To feel pleased to read about the death of a paedophile in prison.

[EllebellyBeeblebrox]

I have to admit when I read about the death of Richard Huckle it was quite literally the best news I've heard for weeks. Im not usually a death penalty advocate but this genuinely feels like justice to me.

I'm fundamentally opposed to the death penalty as I believe that one of the basic foundations of a civilised society is that it doesn't end a human life as a form of punishment. I also believe that individuals who commit terrible crimes should pay for their crimes appropriately and that society should be kept safe from them. I also believe that they have the right to not be brutally murdered in prison. I also believe that it is essential to try and work out why people commit crimes in order to try and prevent prevent future crimes being committed. I'm really relieved, given the nature of many comments on this thread, that the general population doesn't have an opportunity to vote for the return of the death penalty.

Well said @lolawasashowgirl

When MN take down a thread they often say "not in the spirit of the site". This thread has not been taken so we can infer that taking delight in torture and murder is in the spirit of the Mumsnet

This site is shit.

Goodbye

Taking delight? Behave yourself.

People will think I'm barbaric (I am!) but he got what he deserved.
His current victims might not feel closure (nothing changes for them) but this has saved his future victims. He would have been released after serving decades in prison and he would have abused more children.
Good riddance!

Because not everyone believes that people should be killed (either by the state) or murdered (by another individual) for their crimes. This doesn't mean that a) they don't find their actions / crimes abhorrent b) they shouldn't be severely punished for them or c) they shouldn't be prevented from hurting anyone else. I'm one of those people. The two approaches aren't mutually exclusive.

lolawasashowgirl I find your views very simplistic, probably something a 5 year old would say- killing is wrong full stop and there are no such thing as special circumstances where it may actually benefit the people in society.

If someone had shot Hitler at the height of his power they would have indirectly saved the lives of millions of innocent people and most of us would view this individual as a hero- for preventing such atrocities and ridding the world of a monster. But judging from your views, you would just see this person as simply a murderer, right?

If someone had shot Hitler at the height of his power they would have indirectly saved the lives of millions of innocent people and most of us would view this individual as a hero- for preventing such atrocities and ridding the world of a monster

The big difference here is that the person who was murdered in prison was in captivity - not free to kill or harm others. He was judged and sentenced according to the law.

This is a depressing thread in more ways than one.

It is not unreasonable to have had an immediate gut response that it is a good thing a serial pedophile is dead. However, gut responses need to be followed up by reasoned ones. In that case it would still be reasonable to be glad he won't ever be in a position to reoffend. However it is totally unreasonable to be pleased that a situation occurred in a UK high security prison where one or more prisoners were in a position to murder another one. As many PPs have posted it could be a prison officer next.

Very depressing indeed.
So much cheerleading for vigilante justice.
Chaos in prison.
Understaffed prison officers putting their lives in danger daily to keep us safe - for pitiful financial reward.

I hadn't heard of him but looked him up and it made grim reading. There was a news item that said he was murdered by a sex offender, don't know how true that is.

Well I'm not sorry he's dead but prison inmates should not be murdered in prison, however heinous their crimes.

So much cheerleading for vigilante justice

Has there been? Or just people not sorry he was murdered?

@Bluerussian and then read that sex offender's crimes.

The crimes were horrific, almost beyond belief, which is why I am not sorry he is now dead. I still think he shouldn't have been murdered by a fellow inmate, if the murderer gets away with it there will be more murders in prison of people who have committed lesser crimes but who get into rows.

No justice system can ever be 100% perfect. Ever. If only because "justice" is a man made creation and so doomed to be imperfect.

So once you accept that (unless you really are a bit dim) you have to accept mistakes happen. Which really is all the argument you need against any form of irreversible justice.

This time it was a nasty piece of work.

Next time, it could be someone like the Guildford or Birmingham bombers - locked up when it was known they were innocent at the time.

The time after, it could be anyone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If justice can never be perfect, I'd at least like to know it's being overseen by the book not the feelz.

Great post Londonmummy66 - I totally agree with your comment about the need for a gut visceral response to terrible acts (which we all have) to be followed by a more reasoned one. It's never morally acceptable to take a human life in the name of punishment or retribution.

It's never morally acceptable to take a human life in the name of punishment or retribution.

My view is that it's only justified to save lives in the actual moment. If someone waves a gun around in public (and I really don't care about arguments about replicas) then if the police shoot and kill that person it's a tragedy, but completely justified.

The more you are removed from the immediacy, the more it's just cold blooded murder - of any stripe.

Fair point Todaysnamechange I do agree with you about the immediate prevention of loss of human life if there is no other way of preventing it

Fantastic news. What a bastard.

Absolute filth
Glad he is dead so no bleeding heart pearl clutcher can ever get him released ever
May his soul burn forever

I just love how 'moral' some people get about others pointing out the obvious about a sick cunt. Very middle class and right on 🙄

What a horrible thread. If we all pursue an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we'll live in a sightless, toothless world soon enough.

As for the parents, it must be awful to realise that you have such a child, but tbh if he was mine then I would have considered him dead from the moment that I’d found out what he’d done.

His own mother shopped him when she realised what he had done.

Damn shame he didn't serve his whole sentence first, then murdered tbh.