A new thread about those too lenient sentences for care workers who abused patients

[Brycie]

Because the other one went off over the horizon.

Sign in here if you think the sentences would have been a lot longer if the people abused had not had severe mental disabilities.

It was prolonged, premeditated cruelty and some were not even sent to jail.

[SunflowersSmile]

I sadly agree.
It would also be continual front page news.

[TheLightPassenger]

Agree. It's disgraceful.

[FreudiansGoldSlipper]

Totally agree the sentences are disgusting

It gives out a terrible message that abuse to some people in our society is not treated seriously enough

[AgentZigzag]

I haven't seen the other thread, but I was shocked at how the news story I read on it was going on about the judge saying how the main abuser felt really bad about what he'd done, and it was the long boring shifts which had turned him into a violent torturing monster.

Oh boo fucking hoo

It's obviously difficult for people who have severe mental disabilities to communicate what's being done to them, that should mean the law comes down harder on their abusers IMO.

[Pinner35]

I agree. It's an utter disgrace.

[KateShmate]

Agreed - is absolutely disgusting. No excuse.

I saw a picture today in the DM of staff dragging one of the patients across the floor.

[CheeseToasty]

The sentence were not long enough for the crimes those care workers committed and we only saw what was filmed. I watched the documentary and was horrified at what I saw.

[threesocksonathreeleggedwitch]

wow where is the anger.
2 threads. next to know posts.
what is wrong with people.
this could be your child in the future. one accident/illness and there you are.

everyone should be furious

[crashdoll]

threesocks as I said on another thread, people express anger in different ways. As someone who works with people who have LDs, I've read the reports and thought how I would change my role, adapt my practice. I am horrified that this has happened and sickened at the sentences. Posting angrily on here won't help anyone. Learning from this will help people like me exercise better professional judgement when assessing vulnerable people.

[threesocksonathreeleggedwitch]

10 posts?
yet a thread about something stupid will get 100"s
the truth is people don't care/
untill it is there loved one

[crashdoll]

People do care. Let's not sit here and post, we need to something. Btw I don't have a loved one with an LD but I care big fucking time.

[Darkesteyes]

These sentences are fucking disgusting.
The reason there is not much uproar is because most of society has bought into the Daily Mail shite that disabled people are scroungers or fraudsters or are a drain on the country.
Well done this Government/right wing media and previous Governments. As you can see youve done a bang up job. [hangry]

[threesocksonathreeleggedwitch]

you will find that the same people will post on this thread.
the people who care like you and me and the others and people from the sn community.
the nt world will shake their heads say how terrible it is and feel secretly glad that it won't happen to their loved ones.....
but it could

[AgentZigzag]

'the nt world will shake their heads say how terrible it is and feel secretly glad that it won't happen to their loved ones.....'

What a shitty thing to say.

If you're mad at people not being as vocal as you'd like on the story, don't be taking it out on the people who are bothered enough to post on a thread saying how bad it is.

I can't imagine anyone would think what you've said reading this particular story, but you do feel helpless to actually do anything to change the way judges make their decisions.

[Tabliope]

Agree that sentence too lenient. I think far too many sentences are too lenient in this country and am shocked at this incident and many more.

[edam]

Thanks for starting this. Yes, I think the sentences were too lenient. Someone who clearly knows something about sentencing implied they were within relevant guidelines. But a couple of the abusers got six months, and several others far less. Yet a man got six months for interrupting the boat race recently. Is tormenting, abusing and assaulting vulnerable people, repeatedly, while in a position of trust, really no more serious than protesting against the boat race, or, to take another example, wearing an offensive T-shirt?

[edam]

(not that anyone should go to prison, or even be prosecuted, for wearing a t-shirt IMO, however offensive. George Orwell merely got the year wrong.)

[kittyandthegoldenfontanelles]

I care. I care a lot. More than can be expressed in black and white on a forum. I just don't post much. Also, as crashdoll said; believe actions are more important.

[AgentZigzag]

When you hear of judges handing out ridiculous sentences you want to be able to think that because you're not a judge and don't see the relative scale of offences they're dealing with, that there must be some really bad stuff going on if they think this kind of abuse is 'minor' in the scheme of things.

But then cases like the boat race protester come along and you realise it's actually all shite with no justification.

[edam]

Thing is, the judge clearly didn't think it was minor. They made it clear they thought it was very serious indeed. Then handed out sentences that look significantly lenient compared to someone who interrupts the boat race or wears a T-shirt or posts something unpleasant on Facebook...

[AgentZigzag]

Which shows just how helpless people can feel about it edam, there's me saying you can't do anything about the judges decisions, and you rightly point out it's not even them who's the problem, it's the law makers higher up (is it even them? who would they be? politicians? are laws set by precedence, law lords (don't even know how it all works tbh - like most people)).

If you (the general public) can't even pin down where the buck lies with lenient sentencing, what can you do??

I suspect people can't deal with it and look the other way.

[edam]

You can complain to the attorney general if you feel a sentence is too lenient - I forget how but I'm sure it's google-able.

Sentencing guidelines are set down by the Sentencing Council, IIRC. And judges look to other similar cases for precedents.

[edam]

Sorry, that sounds a bit brusque, not meant to be!

[tallwivglasses]

I'm disgusted by the sentences but more disgusted that this could happen for so long, so easily. I'm scared it's the tip of the iceberg. My son could well be in an institution like that when I'm to old to care for him.

[AgentZigzag]

But who would I be to complain to someone as esteemed as the attorney general?

I don't know very much about the law and how it works, I'm not involved in the case, and I know for sure that I'd get a polite letter back.

I'm sure anyone else who hears about the case would feel the same.

It's just all so lofty and inaccessible, as though it has nothing to do with us as joe public.