To be absolutely sick of excuses being made for men's disgusting sexual behaviour? Trigfer warning. Hugh Edwards sentencing.

I have read your posts @WinterMorn and I have rarely felt so angry. I think you are a man. A smug man whose loved ones have never suffered sexual abuse. You rationalise the sentences given to sex offenders - you have obviously received training as part of your involvement in the criminal justice system - and feel you can pontificate about it repeatedly on here. Talking over people who have experienced male sexual violence. If it all works so well why are the numbers of offenders going up every year? Why are children still being subjected to the most horrific abuse? The system - the one you are defending - is utterly broken.

disingenuous twaddle.

You may not like it, but women DO commit these crimes as well. A post like this was always going to have that concept being introduced. For the second time, I haven’t defended Huw Edwards, and if you are going to persist in saying that, there really is no point talking to you.

I am not an expert in criminal law. I am however an expert in mental health and have some reservations about how he selectively forgot seeing those images.

I accept that the sentencing was done in accordance with guidelines. I guess my lack of expert criminal law knowledge means I don’t really understand why, the just stop oil protestors have been placed in prison for several years whilst this man has walked free.

Nope, the judge decided not to impose a sexual harm prevention order on account of him being such an upstanding bloke.

And a lot more prison officers. There's a recruitment crisis now.

yes, there is. And it is a relatively easy - if expensive - fix. And that is: better T&C for the prison officers. Possibly more and better training. Possibly including more therapy sessions for those who work with the worst offenders.

etc etc.

The paedo apologists on this thread need to have a fucking word with themselves.

The operative word in the quote you have posted was 'most'.

And you think fraud is on a par with CSA? Why on earth would you join a thread as an apologist for a child abuser?!

But despite the fact more girls are abused than boys, yet it’s men who commit the vast majority of these crimes, we’re just meant to take a nonces word for it?!! No thanks, I’m not that gullible.

A suspended sentence is not "getting off".

I agree, but my point is it's hos poor mother who is left to deal with him and the fallout now. Last summer there was a town near me that was completely shut off by police after a paedophile came back to live with his parents, it was absolute carnage!

@MarkingBad

Yes true. There will be more going on in the background to find the source of the photos and of course the victims. We never hear much about that but it doesn't just stop at Edwards sentencing today

Chemical castration has been around for decades at least since the 1970s - it's not particularly effective in reducing sex-drive and impotent castrated men will use other potentially more damaging objects to abuse

It can also gives a false sense of security to the sex-offender and professionals managing them

Rarely used now as it doesn't work

I knew this would be your comeback. Given you don’t know the first thing about my background or own experiences as a child and young adult, perhaps you might like to think before you type.

All of them? Should we let Rose West, Joanna Dennehy, and Lucy Letby out? To say nothing of fraudsters like Amy Molloy who conned thousands of pounds out of elderly victims?

this entire thread should be screaming out to those of you working in the system that either the system is considered too lenient for a lot of people, or you are all (not you personally, the CPS for eg) are doing a hideously bad job of explaining themselves.

If you are all so sure that a 6 month sentence and 7 (ha, laughably short) years on the register is a good robust sentence - the fact that so many people here (on twitter, on reddit on threads etc) are saying "nope he got off" seems to show that you need to put much much more work into explaining what you do and why.

Castration...?

(I'm only half joking)

Wtaf is your agenda?!

The question is how many parents turned a bline eye to their childrens abuse.

It's not just on mothers to protect their children, fathers come into this as well.

It's a disgrace. Those poor children have been let down. Makes me feel sick.

I don't understand the weird responses on this thread. People claiming to work 'in the system' seem to have some strange, robotic stance that people are not permitted to be outraged about an heinous crime.

Yes, the sentence was within guidelines and a harsher sentence was not necessarily possible. AND it's also completely possible to think that the guidelines are inappropriate for offences against children (and to question that from a feminist/child protection perspective).

Equally, there may not be enough space in prisons BUT THAT IS A PROBLEM. Not just 'oh well, computer says no this time'.

So many people also missing the point that punishment is also the role of prison - not just rehabilitation and risk reduction - PUNISHMENT. And the faux outrage at suspended sentences not being deterrents - of course they're not! You think a suspended sentence is as much of a deterrent as 5 year straight to jail sentence?!

Disgusting excuse for a man. Playing the "I don't remember looking at the images" card!!
The evidence is pretty conclusive. Not really amazed he got a suspended sentence though - sad sign of the times.
Just 😡

And a lot more prison officers. There's a recruitment crisis now.

Mumsnet should be well versed in what happens when a powerful lobby group starts moving around behind the scenes to promote and push their agenda.

This is no different. They are at the top of the legal system, the courts and the police. They are in the houses of Parliament and Lords.

The answer for this is the same thing that toppled the trans lobby. Sunlight.

But people are too screamish when it comes to child rape and sexual exploitation.

Probation services are stretched. I am not going to be surprised if the next time we here of him he is in Thailand or Vietnam following the lead of Gary Giltter.