Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Meet Gregory Todd and the engagement ring he hopes to give his new fiancee… in somewhere from one to three and a half years.
Why so long? Because he proposed to her in Hull Crown Court during his plea with the judge for leniency in Tiffany Baillie’s sentencing after she was convicted of GBH with intent for stabbing Todd as he slept last december.
Baillie was depressed at the time because she had suffered a miscarriage. She also, apparently, had had quite a bit to drink that night. For my money, this might contribute to an explanation, but hardly excuses her actions… particularly since her actions lead to Mr. Todd spending three months in the hospital recovering from damage done to his pancreas and spleen.
Todd, however, has forgiven all. Outside the court he said:
“I hoped to give her the ring today, if she had got a suspended sentence. I asked the judge if I could give it to her in court, but he said no. The barrister took the ring to the cells and she tried it on. It fits. Now I have got the ring back but no Tiffany.”
The judge weighed the facts, Baillie’s guilty plea, and Mr. Todd’s amazingly forgiving nature against the seriousness of the crime. Out of a potential twelve years, Baillie has been sentenced to four with credit for time served. With good behavior, it’s quite possible she’ll be back with Todd and with her twelve-year-old son in a year.
Mr. Todd, I wish you the very best of British luck.