No, not another Venables posting, this may be far worse than what he was recalled for.
Ashleigh Hall was chatted up on Facebook by a predatory sexual offender, Peter Chapman. Enticed to meet him, he raped then suffocated her, horribly with tape, then dumped her body. He confessed the following day.
What makes this worse, if that is indeed possible, is that he was known to the authorities, but had broken the terms of his freedom and killed an innocent teenager.
Back in 1996 Chapman raped, at knifepoint, two women and was locked up for the term of 7 years. That's 3.5 years for each attack. I feel that to be a wholly inappropriate sentence for such crimes.
Questions need to be asked, answered, and changes made to put a stop to all to animals who clearly can't stop themselves from brutalising women.
I would ask the following, Forumites may have other questions:
1. What makes the Judiciary believe that 7 years is a long enough sentence for someone who has attacked and raped two women, at knifepoint?
2. What is the advised sentence for rape? Is it 3.5years?
3. Was Chapman released early?
4. What else has he done since being freed? Remember, he broke the term of his registry on the SOL.
5. Who else has been released early having been committed of a similar or worse crime?
6. When will the public get the protection they deserve from these monsters?
7. When will "Life" mean "life", not 7-8 years?
8. Why is Chapman not being put away for the rest of his life?
9. When will early release of dangerous prisoners be stopped?
The Judge this time has sentenced Chapman to a minimum term of 35 years. Why not just put him away until he dies?
Two of his three known victims will have the terrible memories for the rest of their lives, and the third will have no life.
Why should he?
Just read that a gang of four Irish travellers have been put away for between 4 and nine years for stealing caravans! they clearly would have done better had they raped a few women at knifepoint instead!
Besides, shouldn't they get a medal or reward for removing these dangerous things from our roads?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the original 7 years was a joke sentence, no doubt the victims have never recovered from the ordeal.
i would have thought 20 years hard labour would have been fairer, then a careful assessment whether he had learned his lesson.
looks like this judge has got it right.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Also, there should never be any concurrent sentences for crimes of violence; they should always be consecutive.
Roger
Sid is right to point out the outrageous discrepancy in the sentencing systems. You get more for nicking a few bob than for molesting a child. That can't ever be right.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
The British Criminal Justice system is a complete joke
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
roger makes a good point about concurrent and consecutive sentences.
i have never understood the reasoning behind the idea.
Guest 670- Registered: 23 Apr 2008
- Posts: 573
Bit of a broad statement there Barry, perhaps you could tell us how you would change it.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
Sid in order of yourviews heres my comments;
O(purely my own personal view)
1; nope 3.5 years not enough life more like
2;no idea
3;Don't know
4;noyt aware till it came on national news
5;no idea but hope none
6;it should be life and mean life, no parole
7;reply given in answer 6
8;35 years will probably be rest of his life but do agree
with you Sid
9;agree on this but prisons being over crowded there is
a need to empty out some places to enable these
people to be able to be put away.
So interesting times ahead, we all have our own views on the legal system.
But we do need vacant places in prisons which we dont have the moment
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
easiest to release "white collar" offenders and make them serve their sentence in the community.
if someone is clever enough to defraud a large amount then they can be sentenced to earning such and such amount for a good cause before being allowed total freedom.
just as when we stuck lord archer away costing us a fortune we should have sentenced him to writing 3 best sellers, all money back to the treasury.
as an addendum, worse offenders should be sentenced to read them, that would make them see the error of their ways.
empty the prisons in no time.
Reading his books and looking at his smug, really punchable, face should do the trick, Howard!
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
I like Geoffrey Archer's books, he has done some really good stuff though it may not be fashionable to say it!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
not a question of fashion, more one of a love of true literature.
Alec Sheldon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 18 Aug 2008
- Posts: 1,036
Geoffrey lived in the same digs as I did in Victoria Park when he was a master at Dover College many years ago. I wasn't there at the same time I may add. My landlady told me a few stories about Jeffrey's antics whilst he was there.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
Define 'true literature' Howard. Give me an Archer novel any day rather than some dense inpenetrable Booker Prize winner for example. Archer or Rushdie, Archer any day, he outsells Rushdie 10:1 deservedly so.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
barry
the sun outsells the times, does that make it a better newspaper?
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
I'm a regular on Facebook, and have to say that the pitfalls are abvious - there are quite a few people on there who seem to be trawling for prey, and I would say that it seems as though legislation is overdue for registration on social networking sites. Quite how this would be feasible or practicable isn't my strength, but for the sake of protection of potential victims, I believe it has to happen soon.
True friends stab you in the front.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
Are you suggesting that The Sun is really a newspaper? I would argue that it is not given the very small amount of new contained in it Howard. Seriously though the point is that those who read it certainly think it is, a bit sad that....
There are 'Sun equivilent' books in respect of poor writing but Archer's certainly do not qualify for that. Even a very left wing graduate friend of mine, when she was bored and on holiday, read an Archer book she found lying around and admits to being surprised, she enjoyed it and found it well written. She previously only knew how Archer was dismissed by her left wing friends and "literarty".
I have read quite a few of his and found them generally very good. Personally I prefer others though, like Wilbur Smith (reading Assegai now), or Lee Childs (his latest is in the drawer for after Assegai) and have just finished the latest Vince Flynn (he who 'inherited' Tom Clancy's techno thriller crown...).
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
It is just like going back when we all had C.B. in the cars,and that all came to a end because of just a few.I did go onto face book but not now.
Legislation on the Web, not in a million years. That's a very dangerous road to go down bearing in mind the human rights abuses governments dish out globally, not just China but UK too.
I think our upcoming GE is likely to see a higher youth turnout than previously thanks solely to the power of the internet. It has enable millions to see what happens elsewhere, research questions independently of the political liars that fill our airtime on the radio and t.v., and open hearts and minds to other concepts.
Someone said today that if the BNP had a more acceptable person leading it, they would be a serious challenge to all the other parties. This implies the message they broadcast is a popular one, but the broadcaster is the problem. Could that be true?