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AIBU?

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Original poster

To question my long held beliefs against capital punishment after what happened to Alesha MacPhail

349 replies

Noteventhebirdsareupyet · 23/03/2019 08:42

Hi all,

I have recently been really shaken by the Alesha MacPhailcase and possibly because I now have a tiny daughter of my own, I am feeling really affected by what has happened.

I have always had reasonably strong views against capital punishment and have often argued that:

No one has the right to take the life of another.

When capital punishment is lawful, mistakes are made and innocent people get killed.

We are supposedly a civilised society.

Often offenders were victims first and therefore need empathy and have been failed by the system.....

However I am now shocked to find myself thinking that if a person can do the things that Aaron Campbell has done to a tiny, innocent girl and show absolutely no remorse, then perhaps instead of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers money keeping him incarcerated and then putting communities at risk upon his release, maybe we as a society should say that this person is intrinsically evil and has no place among us.

I honestly never imagined myself feeling like this and maybe it is because I am now a mother that I do. Surely people like him don't deserve a second chance and should be killed before they ruin more lives.

Am I being unreasonable to feel like this? Has anyone else had a turning point like me? I feel that my family and friends would be a bit shocked to hear me say "let's kill dangerous criminals" but this incident has had a profound effect on my outlook and I feel like I can't voice my opinions out loud.

OP posts:
americandream · 23/03/2019 13:29

There are some ghastly apologists on this thread.

I can't believe some of the things I am reading.

Sickening. Sad

UnspiritualHome · 23/03/2019 13:33

What if he does get a conscience? What if he does empathise?

I don't understand the relevance? Does that make it better or worse to kill him?

UnspiritualHome · 23/03/2019 13:33

americandream, who's apologising for what?

UnspiritualHome · 23/03/2019 13:35

And, again, Aeroflotgirl, how is echt in any way minimising Campbell's crimes?

People really need to move away from the notion that not supporting capital punishment means that you must condone murder. It's simply nonsense.

echt · 23/03/2019 13:35

echt he was not a child in criminal proceedings. We have urges to eat cake, or buy clothes, not to rape and murder 6 year old little girls in their beds. I bet you would not be so supportive if you were in her parent's awful position, stop minimising his crimes.

Aeroflot. Please say where I have minimised his cirmes.
If I were the parents of the murdered child, I would, as I have said upthread, had you bothered to read my post, be very specific as to my desires. And their relevance to justice.

EdWinchester · 23/03/2019 13:36

I am opposed to the death penalty and always will be.

And btw, in the US, it costs more to keep someone in prison for life than to execute them.

But a life sentence should mean life in cases like this.

Aeroflotgirl · 23/03/2019 13:36

Unspiritial I never said kill him, but he needs to have a full life sentence in prison with the bare minimum. Let the vile evil pondlife live with it for the rest of his sad miserable life.

UnspiritualHome · 23/03/2019 13:38

Aeroflot, I would completely agree that unless he satisfies very stringent criteria for release, which in itself is extremely unlikely, he absolutely should stay in prison for the rest of his life.

Sitdownstandup · 23/03/2019 13:38

There seem to be more posts on this thread complaining about apologists than actual apologist posts.

Part of me kind of finds the honesty refreshing when people admit they'd be happy to see the death penalty used on 10 year olds (and younger?). It is disturbing, obviously, but in comparison to the bullshitting and denial when people pretend we could have a death penalty that never executed anyone innocent, at least there's no delusion involved.

floribunda18 · 23/03/2019 13:38

I would rather society's energies are thrown into why is nearly always men, and sometimes young men and boys, who commit horrific violent crimes, and crime generally.

echt · 23/03/2019 13:39

What if he does get a conscience? What if he does empathise?
I don't understand the relevance? Does that make it better or worse to kill him?

This was a reference to another poster who implied that these aspects told against the murderer. I offered the position that if he later grew and enveloped these capacities, how would we view him?

Please read the posts.

EdWinchester · 23/03/2019 13:40

In response to your comment about AC being 16 and therefore escaping capital punishment anyway, I suppose I'm forced to admit that I think anyone guilty of a crime like this deserves to die whether they are 10 or 110. I am shocked to feel like this but I do. John Venebles and Robert Thompson should have been killed age 10 and not released.

This is a monstrous viewpoint. Have you actually thought about what you're saying here? You'd have condoned 10 year old children being murdered by the state?

Dramatical · 23/03/2019 13:40

Robert Thompson hasn’t re offended to our knowledge, he was traumatised and only guilty by association.

Fucking hell. Guilty by association 😢

BlackPrism · 23/03/2019 13:41

I think capital punishment is the only option that would ease a lot of people's fear... but it's still not right. Max security prisons, life meaning life and solitary for a long time would be preferable.

Aeroflotgirl · 23/03/2019 13:43

echt he still took a little life in the most horrific way, and needs to be appropriately punished, remorseful or not, some criminals use that to try and reduce their sentence, so doubt whether it would be genuine.

echt · 23/03/2019 13:44

John Venebles and Robert Thompson should have been killed age 10 and not released

And at what age would consider your own children up for the noose?

echt · 23/03/2019 13:46

echt he still took a little life in the most horrific way, and needs to be appropriately punished, remorseful or not, some criminals use that to try and reduce their sentence, so doubt whether it would be genuine

I agree as to the punishment, but not sure why he needs to look sorry/put on act he doesn't/can't feel.

kateandme · 23/03/2019 13:47

Being Pure Evil and doing things like this doesn't equate or mean that you have a mental health problem. You can just be bloody evil and then there's mental health illnesses which are very different why do people keep putting these two together.

EmeraldShamrock · 23/03/2019 13:50

And at what age would consider your own children up for the noose?
If my DS done what Campbell done, I would kill him myself.
If he faced capital punishment so be it.

echt · 23/03/2019 13:52

And at what age would consider your own children up for the noose

If my DS done what Campbell done, I would kill him myself.
If he faced capital punishment so be it

I wasn't asking you.

Dahlietta · 23/03/2019 13:55

You can just be bloody evil and then there's mental health illnesses which are very different why do people keep putting these two together.

I suppose because it's difficult to believe that somebody who would look at a sleeping little 6yo girl and be overcome by a desire to take her from her bed and rape and murder her is entirely right in the head.

Inliverpool1 · 23/03/2019 13:57

kateandme - it clearly is a wrongly wired brain that hurts a 6 year old. I strongly suspect he was off his face on drugs at the time, we’ll never know. But we do know and it’s been proven in the cases that brain damage has occurred in “pure evil” people. I suspect FAS personally

Inliverpool1 · 23/03/2019 13:58

Foetal alcohol syndrome btw

PrimalLass · 23/03/2019 13:59

What good would it do? It's not a deterrent.

PinkPupZ · 23/03/2019 14:02

I find this case very horrific reading. Feel for the poor family.
I think in these cases there should be life in prison and no parole whatsoever. Also only the basics not x box and luxuries.