To be absolutely sick of excuses being made for men's disgusting sexual behaviour? Trigfer warning. Hugh Edwards sentencing.

[UCConfuseMe]

Just read that Hugh Edwards ahs been given a suspended sentence.

And if course it's not his fault. He had a mean Daddy and some mental health issues and some bad things going on in his life, poor lamb.

All that made him say 'amazing' when sent photos of children as young as 7 being molested.

Having a rough time and a strict father doesn't make you a fucking paedophile!!!

Take responsibility for your predatory and vile behaviour!!

this entire thread should be screaming out to those of you working in the system that either the system is considered too lenient for a lot of people, or you are all (not you personally, the CPS for eg) are doing a hideously bad job of explaining themselves.

If you are all so sure that a 6 month sentence and 7 (ha, laughably short) years on the register is a good robust sentence - the fact that so many people here (on twitter, on reddit on threads etc) are saying "nope he got off" seems to show that you need to put much much more work into explaining what you do and why.

All of them? Should we let Rose West, Joanna Dennehy, and Lucy Letby out? To say nothing of fraudsters like Amy Molloy who conned thousands of pounds out of elderly victims?

I knew this would be your comeback. Given you don’t know the first thing about my background or own experiences as a child and young adult, perhaps you might like to think before you type.

Chemical castration has been around for decades at least since the 1970s - it's not particularly effective in reducing sex-drive and impotent castrated men will use other potentially more damaging objects to abuse

It can also gives a false sense of security to the sex-offender and professionals managing them

Rarely used now as it doesn't work

@MarkingBad

Yes true. There will be more going on in the background to find the source of the photos and of course the victims. We never hear much about that but it doesn't just stop at Edwards sentencing today

I agree, but my point is it's hos poor mother who is left to deal with him and the fallout now. Last summer there was a town near me that was completely shut off by police after a paedophile came back to live with his parents, it was absolute carnage!

A suspended sentence is not "getting off".

But despite the fact more girls are abused than boys, yet it’s men who commit the vast majority of these crimes, we’re just meant to take a nonces word for it?!! No thanks, I’m not that gullible.

The operative word in the quote you have posted was 'most'.

And you think fraud is on a par with CSA? Why on earth would you join a thread as an apologist for a child abuser?!

The paedo apologists on this thread need to have a fucking word with themselves.

And a lot more prison officers. There's a recruitment crisis now.

yes, there is. And it is a relatively easy - if expensive - fix. And that is: better T&C for the prison officers. Possibly more and better training. Possibly including more therapy sessions for those who work with the worst offenders.

etc etc.

Nope, the judge decided not to impose a sexual harm prevention order on account of him being such an upstanding bloke.

I am not an expert in criminal law. I am however an expert in mental health and have some reservations about how he selectively forgot seeing those images.

I accept that the sentencing was done in accordance with guidelines. I guess my lack of expert criminal law knowledge means I don’t really understand why, the just stop oil protestors have been placed in prison for several years whilst this man has walked free.

You may not like it, but women DO commit these crimes as well. A post like this was always going to have that concept being introduced. For the second time, I haven’t defended Huw Edwards, and if you are going to persist in saying that, there really is no point talking to you.

disingenuous twaddle.

I have read your posts @WinterMorn and I have rarely felt so angry. I think you are a man. A smug man whose loved ones have never suffered sexual abuse. You rationalise the sentences given to sex offenders - you have obviously received training as part of your involvement in the criminal justice system - and feel you can pontificate about it repeatedly on here. Talking over people who have experienced male sexual violence. If it all works so well why are the numbers of offenders going up every year? Why are children still being subjected to the most horrific abuse? The system - the one you are defending - is utterly broken.

Well that just leads on to my 'if women ruled the world rant...

Not going to happen. There's no money!

I’d say the same to you, you come across as incredibly smug and patronising on this thread, as if no one else knows what they’re talking about, as if they’re wrong to be angry and with very little concern for victims.

Anyway, I’m not going to engage with nonce defenders any further, it’s pointless.

The way I see it, if you want to prevent abuse then you have to understand it.

If you make a blanket statement of 'all abusers are evil' then you miss an opportunity to understand the crimes and find ways to prevent further offending/offending by other people.

It's a horrible area, but some people are involved in getting abusers to see why what they did was wrong, what their path to abuse was and how they could have used different moments to stop, what they could do in future to control themselves and not reoffend.

People saying what could be mitigating circumstances for sex offending. I would say if you've had an abusive or dysfunctional upbringing, you're less likely to know where those boundaries are. Not everyone with that upbringing would offend and it doesn't make it ok. But it probably makes it more likely.

Other things like mental health issues or substance issues/cognitive problems. I'd say they're relevant.

If you just say 'they're all evil, lock them up and throw away the key' then a)you've got a massive prison population and b)you're not learning anything about how to prevent offending.

What we really need is way more resource going into the police to deal with these offences, both as a deterrent and to stop people before they progress through severity of offences.

I propose a move back to physical castration.

Once someone has shown themselves as having a sexual desire towards children it should happen.

It's time to bring the eunuchs back.

It literally says in the post ‘women do, no one disputes that’ so I’m not sure why, yet again, the fact that women commit crimes too needs pointed out in a thread about excuses for men’s appalling behaviour.

No the concept doesn’t need to be introduced. It’s whataboutery and othering and it detracts and minimises from the topic
in hand. Happens on every thread at the mere mention of horrible men.

So is the claim of childhood abuse taken into account when it can't be proven?

@Oldseagull

I propose a move back to physical castration.

Was it ever a thing?

the will isn't there.
And that is a problem. But that doesn't mean that prison officers should come on here and sneeringly tell us we don't know what we're talking about. I don't need to work in the prison system to know it is hideously broken.

I don't need to work in the prison system to have been aghast at the interview with one of the early-released last week describing the conditions inside, including rats running around freely.

etc etc.

This was a serious crime - not only perpetrated by Edwards - that has resulted in very real harm to untold numbers of children. The fact that we don't agree with his sentence, notwithstanding the acute problem with prisons, doesn't need to be sneered at.

I notice none of you prison officers or magistrates here have engaged with my 2 posts now pointing out that you needn't be surprised at people's shock and anger because your (industry not persons posting here) communication is pretty crap.