Ian Huntley has died

[Viviennemary]

That's according to BBC news. Can't say I'm sorry.

Very strange that you’ve concluded I’m sad about it, given I’ve never expressed that sentiment.

I’m just not going to cheer anyone being murdered, or someone murdering a fourth person. The fact that you are is honestly disturbing.

Tbh I haven’t read any of the stories about it and actually didn’t know he’d been attacked until this morning. I would think it’s bollocks if it’s in the Sun, but also sports clothing is prohibited and most people in high security are not wandering about in expensive clothes of any kind because they’re quite difficult to get. I don’t think he had much financial support on the outside.

You’re policing the PP!

Sometimes bad things happen to bad people.

I remember an article at the time, in which a tabloid journalist managed to get into Huntley's prison by (I think) applying for a job there, and to take a photo of him in his cell, to show how easy it was for an outsider to get in, should anyone feel like dispensing summary justice this way.

In the name of f#ck, what?

good, one less drain on society! Hope it was long and painful!

Not everyone.

But I do think in beyond a reasonable doubt cases like Huntley & Axel Rudakubana the families of the victims should decide if they want the killer executed or to serve life imprisonment.

I'm sorry, but I am not very sympathetic to killers - I believe they forfeit their human rights when they take another life - more so in cases like the above.

It would certainly help ease prison overcrowding as well as may act as a stronger deterrent.

What evidence is there from anywhere in the world that the death penalty acts as a deterrent?

Its a monstrously cruel idea to shift responsibility onto grieving families to decide whether to kill a person. That is the responsibility of the state. Its also ludicrously impractical, especially in cases like this where there are more than one victim - what happens if the families don't agree? It could tear families apart and destroy friendships, just at the point when people need to support each other.

People's vindictiveness really does cloud judgement.

What evidence is there from anywhere in the world that the death penalty acts as a deterrent?

None. Zero. Nada. Zip.

Which begs the question: why do those demanding it like it so much?

Great news!

Not a deterrent. A punishment. A dead murderer, rapist, or paedophile can't commit any more abhorrent crimes.

Studies done with bereaved families show very mixed views on the death penalty. Long term studies show very few actually find the death sentence brings any sense of closure. Of course in your scenario some families would choose the death sentence, but many wouldn’t. And people convicted of murder make up a small part of the prison population.

And ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ (a phrase that is no longer used in court) is exactly what every miscarriage of justice was once thought to be. And yet, they weren’t. I’m obviously not saying Huntley or Rudebekana (to use your examples) were innocent, but what about the people that are? And that’s why death states have long appeal processes, which costs a lot more money than life imprisonment. So there’s no economic or overcrowding argument there either.

There’s also no evidence death is a deterrent. The US is a natural experiment in that it has death and non death states, and the murder rates in death states are generally higher. The same holds true for lots of other nations with the death penalty. It’s also the case that countries with far more ‘lenient’ criminal justice systems have much lower rates of offending or reoffending than some with the death penalty. The UK for example has its lowest murder rate for 40 years (though ironically one of the highest murder rates for several years). And some that have the death penalty also have low murder rates. So it’s just not as simple as ‘death is a deterrent’.

You don’t need to have sympathy for murderers to assess the evidence and see that it’s not as you imagine.

I don't have sympathy for Ian Huntley. But it is scarey that a violent prisoner had access to a metal pole witha spike. Which was used as a murder weapon. A member of the prison staff could have been the victim.

'Beyond reasonable doubt...' is still the primary standard of proof in Scottish criminal courts. Do your research.

Also in states where the death penalty exists juries are less likely to convict

I agree and pity the poor govenor and staff who will no doubt be subject to another pointless inquiry .

So the rapist/paedophile/murderer is more likely to walk free?

I just feel relief.

Jesus. Think that this thread does need the thought police!
Revelling in the murder of a man that committed horrendous crimes…by a man that committed horrendous crimes is not something to be proud of. Hailing him as some kind of hero is a slap in the face for his victims families.

Very few are doing that. What people are, is glad that abhorrent cunt is dead.

Edit for a typo.

I think anyone convicted of a serious crime should be in solitary for life. No visits or contact with family/outside world, in fact no contact with anyone other than prison guards. It would be safer for staff and also mean that no one gets to be the head rat.

It just feels like a 20 year nightmare that has finally ended. Upon hearing of his imminent death, apart from relief, one of my first thoughts was what his afterlife will be like. I imagine he will be eternally living in the shadows unable to be happy or make peace with himself.

Whilst I will not be mourning him in the slightest it does make me feel very uneasy that the person who killed him, a child murder and rapist, will be hailed as some kind of hero in jail.
What he did was just as vile as what Huntley did

Yes, that is correct.