'Inappropriate' to pay compensation

A Judge who told a father to pay compensation to a drug dealer who turned his sons into addicts changed his mind today about the court order.

Judge David Griffiths sparked a public outcry when he initially ordered self-employed builder Roger Dorrington to pay £250 compensation to James White for attacking the dealer.

But sitting at Southampton Crown Court today, the judge said it had been "inappropriate" to make him pay the money and he formally rescinded the order.

The case centred on Mr Dorrington's direct action against the dealer he blamed for leading his sons from experimenting with cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy to heroin.

He banned White from the family's home in the New Forest, but was enraged one day to discover the 24-year-old in a bedroom cutting up heroin. He admitted punching him 15 times and throwing him off his property.

Appearing in court charged with causing actual bodily harm, Mr Dorrington was told that detection, charging and punishment was a matter for the criminal justice system and the courts, not for individuals.

The judge added that in the circumstances he understood how the father had lost his temper and was not going to send him to prison.

Mr Dorrington, who was also sentenced to 100 hours of community service, vowed not to pay the money and received hundreds of messages of support. Faced by threats that the case would be raised in parliament, Judge Griffiths today changed his mind.

Judge Griffiths said: "I was already having doubts about the appropriateness of such an order before I became aware of any criticism in the media. I must confess those doubts have been increased by the publicity this case has generated."

Mr Dorrington's defence Giles Curtis-Raleigh said: "It cannot be right for the court to hand money over to someone who will put it into the murky world of class A drugs."

Judge Griffiths said: "I wish I had asked counsel to address me on the appropriateness of the order and if they had done so if should have been clear to me that in the particular circumstances of this case a compensation order was not appropriate. I acknowledge now I should not have made that order and I rescind it."

Mr Dorrington said he was happy with the situation. His sons Nicholas and Joseph are now off heroin.