Rubbish punishment for luring Olly Stephens to his death.

[Mariell]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10025453/Schoolgirl-14-lured-13-year-old-boy-park-stabbed-death-locked-up.html

All three should receive the same punishment.

Three years is disgusting as she was the one that lured him knowing that he would be attacked.

Hard labour for twenty years in Siberia would be a more fitting punishment for the three of them.

@RoseRedRoseBlue

Well said *@RavingAnnie*. The use of the term ‘evil’ gives people a completely false sense of security in as much as it means that they, society and others couldn’t have done anything at any point to stop this or similar acts as the die was already cast. It’s a cop out.

I completely agree. Total cop out.

I don’t think anyone set out that day intending to kill Olly. What has shaken people up around here is the fact that these were ordinary teenagers. It’s tempting to look for reasons why these kids were uniquely evil, or it must have been something the parents have done, as then it means that it won’t happen to you or yours. Well if someone brings a knife to a fight then it could be.

People like to throw the word "evil" around because it gives them comfort that it could never happen to them and that it could never be one of their children doing this, they're not evil, you see.

I would say there are very few truly evil people in the world. There are millions of idiots who don't think things through and act in the heat of the moment, who are easily lead, or who make grave errors of judgement, however.

It is right that these children have been punished for what they did. But they're no more "evil" than anyone else's children. They're dumb, angry teenagers who've done an awful thing. Not evil. Just stupid.

@TooBigForMyBoots

Children are children. They are protected by law because they are recognised as not fully grown. A 14yo is very different to a 23/37/56yo.

But a 14yo who can think like this will become a 20/30/50 yo.

I agree the criminal justice system in the U.K. is weak.

There is every chance of the girl didn't lure Olly then this would have a different outcome. Why does she get considered less culpable in his death?

She was instrumental in leading him to it

@HowToMurderYourLife

I don’t think anyone set out that day intending to kill Olly. What has shaken people up around here is the fact that these were ordinary teenagers. It’s tempting to look for reasons why these kids were uniquely evil, or it must have been something the parents have done, as then it means that it won’t happen to you or yours. Well if someone brings a knife to a fight then it could be.

Actually I don't agree they didn't Seymour to kill him that day.

There are texts where they state their intentions, they lured him to the green and took a knife and stabbed him in the back and chest.

I very much doubt they thought 30 seconds later they'd all be friends and end up at Mac Donald's.

They were bullies who murdered someone who stood up for the victim.

These were not jive children who made a mistake in the heat of the moment.

They are kids. They are victims as well as murderers. How fucked up would you have to be to do that at their age? Yes, they need to be punished but also rehabilitated. They have a chance to change and become good members of society.

In more sensible countries they are barely at the age of criminal responsibility.

If the girl was in thrall to the boy/s she'd do what they wanted to please them. Win favour. Impress them.

Three years is appalling but no surprise because females always get off lightly

Mariell whatever the rights or wrongs of this particular bit of sentencing, it isn't true that "females always get off lightly" - quite the opposite.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/women-get-tougher-sentences-than-men-cjpdx65q7

in countries where they have well thought out and efficient rehabilitation systems ( the Scandinavian models for example) the reoffending rate is significantly lower than it is here.
It disgusts me that so many people on here want life sentences for children without the chance of rehabilitation.

It was a horrific crime, however throwing years and years in prison at them isn’t going to help. I dread to think the environment the two boys grew up in to think that this was the social norm. I can only imagine what they have been exposed to growing up.

She would no longer be a child of mine. I would have nothing more to do with her.

@Toastytoads easy to say that though, reality would be a lot different

@itsgettingwierd I disagree. There is plenty of social media evidence that they wanted to fight and humiliate him, but there isn’t evidence on SM that they set out to stab him. If there was it would have been key evidence. A lot of the social media posts floating around online saying otherwise were proven not to come from their phones.

If you read the judges comments during sentencing they accept the girl didn’t know a knife would be brought. I think the boys liked carrying knives and thought it made them the big man and they could terrify and humiliate Olly, but again no evidence on social media they they set out with the intention of killing him. The boy didn’t pull out the knife until it was clear Olly was getting the upper hand.

All our kids need to know that knives are not clever and this is the way any fight can turn out if one is present and that all their futures could be fucked. Not just the kids you consider bad.

I think it’s right that these children were jailed and the girl definitely needed to be sentenced for her part in it; but i don’t understand the hysteria on here?

The parents themselves have pointed out that social media had a large part to play in blowing things out of proportion and egging each other on; and once the reality of the situation hit that someone actually had been hurt everyone involved was horrified that it had gone so far.

In another scenario this could very easily have ended with one of the other boys dead and people baying for Olly’s blood.

There is a serious problem with social media “gangster life” and knife crime in our country and I think that people don’t like that it’s spilling out from poor black areas in cities into naice middle class areas. So it’s easier to brand individuals as “evil” and pretend it’s a one off incident rather than challenging our politicians and our police leaders about what they’re doing to do to address the wider problem.

I just want to add that I am not in anyway defending them. I am absolutely horrified and they all deserve sentences. But the othering of them won’t help crack down on knife crime and stop more children losing their lives.

@RavingAnnie

I really hate that people forget that children are children when they commit heinous crimes. They are treated differently by the justice system for good reason, because they are children and immature and are liable to make ill-judged, poor decisions.

Although the girl did a truly horrific thing which deserves punishment, she didn't actually kill anyone, hence it makes complete sense that she would receive a lesser sentence. It has nothing to do with her being female or because it "wouldn't be fair" for her to serve time in an adult prison. What may have been a factor is not exposing her to adult prison due to the effect that may have on likelihood of reoffending, and I am glad judges consider issues such as this as sentencing someone is not simply about punishment; I want to live in a safe society so I want to know that attempts are being made to lower recidivism rates.

And FGS please stop saying they are "evil", that's an absolutely ludicrous thing to say. Slapping the "evil" label on people that commit horrific acts prevents us from actually looking at how and why this happened and thinking about what can be done to prevent it happening again.

Exactly this. Well said.

@Toastytoads

She would no longer be a child of mine. I would have nothing more to do with her.

You wouldn't want to try everything to see if your own child could be rehabilitated? I would. This horrific act will define her life - as it should - but it may not stop her living the rest of it in a way that will benefit society and honour the memory of the life she helped to take.

Honeytrappers should get a big sentence, to deter it from happening. 3 years is ridiculous when she’s part of the reason hes dead.
At 14 she would’ve been vulnerable to the ‘cool guy’ asking her to do them a favour and lure poor olly to the site. The fact she got only 3 years is not a big deterrent for the other thousands of girls put in her position each year to say no.

I grew up in a rough area and whenever boys wanted a fight, they would almost always use girls to lure them to where they wanted them.
It’s ended so tragically with a life being lost this time.

*In America they have felony murder in some states where they can be convicted of a murder even if they weren’t the direct killer.

Shame we don’t have that here*

Fuck no. Google it. Lend your car to a friend who then uses it to commit a crime? You get convicted. Your teenage child and his friend break into a garden in a fit of teenage delinquency and his friend gets shot and killed by the householder- it’s your child on death row for murder rather than a couple of years for b&e.

It’s an absolute abomination that law.

why have they not been named?

@Samcro

why have they not been named?

Because they are minors.

Olly's family have remained so dignified by this utterly horrific event.

They speak so beautifully of Olly and with so much love and warmth.

No punishment will bring him back or take the pain away from his family and friends. I hope we can all find the time to watch the interviews with Olly's family. To sit with our own families and look at the videos and photos that they have shared and to talk to our children about kindness and respect.

We don't need names or photos of the wrongdoers. But Olly deserves to be remembered.

@Farwest I get that but often murderer's are named. even if they are minors. I thought once someone was found guilty they were named.

@Gilead

in countries where they have well thought out and efficient rehabilitation systems ( the Scandinavian models for example) the reoffending rate is significantly lower than it is here. It disgusts me that so many people on here want life sentences for children without the chance of rehabilitation.

Not at all.

I want rehabilitation but I don't want that at the expense of proper justice for those who were murdered.

They have a chance of rehabilitation and to live a life. Something they've decisively cold hearted removed from another human being.