to find this really chilling.. :-( [MNHQ CONTENT WARNING: sexual assault]

@Isatis
No, your post wasn't clear. You refer to "when we voted for Labour all those years ago".

I did not say anything of the sort. Please read before making up quotes!

I said when we voted all those years ago, Labour told us that life was going mean life.
This is true and swayed many of my colleagues when we voted on the death penalty.

Sad this discussion on such an important matter has been derailed by people trying to start political arguments.

As I also said, I am non political now and no party has been a friend to justice.
I'm out now and not going to repeat myself further.
Perhaps the energy you are spending trying to accuse me of favouring Tories would be be better spent advocating for better sentencing?

You can't really claim that the abolition of the death penalty was party political, as it was passed on a free vote. Additionally, it has been the subject of a new vote in every Parliament up to 1997, and most of those were under Conservative administrations.

One of the main reasons to abolish the death penalty is that juries became reluctant to convict when they knew the sentence could be death. They felt that they had to be absolutely sure, beyond all doubt, rather than beyond reasonable doubt.

This almost certainly would result in many guilty people being acquitted, and not sent to prison at all, if Britain still has the death penalty.

The last people to be executed in the U.K. were killed in 1964. I think there’s been enough time to come to terms with the change

@SpunkyCritic your post wasn’t clear to me either. What Labour government “all those years ago” were you referring to? And what the heck has it got to do with this case?

And yuy “each to their own” comment is particularly obtuse. What do you mean by that?

Can you stop being so confrontational, is this really helping!

Awareness means not making ourselves vulnerable to evil people including getting drunk & falling asleep on a bench.

He could be, but that doesn't make ten years in prison go any more quickly.

It's pretty obvious why he was charged with manslaughter. If they had charged him with murder there was a distinct risk he could have been acquitted.

No, your post wasn't clear. You refer to "when we voted for Labour all those years ago". Assuming you mean when you voted for Labour and they won, that still leaves a number of Labour administrations to which you could be referring.

My point was we were lied to by the gov at the time the death penalty was abolished. Life was meant to mean life not a measly 10 years.

And yet the thing you take offence with is not the sentence but me not mentioning the Tories are shit?! Wtf is wrong with you?

I no longer care for any party. I care for the pathetic way victims have been treated by all govs.

@NotAScoobyDoo2 I am so sorry this happened to you. I am absolutely appalled at the police response. I hope that you are able to access some help and support for dealing with all of this.

It was actually you that brought up politics, you didn’t say both parties have let victims of crime down, just Labour, which doesn’t make sense due to the Conservatives were in power for the last 14 years.

Well seemed clear enough to me.

What bit of me saying Labour lied when they said life would mean life when we voted didn't you understand??
I'm not sure why you are politicising this when that is a fact and it is plain that both parties have let down victims of crime with sentencing.

I think if it's minimum they have to serve the minimum and then apply for parole which isn't guaranteed.

Your post wasn’t clear at all, the Conservatives were in power for the last 14 years, long enough to make legislative changes to sentencing, Labour have been in for 5 months.

He could be out when he is 45. So yes, pitifully short. But as he was only charged with manslaughter...

My post was clear.

I never mentioned the current Labour gov, although now you come to mention yes I do object to 9 yrs imprisonment for rioting whilst releasing men to commit rapes and sexual assaults (one on the day of his release).

Each to their own, I guess.

Odd that people think a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years 8 months is a few short years in prison. Think about being in prison - do you imagine any year feels "short"? As has been explained, this man won't be left out after the minimum term unless he satisfies a parole board that he is no longer a danger to anyone, and even if he is let out he can be recalled at any time for an indefinite period if he commits even a minor offence.

None of it compensates for what he has done, of course, but then what could?

The message is loud and clear for us women. Men can rape you to death and get a few short years in prison, or often no prison time at all.

Thats if anyone believes you in the first place ‘she’s doing it for money’ ‘she’s doing it for attention’ that’s comments I read in twitter/X or Reddit when women accuse celebrities.

If he isn't rehabilitated and therefore safe, he can't be let out. So he will simply stay in prison.

When exactly did Labour say that? And what does it have to do with the current government?

If you object to the sentences given out for life-endangering racially motivated crimes, you need to look at the sentencing guidelines which are the ones set by the last Tory government.

Because cold-bloodedly killing anyone is, quite simply, wrong. It would bring us as a society down to beneath the levels of the criminals concerned. I would far rather that they receive a lengthy punishment.

We were told by Labour when we voted all those years ago that a life sentence would mean just that.
They lied to us again.

Now life is 1 year less than a sentence for setting fire to some wheelie bins and shouting hurty words to the Police.

What a fucking state.

Genuine question why do you hope we never have the death penalty for crimes like where he is definitely guilty? You wouldn’t hesitate to kill mice/rats/cockroaches in your house and they are only trying to seek food/shelter not destroy you.

@Tittat50 It's quite possible that the people in power are as you say. Very sobering thought.

You say about porn breeding even more terrifying mindsets, but totally depraved porn has been available at the fingertips for quite some time. How can it possibly get worse??

It's true that some people are hideous. I have no idea of the true number, of course, or what percentage of the population would do heinous things if they could get away with it. The French case is utterly horrifying with the number of men involved.

Nevertheless, I prefer to try to focus my mind on the good people I know, and the people throughout history who have done really good things. It's better for my mental health that way, and although I have known more than my fair share of awful people, I have also known some wonderful people.