This country's judicial system makes me weep

[munchingfoo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7326439.stm

They'll get as much time as it took him to do his University degree, half if they pretend to be good.

This wasn't some freak accident, or manslaughter. They held a knife to his throat whilst they did it. You should get more than 4 years for just carrying a fucking knife!

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

[Nymphomanic]

Yeah - it is fairly crap. It's a bit like those guys a few weeks ago who beat a disabled man to death for a five pound bet.

Quoting munchingfoo from 19:47, 4th Apr 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7326439.stm

They'll get as much time as it took him to do his University degree, half if they pretend to be good.

This wasn't some freak accident, or manslaughter. They held a knife to his throat whilst they did it. You should get more than 4 years for just carrying a fucking knife!

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

[hr]

I read most of the night and go south in winter - wasteland

[Garnet]

I'm really surprised there isn't more vigilantism

[hr]

so alive, so full of fire and music!

[Nickel]

Quoting garnet from 19:59, 4th Apr 2008
I'm really surprised there isn't more vigilantism

particularly given the low costs

[Jono]

A group of people around here decided to form a vigilante group called the red berets to tackle the growing problem of youth-crime in Denbigh. They had to disband after the police turned up to a meeting, and told them that they all (law-abiding pillars of the community) risked being jailed for vigilante action if they didn't disperse!

As loath as I am to apply video game standards to real life (a lie.) I think we need to re-organize our police in line with half life 2's Civil Protection. Police who wear identical face masks, hassle law-breakers, and have beating quotas!

Bring back Gene Hunt!

[Al]

Quoting jono from 20:45, 4th Apr 2008
A group of people around here decided to form a vigilante group called the red berets to tackle the growing problem of youth-crime in Denbigh. They had to disband after the police turned up to a meeting, and told them that they all (law-abiding pillars of the community) risked being jailed for vigilante action if they didn't disperse!

Eh? What's your point? A vigilante group is threatened with being jailed for vigilante action? Quite right too. It always makes me smile when these sort of people try to build up their "law-abiding" credentials. All people are law-abiding until they decide to break the law. Then they're not. Then they're criminals.

[Jono]

The "point" if there was one, is the general daily-mail-esq comparison of the the police failing to crack down on loutish behaviour; yet swininging into action against the old men trying to do something about it.

I don't actually agree with what they did; But I do think that something's got to give!

[Steveo]

Hanging, anyone?

[hr]

Get off my internet.

[Haunted]

Depends on what said vigilante group intended to do. If they were actually advocating harm against other poeple then fair enough. But if they were just going to patrol the neighbourhood in the hope their mere presence would encourage troublemakers to disperse then theres no problem, at least there shouldn't be.

[hr]

Now with 100% more corn

[Guest]

There is one easy solution to all this, you know: we need to start deporting the poor.

[Super Jock]

What we really need is a couple of super heros.

[McK]

Quoting Haunted from 00:53, 5th Apr 2008
Depends on what said vigilante group intended to do. If they were actually advocating harm against other poeple then fair enough. But if they were just going to patrol the neighbourhood in the hope their mere presence would encourage troublemakers to disperse then theres no problem, at least there shouldn't be.

[hr]

Now with 100% more corn

Caselaw in both Scotland and England & Wales suggests even this would be unlawful. Any sort of 'private army', of which this sort of thing would be an example, is simply contrary to our laws on public order. It is for the Police, whose powers are conferred by statute, to carry out this job. If they aren't doing well enough, or haven't sufficient funds, it is for them and the government to remedy the problem.

[Gubbins]

Quoting from 11:32, 13th Apr 2008
There is one easy solution to all this, you know: we need to start deporting the poor.

Or we could go back to the old system of deporting the criminals. Here, I see two options: firstly, deport them to somewhere where there are no permanent inhabitants - i.e. Antarctica; or secondly, outsource our prison scheme and send them all over to Guantanamo Bay. That should be a bit more of a deterrent!

[hr]

...then again, that is only my opinion.

[Haunted]

Quoting McK from 10:03, 14th Apr 2008
Caselaw in both Scotland and England & Wales suggests even this would be unlawful. Any sort of 'private army', of which this sort of thing would be an example, is simply contrary to our laws on public order. It is for the Police, whose powers are conferred by statute, to carry out this job. If they aren't doing well enough, or haven't sufficient funds, it is for them and the government to remedy the problem.

What about neighbourhood watch programs? Thats the sort of thing I was going for.

[hr]

Now with 100% more corn

[Jono]

Public burnings have historically served as a deterrant. Country used to be full of Witches, hanging around street corners with Asylum seekers; Cursing normal folk. Huddling around cauldrons getting high off the fumes! Horrible trouble-makers. Burnings sorted that right out! No more Witches!

[Grant]

I'd like to see harsher punishments. Preferably carried out by some sort of elite murder squad. hahaha, i'd apply happily.

Ideally, what you do to someone else should be re enacted on you. In this case, those lads should each be threatenedat knife point, and then punched hard enough to cause a fatal haemorrhage.

Its getting to the stage here that the police wont do anything because of the involved paperwork, and you are not allowed to fight back either, in case you hurt the criminal. Fuck that.

[TheUnixKid]

Quoting munchingfoo from 19:47, 4th Apr 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7326439.stm

They'll get as much time as it took him to do his University degree, half if they pretend to be good.

This wasn't some freak accident, or manslaughter. They held a knife to his throat whilst they did it. You should get more than 4 years for just carrying a fucking knife!

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

I don't think the BBCs' limited reportage of that case provides enough evidence to come to any sort of reasoned conclusion about the merit of the sentences given.

[ONeill]

Sounds a lot like a story that hit the local papers recently which detailed an attack just down the road in Kirkcaldy.

A gentleman was followed from a cash machine by one man and two women, who demanded he hand over his wallet. Refusing, the gentleman was beaten to the ground and repeatedly assaulted on the floor as his wallet was taken from him. The damage done by the assault was said to be serious enough that it will leave the man with a long term disability.

After being identified on CCTV at the bus station and picked up by police the 3 involved are looking to get off lightly. One woman openly admitted that they had planned the attack in advance, hoping to prey on a woman or elderly victim who would be intimidated into handing over the money. She claimed it was essential that they got their hands on money as they needed it to purchase heroin later in the day. The sentence issued did not involved a prison spell and only several hundred hours of community service.

The factor that may have aided the trio of attackers in their defense was apparently the fact they were now 'off heroin' and 'completely clean'. I pity the now disabled bloke who can only watch as his attackers walk free.

[hr]

http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37108339

"Hypnosis. You know, I'm not a big fan of that bark-like-a-chicken, cluck-like-a-dog stuff."

[TheUnixKid]

I expect the lack of custodial sentence is because of prison numbers or something like that. Personally I'd repeal Article 3 of the ECHR and give them a good beating.

[TheUnixKid]

sorry repeal the HRA.