Well done MN

Yes exactly this. I did.

Yes, but titling your thread 'Well Done Mumsnet' kinda infers a greater contribution.

Why are you attribution this to MN?

Ive seen this all over the place, mainly facebook to be honest

Not sure MN has anything to do with it...

Well it is a case of different rules for different people when it comes to sentences. The Government will set those guidelines.

Granted, the judge seems too lenient in this case but it is totally normal for those mitigating circumstances to lead to reduced sentences.

But Judge Rowland told Southampton Crown Court that he was reluctant to 'criminalise' the teenagers, said they had low IQ and even praised their conduct during the trial.

What the absolute fuck.

they “criminalised” themselves when they chose to gang rape those 2 girls!

As for them having a low IQ? Is he claiming they were too stupid to know that rape is wrong and illegal?!

It’s also rather insulting to other people who happen to have a lower IQ than average… And did not rape multiple people!

How do these legal teams sleep easy at night?! It’s despicable to indulge in legal sophistry that undermines the fabric of a sane society.

At the risk of getting told off (again) for pointing out the inconvenient truth, it only takes one unduly lenient form to be submitted to trigger a review. It doesn't work the same way as a petition does.

The mass form-filling makes no difference in this case. The AG's review was secure the moment the first form went in.

I wouldn't be too relieved atm. These boy's legal team have and will play all the get out of jail free cards to keep the sentences to a few months at most. Age, traveller, ADHD, anxiety, low IQ, cognitive impairment......

There was also a note on the link asking people not to use it unless they were related to the victims. Was that note ignored?

How long ago were those sentencing guidelines drawn up, one wonders. and not set by the government by the way, but by the independent Sentencing Council.

The link to an online form asking the AG to review the boys' sentences was shared widely on MN. Many Mumsnetters completed and submitted the form within hours of the news breaking.

There are some posters who seem to think posting a couple of petition links on a forum means they should be credited with the outcome. Bizarre.

It’s getting to the point in this country where it feels like paedophilia and rape are almost being legalised based on the lack of serious sentencing.

Every time I hear a politician say they care about women and girls I despair. It’s become really unsafe for women and girls to go out without an escort in some areas especially at night or if drunk.

What the press around this case also fails to highlight is these were traveller boys who apparently were so low IQ (according to the judge) they couldn’t possibly be sentenced as they didn’t understand their crime, but they were high IQ enough to groom, plan and execute twice AND film
the ordeal. If they’re so low IQ then maybe they should be in a secure hospital. It’s looking like minorities are starting to get much softer sentences for these sorts of crimes and I take a real issue with that.

I despair.

There was a national outcry over these sentences already running before it appeared on MN. My MP had a bucket load of mails and call about it pretty much from the moment the sentencing was made public.

I’m wary of the “form” comments. On the face of it there are several cases where sexual assault and worse were under sentenced but we don’t know what evidence was presented and I don’t know the specific guidelines in place at the time of the offences.

I’m not sure how such crimes can ever come under the non violent offence guidelines (which was suggested to be cause of another low sentence).

No doubt at all about it. Surely time to review the system and relinquish the fear of Penalty Fits The Crime.

This is what confused me and as I couldn't click the link, I thought I'd missed something specific that Mumsnet had done, that millions of others didn't.

It isn't apart from by people on MN. It has been on every media outlet, every politician is talking about it. It's bugger all to do with MN!

It's not down to MN though? I think the sentences would have been appealed against anyway without any MN involvement.

I think the widespread media outcry, interventions from senior politicians including the PM and the actual victims may have influenced things more than mumsnet.

It’s absolutely correct should be referred.

The judge was following sentencing guidelines set ultimately by the government so they should also take some share of blame.

The outcome is good but I don’t think it’s got anything to do with Mumsnet. They’re too busy posting naked pics of teen girls in order to flog their new phone. Real issues that can’t make them a profit aren’t cared about

Well apparently he's got form

He certainly does.

Archive link (no paywall) https://archive.ph/H003n

Well apparently hes got form

He gave an unduly low sentence to an adult rapist due to him having good character or something