Boo f***in' hoo.
“was abruptly sentenced to life imprisonment despite a binding plea bargain that restricted any request for so harsh a term”
My recollection is that, as part of the plea bargain, Pollard had stipulated only to passing to Israel very limited classified information that would only help Israel defend itself against attacks from Arab states. When the Navy then dumped on the judge the full extent of the espionage that Pollard had committed, the judge asked Pollard to respond. When Pollard and his lawyer fell silent, the judge abruptly threw out the plea bargain and handed down the 30 year sentence.