There was one case I found in New York where Judge Gerard Lynch found that Lucila Jimenez, who had pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported earlier, needed a bit of a break.

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When Hyde was jailed in February 2012 for three years, Judge Patrick Lynch QC told him that if he had not agreed to identify the alleged culprits in Mr O'Hagan's murder and give evidence about the activities of the outlawed LVF, he would have been jailed for 18 years.

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"We believe the judge made a difficult but correct decision, " Lynch said.

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