how can life be just 35 years?

[southeastastra]

sentence given for the french students murder.

makes me so angry. this case really got to me.

[redial]

Eerrr do you mean lock them up for life or bring back hanging? It got to me too for (I expect) a different reason:
www.americanfreepress.net/html/bio-chemists_murdered_149.html

[southeastastra]

wtf!

[Hulababy]

Because a life sentence does not mean a life inprisonment. It means that they will be on license for life if and when they are released on parole. They will have set criteria to adhere to, things they can't do etc else they'll be abck behind bars.

Also rememeber that 35 years is the minimum tariff. That is when they are eligible for parole. In order to get parole they will have had to complete various programmes, have accepted responsibility, done victim awareness stuff, have been rehabilitated.

35 years is actially a long life tariff. Those guilty of killing Mary-Ann and attempting to kill her friend got ten years less.

[southeastastra]

one of them should have been in custody at the time too.

do you believe that redial?

[LovelyTinOfSpam]

hula there has been a lot of discussion around sentencing lately and it all seems a bit random...

People post things quoting mim and max tariffs etc and then a week later something happens which seems to fall outside the guidelines.

Do the judges have the power to ignore the guidelines if they feel it's appropriate, or are they bound by them?

Personally minimum of 35 years sounds much more like it compared to some of the things that have happened recently.

[nancy75]

redial, when you read and then link to that kind of rubbish do you ever stop to think that apart from the fact you look like a total moron, those two young men were real people, they had real families, who, undoubtedly are not likely to be reading mumsnet, but could easily come across this shit about their sons at a later date. do you not think that those parents, family and friends have suffered enough?first with the terrible murder of their children, then with what must have been the most horrific trial wtf is wrong with you and stupid people like you.

[Nancy66]

this crime is so horrific I can hardly bring myself to read the details.

35 years - by british standards - is harsh.

[Hulababy]

Not sure ont he guideline things. Cod used to know more about that side of things. I only dealt with them once they were inside. But I think guidelines do have to met. Descrepancies can arise because of mitigating factors brought up in pre sentencing reports/hearings.

[redial]

I don't believe all of it southeastastra - it is very extreme - but the first thing I thought of when I first heard it on the news was 'I wonder what these student knew?'. Also one of those convicted went from reset and stabbing someone 3 times to a completely different level of violence.
People do get set up. You read about it in history and accept it but no-one wants to believe it is happening now.
Doesn't make too much differnce for their family though , very sad and grim.

[LovelyTinOfSpam]

Thanks hula.

[redial]

x post Nancy75 don't call me a moron and stupid, I'm allowed an opinion

[tiredsville]

the thug animal had a history of violence. He also attempted to smash his pregnant cousin with a hammer.

[hester]

His entire family sounded insanely violent. No reason whatsoever to find it strange that he graduated to murder, IMO.

(Do us Jews have to be blamed for EVERYTHING? Can't we ever be allowed a day off? - it's chuffin tiring, running the world's media, financial systems, zionist conspiracy etc, let me tell you.)

[smallorange]

I will join Nancy in calling you a moron, Redial.

[smallorange]

lol hester

[dongles]

35 years is very harsh by our pathetic British standards, but I quite agree and sympathise with their poor families that they should have received whole life terms. At least the judge's comments were quite blunt, using words such as evil. I would have liked to see the same language and sentences in the Baby P case, but it seems there is no sense, consistency or logic in our sentencing system especially where young children are concerned.

[zzzmumzee]

Curious to find out what kind of publication American Free Press was, I googled it and opinions about it's credibility aren't exactly glowing:

The work of one of its writers, Michael Collins Piper, has been characterised as "characteristic of an effort by anti-Semites and white supremacists to repackage themselves as "alternative media voices" claiming to tackle stories the mainstream media in the US won't touch.

Don't think I'll bother

[redial]

Oh god I am actually blushing having just googled the author of the stuff I linked to. Off to name change to moron.

[spokette]

Just listened to the victim impact statement by one of the victim's father. It was harrowing and heartbreaking.

[Upwind]

What really makes me angry, and scares me about this case was the attack on the pregnant woman and her partner which only merited a verbal warning. Not even a recall to prison for breach of licence.

WTF? Is that routine?

[donnie]

that website you linked to redial - what a load of racist trash. Not to mention the fact that it turns the hideous cold blooded torture and murder of two young men into some kind of joke. WTF did you think you were doing? it's shameful.

[tiredsville]

I think it was mentioned on channel 4 news that the pregnant cousin was too petrified to press charges or testify due to threats from the family.
Spokette, how awful it was hearing the impact statement from the victim's father. When I heard him say, the same time everyday he cried on the way to work I wanted to slap myself for whining and taking so many simple pleasures in life for granted.

[LovelyTinOfSpam]

At least you know now redial.

[hester]

tiredsville is right - the pregnant woman was too scared of the family to testify, so they couldn't make a case. This was a very, very violent young man.

This case is just unspeakably distressing. I have been haunted by it since it happened. The families' impact statements - well, words fail me.