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!!

QUITE

But i don't necessarily want to see people jailed for non-violent one-off crimes

Ridiculous

How would you know it's a 'one off crime'??

This is worth reading. What a brave man. Offensively to women and men like him (and the man I know) to suggest childhood trauma is ever an excuse for an adult to abuse children.

Mitigating circumstances are relevant for some crimes but not child abuse. Many women and men were abused as children and do not become child abusers when they're adults.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/05/jon-needham-child-rape-victims-abuse-court-police-officer-survivors

@ClaudiaWinklepanda its tricky. Sometime the two conflate, sometimes they don’t. I personally think the increasing societal permissiveness about kinks is encouraging some of the worst people to hijack the agenda and openly advocate for child sexual abuse.

Oh god not all men, that old chestnut! No I will have no respect for men that have no bearing on my own life, you can't prove that your dh&ds's are angels, respect my fat arse!

I haven’t once defended him.

"But i don't necessarily want to see people jailed for non-violent one-off crimes."

He was texting and receiving indecent images of children being sexually abused from a convicted paedophile for a number of years. He also spent a number of years coercing a teenager into sharing sexual images of himself.

In what sense is that either "one-off" or "non-violent"?

Crack on, I can’t wait to hear about your efforts 🙂

don't be daft. nicking a pack of nappies because your UC is late is often a one-off thing.

I've never seen it described in that detail before, details were a bit vague some months ago when they said Huw replied 'nothing illegal' to the sender of the photos.
The current, more detailed info the OP gave is alot more revealing because, in all honesty I didn't think his offence was very serious. It obviously is though now.

i wasn't talking about Edwards who i have already said should have been seeing the inside of a cell for at least a month.

As I said several posts ago, those that want to stop will. Those that don’t, won’t.

He and his highly paid barrister had had weeks to dream up excuses.
Listening to the Jeremy Vine show today it seems the majority of paedophiles making images, selling images etc get suspended sentences. So why would it ever stop?
No one stands up for these kids whose lives are ruined by this abuse. The cruelty they go through, how their mental health must be destroyed is never mentioned.

I really wish all sex offenders could hang.

You don't get to police threads

An increase in females being prosecuted for sex offences is worrying and should be spoken about too. Are they aiding and abetting the men as 'causing or allowing' is an offence too

Increased investigations of these crimes against children mean all involved being prosecuted.

Because it's absolutely our job to fix problematic male behaviour! 🤦🏻‍♀️

You’re free to start your own thread about women offenders and how women are just as bad. Funny how no one ever does this, they just think it’s appropriate to muscle in on the ones talking about how men as a sex class are fucking horrific with this shit whataboutery.

So you don't think a court should know if, for example the convicted has engaged with therapy versus saying they'd do it again. Or were experiencing psychosis/mania or off their head on drugs at the time. Or have a life limiting illness. Or committed offences in company of coercive person they've now broken contact with. Etc.

Mitigation isn't the same as 'things that make it ok to have done this'. It's things to be taken into account on the whole, when deciding a suitable sentence. The range of sentences is set out, the judge looks at aggravating and mitigating factors to work out what's appropriate.

I get this completely. I feel utterly sick and I am crying for those have been hurt.

What got me was his legal team submitting "remorse" as a reason for mitigation. Of course he is remorseful, he got caught! Bet you any amount of money he wouldn't have just given it all up by himself.

He was obviously aware that he should cover his arse by saying nothing underage to have an audit trail. He received images that were clearly of primary age children and did not object. Why he hasn't been jailed is beyond me.

He's as good as in prison. Where can he go in this country without being recognised? He doesn't even really need a tag - he can't go out.

His career is over. What can he really do? Volunteer perhaps, but who'd have him? He wouldn't pass a DBS investigation.

He's been living with his mother - I won't say where, but South Wales is a small community and locals know where he is. He's 63, so she must be mid 80s at least.

He really has no life now.

I think they should have banned him for life from using the internet/social media too, but I'm not sure that's possible.

So you don't think a court should know if, for example the convicted has engaged with therapy versus saying they'd do it again. Or were experiencing psychosis/mania or off their head on drugs at the time. Or have a life limiting illness. Or committed offences in company of coercive person they've now broken contact with. Etc.

Mitigation isn't the same as 'things that make it ok to have done this'. It's things to be taken into account on the whole, when deciding a suitable sentence. The range of sentences is set out, the judge looks at aggravating and mitigating factors to work out what's appropriate.

@Haroldwilson

Do you believe that there are any fair 'mitigating circumstances' that should allow a man downloading, viewing and wanking over images of children being abused and raped, to have a lesser sentence?

What are those mitigating circumstances?

Where’s the evidence that imprisonment makes it stop?

Then why post the absolute nonsenses you did as if we should take comfort in it? You seem very keen to defend a broken system.

So having a "puritanical" father makes you a paedophile?

Who knew........

@AccidentallyWesAnderson I know I am. I'm also free to post here

It's unpalatable to think it, but how do you think these photos come about? Mumsnet seems to love threads about sending DC off on sleepovers to random families where they just 'know' their kids are safe 🤔

As for Edwards, I suspect his conditions will be breached and he will end up serving custodial. Lots do.