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Original poster

The Bulger killers: was justice done?

999 replies

WannaBeWonderWoman · 08/02/2018 00:07

Following on from previous thread which was filled.

What would have been the correct way to deal with these little boys who subjected a tiny two year old to protracted agony and unimaginable suffering then?

Interested to know what all the bleeding hearts on here believe should have happened? Whether they attended an adult court and were convicted of murder which they confessed to anyway, was this crueller to them than what they put that child through? They were well treated and even when they were serving their 'sentence' they were protected and given all they wanted (more than they would have got if they'd been in their own homes probably) and had all the help and therapy it was possible to give them. Did they suffer? You could actually argue that they benefitted from killing. They have to live with what they've done, yes, but if they did I find it hard to comprehend that Thompson especially (who came across as the leader in the interviews) can.

The Norwegian case which is often compared to this is nowhere similar IMO. The perpetrators were a similar age to their victim. They were 6 which is almost half the age V&T were and they wouldn't have been tried here anyway. Most importantly that crime was not premeditated or drawn out for hours like the many horrors inflicted on James.

He was the only victim here.

OP posts:
Original poster
WannaBeWonderWoman · 08/02/2018 21:23

Opposers to capital punishment will always argue that its not a deterrent User. It sure as hell is for the ones who are caught though.

Age is not an issue IMO. If a mind is capable of premeditated cold blooded murder at 8 or 80, there is no place in society for it.

OP posts:
MongerTruffle · 08/02/2018 21:24

It was supposed to be "if my child were murdered" in my post.

whyohwhy000 · 08/02/2018 21:25

It sure as hell is for the ones who are caught though.
Surely if it was a deterrent, then they wouldn't have been caught, because they wouldn't have committed the crime?

SusanBunch · 08/02/2018 21:27

Well, as Pedant pointed out, the murder rate is much much higher in the US, which puts people to death. They don't put kids to death though as not even they would go that far.

You would execute an 8 year old? Well maybe we should start imposing proper prison sentences for school kids who hit their classmates and fight with their siblings. I mean surely that sort of violent tendency doesn't belong in society?

Cherrycokewinning · 08/02/2018 21:28

We are a low crime country and very low violent crime and murder. Capital punishment enthusiasts appear to think they live in jo berg or similar

SusanBunch · 08/02/2018 21:28

Surely if it was a deterrent, then they wouldn't have been caught, because they wouldn't have committed the crime?

Exactly. Deterrent means that people don't commit the crime in the first place.

PedantHere · 08/02/2018 21:29

They don't put kids to death though as not even they would go that far.
The Supreme Court only banned capital punishment for crimes committed as children in 2005. Sad

Original poster
WannaBeWonderWoman · 08/02/2018 21:30

You don't do sarcasm then why? That was a reference to them not doing it again.

OP posts:
SersioulycanitgetWORSE · 08/02/2018 21:30

Susan, I have atrocious spelling and grammar and I don't want to bring it back Hmm what a ridiculous remark.

Shall we wheel that back further and go into failing schools, children that are cut off from education at home and further sabotaged by utterly atrocious schools?!!!

Schools that fail to educate and fail to help any child who has no help at home Confused

Pomegranatepompom · 08/02/2018 21:32

This thread is despairing. Seriously how does capital punishment help anyone?

Suggesting this as punishment for children is vile.

SersioulycanitgetWORSE · 08/02/2018 21:32

Hmm how can you you compare us to the US with its gun laws /culture?

And we are low crime compared to where?
Just because another country has incredibly high murder rates doesn't mean we should be patting ourselves in the back..

A life lost is a life lost.

Original poster
WannaBeWonderWoman · 08/02/2018 21:33

Is there any data on the projected murder rate in the US if they didn't have capital punishment? No, that would be impossible to project. Who's to say it wouldn't be much higher?

OP posts:
DeloresJaneUmbridge · 08/02/2018 21:35

Ah the hang em high brigade are out in force. Discussing a case they were not involved in and which doesn't affect them or their family in any way.

Pathetic.

Unless you are Denise Fergus or another family member then discussing this case over and over while venting your spleen on two damaged kids who are now adults is worthless.

If I were Denise Fergus then no punishment in the world would ever be enough for these two perpetrators...and I would want to kill them.

As a sane and non hysterical rubber necking misery competitor though I am just glad there is a legal system.

And the death penalty for two 10 yr olds is a barbaric suggestion made by hysterical stupid people.

Just my opinion.

Cherrycokewinning · 08/02/2018 21:36

Low crime compared to other countries

Obviously Hmm

SusanBunch · 08/02/2018 21:36

Seriously, sorry, it was a joke (plus your post is perfectly spelled).

It's more the 'they should of been tortured to death and strung up by there toes' kind of lingo. You usually see similar on posts about how immigrants are stealing jobs etc. I don't think it has much to do with bad schools tbh...

JediJim · 08/02/2018 21:36

Look even if we did have the death penalty for 10 year olds, these two would still have done what they did.
I fully believe they knew it was wrong to abduct and murder James, they just were too young to realise the consequences. After the murder, I seem to recall that Thompson threatened Venables to keep quiet or he’d get his brother onto him.
These boys were too naive to realise the consequences. They didn’t think about cctv or DNA evidence. The thought of getting put into custody would never have crossed their minds.

DeloresJaneUmbridge · 08/02/2018 21:37

The death penalty for children is the kind of suggestion made by those who share Britain First memes thinking they are real.

These folk are a tad short of common sense.

They are to be pitied.

YorkshireLawyer · 08/02/2018 21:37

No. Justice wasn’t done. They shouldn’t have been subject to capital punishment, but the crime was just too horrible to let them free when they were. Yes, they were 10, and yes, they must have been deeply disturbed little boys to do this - BUT, at the age of 10 I absolutely cannot believe that they didn’t know that what they were doing was a truly monstrous act, and they must take at least some personal responsibility for that. History has shown that at least one of them has not been rehabilitated in prison. I firmly believe that rehabilitation should be one of the aims of a jail sentence - alongside punishment - but there can’t be a perfect rehabilitation system, I’d rather we err on the side of punishing the perpetrators, keeping them away from being able to commit this crime again, unless absolutely sure they are safe to release, whatever their age. If that means the waste of the two perpetrators’ lives, them I’m afraid it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

lalalalyra · 08/02/2018 21:38

Apparently since 1990 9 countries have given the death penalty to under 18's. China, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, USA and Yemen.

China, Pakistan, the USA, Yemen and Iran now have 18 as a minimum age.

I'm not really seeing a justice system that allows it that we should be clamouring for in that list...

tafftum · 08/02/2018 21:39

Watching the documentary now... how awfulSadAngry

pallisers · 08/02/2018 21:41

Not every state in the US has the death penalty. Death penalty states have higher murder rates than non-death penalty states.

The US supreme court has held it unconstitutional to give a whole life tariff (life without the possibility of parole) to those who committed crimes while a minor.

The people who would be happy to kill or torture 10 year old children pop up on every thread on this topic. It would be chilling to think such monsters live among us except it is probably the usual bravado-driven hot-air nonsense beloved by drama-loving tragedy-porners.

SusanBunch · 08/02/2018 21:42

Is there any data on the projected murder rate in the US if they didn't have capital punishment? No, that would be impossible to project. Who's to say it wouldn't be much higher?

So why were murders still committed when we had capital punishment then? And why did we not have a huge increase in murders when it was abolished? It's complete rubbish- people kill for a number of reasons, but they don't base their decision on whether they will be executed or whether they will get life imprisonment. Criminologists have studied this and have concluded that capital punishment is not a deterrent. And seeing as you would apply it to 8 year olds who don't understand the concept of a deterrent, I guess you're not too fussed either way.

There have been a number of people locked up for crimes they did not commit. If you permit capital punishment, those innocent people would have been murdered by the state. Just like the victims you claim to care so much about.

JediJim · 08/02/2018 21:43

Can’t believe 25 years. I’m sure if Ralph or Denise ever wanted to track them down they would have done. All Denise has said is that she wanted them to serve longer in prison.

SersioulycanitgetWORSE · 08/02/2018 21:45

Oh, so people's spelling and grammar is nothing to do with school
Hmm

So, where are they supposed to pick it up?
And I care not one jot about my spelling or grammar thank you.

What rude comments your making.

Yes compared to other countries are crime stats are low... So??

We should be thrilled only xx poor People get slaughtered because in boagata xxxxxxx get done in Hmm

I thought every life was supposed to be precious...

JemimaHolm · 08/02/2018 21:48

yorkshire, you can never be absolutely sure that anyone will never commit a crime. But we don't lock people up 'just in case' - that would be outrageous. Reoffending rates for murder are actually very low. That link to the article about secure children's homes posted earlier states that no child convicted of murder or manslaughter has ever gone on to repeat that kind of crime.

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