Another lenient sentence for a lowlife!!

[Netcurtainnelly]

https://news.sky.com/story/shoplifter-who-killed-asda-security-guard-at-arbroath-superstore-jailed-for-five-years-13515500

Wow 5 years, 4 months. That will teach people not.

Bet she's never run a shop or a business either. Things aren't free. Disgusting

I'm not sure that's 100% accurate, but the US, a country with one of the highest crime rates and biggest prison populations in the world, not to mention much worse addiction problems than the UK. Their system works a treat.

So you don’t believe in prison at all then? That everyone gets to dig out an excuse that will have people handwringing with the “poor them!! It’s not their fault!”

That’s not how the law works.

It depends what the aim of prison is. If it's vengeance what could possible be enough?.

If it's to prevent crime, unless you deal with the underlying issues, it's not going to work. Or are you prepared to pay the tax to keep everyone in prison for life? A longer sentence isn't going to be a deterrent to an addict stealing to feed their habit.

So not for them to deal with the issues? It’s everyone else’s fault and responsibility? And yes I’d rather pay higher tax for them to remain in prison to serve their sentence.
Youre the one mentioning keeping them in for life.
Id rather pay more tax to protect society from them, than pay taxes to fund their benefits to live in the community continuing their criminal behaviour.

Sigh. It's not a question of who's responsibility it is, it's finding a way that it will actually happen for the greater good. With the best will in the world most addicts are not going to fix themselves. They also don't care if they end up in prison for a lengthy term. They literally have nothing to lose.

I mentioned keeping them in prison for life because if not, they'll be the same only worse when they come out, so what does your favoured longer prison sentence achive?

what does your favoured longer prison sentence achive?
other people not being exploited, robbed, assaulted, killed to feed a drug addiction for a short amount of time at least?
whats your fantastic rehab plan?

It's very expensive for little gain.

I'd spend the money on early support for struggling families, and those with early indication of addiction issues, with the aim of preventing these problems developing in the first place, but I expect you think they should help themselves too.

What you mean they think they will carry on shoplifting forever, and they won't ever be caught.
Hardly did she go quietly either.

When do do something wrong you have to accept the consequences and that things might not go the way you intended.

People have always shoplifted doesn't make it right.
Another one, whose probably never had their own shop or business.

Doesn't investing in dealing with cause help those businesses much more than temporarily removing the people from the streets (and taxing the businesses heavily to pay for it)?

I’m not sure why she should get a different sentence from any other shoplifter. It is tragic that he died but that could potentially happen in lots of situations. I’m not condoning shoplifting but I’m also not sure why her sentence should be worse because this man had a hidden heart condition.

I also don’t see the relevance of how she looks in her arrest photo.

You think she should walk free lol.
Vengeance. It's punishment
You can't let a woman go free that does that.
What sort of message would you be sending out?
How would you feel if someone killed your family member while out robbing. Would you say they should go for free?
Doubt it, you'd be asking for the longest sentence possible.

Why does she think things are free?

She doesn't, hence why she was shoplifting.

Things aren't free

Indeed, which is why some people resort to theft.

🙄

Are you ok OP?

You don't come across as though you are.

Has this story hit you personally by any chance?

Scumbags.

Her crime was shoplifting and should be sentenced accordingly.

It’s tragic that he died but he was a security guard and therefore highly likely that he’d interact with shoplifters

@BoredZelda The charge, as its Scotland, is culpable homicide. So similar to manslaughter in England. This means her actions did matter in terms of his death. It explains the sentence.

footage shown to the court, Smith screamed "you're not allowed to touch me", "get your f hands off me" and "who do you think you are, f Hulk?"

Repeat offender Smith said she planned to sell the alcohol to a pub.

She wants to try running her own shop or business, see how she gets on.

If she hadn't been stealing , he'd still be alive

Possible but unlikely, the article says he has advanced coronary heart disease. The heart attack was coming, maybe not right then but it would have happened walking down the street at some point if not at that moment. I suppose you could argue he might have somehow sought treatment if he had lived a few weeks longer (you can have a stent fitted) but if you know anyone with coronary artery disease you'll know his card was marked. I'm actually surprised she was convicted on a homicide charge.

Again, there is something that just doesn’t ring true about this attitude.

“People have always shoplifted doesn’t make it right”

who said it did? I said it’s reality. Your moral outrage or platitudes about right or wrong are irrelevant- we have a justice system that enforces the law. Most of us broadly agree that the law supports what society thinks is right and wrong. This woman has been imprisoned which is right.

Again, there is something that just doesn’t ring true about this attitude.

“People have always shoplifted doesn’t make it right”

who said it did? I said it’s reality. Your moral outrage or platitudes about right or wrong are irrelevant- we have a justice system that enforces the law. Most of us broadly agree that the law supports what society thinks is right and wrong. This woman has been imprisoned which is right.

There are sentencing guidelines that the judge has to adhere to when passing sentence. Culpable homicide carries a different sentence to murder. She can't be given a sentence for murdering someone when that isn't what she was charged with and found guilty of.

I haven't once said I want her to "walk" free.

I would like a sensible discussion about how we as society can prevent or reduce these circumstances. I don't think long prison sentences is it, and even if they were, it would be unaffordable.

There’s something called the “egg shell skull” rule in Scot’s law. You take the victim as you find them. So you don’t get to argue that your actions wouldn’t of harmed a person without a medical condition.