges, it’s about time they joined the rest of us in the real world and realised how resentful people feel when they see criminals cocking a snook at those who gave them refuge, with well-paid lawyers helping them do it, too.

Mrs Cathy MacKay, Bailey Hills Road, Bingley