[greymule]

They most likely got away "Scott free"

Good post, Pete. The same problem arises with juvenile offenders who commit crimes with impunity and suddenly find themselves in adult court when they turn 18.

I can't resist commenting on the phrase Scot free. In America, a jury (generally) has to choose between "guilty" and "not guilty." In Scotland, they have long had a third choice: "not proven." (The framers of our Constitution didn't like "not proven" and eliminated it.)

So though the phrase Scot free is often used to mean "completely free," it's actually a way of saying, "He did it, but they couldn't prove it."