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Published on October 8, 2004 By dharmagrl In Current Events

I read about this this morning.  It's yet another example of trying to use any method available to get out from accepting responsibility for your actions.

A judge didn't buy an East St Louis man's argument Thursday that his robbery conviction should be overturned beccause he ineffectively represented himself in court.

Carlos Leggs, 27, represented himself at trial and at his sentencing, where he recieved a 25 year prison terms for breaking into the home of an Alton, Il couple and robbing them at gunpoint.

The judge imposed the sentence after Leggs' unsuccessfully argued his conviction should be overturned because he had ineffective legal representation.  He said he had received ineffective representation early in the pendency of his case while he had an attorney, so he fired the attorney and took over his own defense. 

"When I took over,I was ineffective" he said....despite having bragged to jurors during the trial in June that he had "done a fine job" of representing himself.

Before imposing sentence, the judge called Leggs' argument "disingenious".

I'll say.


Comments
on Oct 08, 2004
Just when I think I've heard it all. These crooks pull things out of their a-- to try and beat the system.
on Oct 08, 2004

Just when I think I've heard it all.

That was my response too.  It beggars belief that someone could even have the balls to try this!  Whatever happened to admitting that you screwed up and taking the punshment?! 

on Oct 10, 2004
Heh, most courts make you sign a waiver or something that says if you do represent yourself, you cannot appeal later on because you were "denied proper representation."


I watch way too much Law and Order.
on Oct 10, 2004
Isn't there an old saying that goes something like... "A man that represents himself has a fool for a client"?