The child who confessed should get a reduced sentence?

[ElatedShark]

Two young men were killed in Bristol in a case of mistaken identity. 5 killers caught, only one, the youngest child, confessed.

I think he should be given less time than the others due to this and age and the fact prison rarely works to rehabilitate young offenders. It must be terrifying for him.

My heart also goes out to the victims families.
Partner thinks I'm being unreasonable. That's it really.

Here is the story for those wanting more info:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ym7g5dx50o

It must be terrifying for him.

Really, sympathy for him after what he took part in? He went out with the intention to take lives! I bet the guys they killed were also terrified

OP is strangely quiet…..

Two young men were killed in Bristol in a case of mistaken identity

Oh well, that makes it all right, then.

FGS stop trying to minimise this.

Good spot. And I don’t know what exact age they all were at the time of the crime but currently one of the convicted is a 45 year old man and another is 18.

ETA: The only thing is I wonder could this 45 year old have coerced the youngest into participating? ALL of them should still he punished severely btw but I’m just thinking there must have been a power imbalance and we don’t know his background etc very weird that a man that age was running around with teens. I hope he never gets out of jail!

Very odd wording in the OP.

The murdered victims are referred to as 'young men' but the youngest murderer is referred to as a child despite being the same age as his victims.

No, he does not deserve a shorter sentence for taking legal advice to confess. That doesn't take away from the crime.

Deranged, sick, evil scumbags who could hack two children to death and then go and enjoy a McDonalds should not be among society so hopefully they'll all be locked up for many years.

YABVU

Those poor boys who were murdered were terrified I imagine

All the killers need a full sentence! They were man enough to arm themselves with a machete and go out hunting, ultimately ending the lives of two innocent children in the most horrific of circumstances.

Prison sentences in this country are woeful !

Then no real incentive to confess. Even if the evidence is overwhelming. That would lead to victims' families being dragged through the ordeal of a contested trial, unnecessarily. It might also lead to some crimes being unsolved because there is no incentive to inform.

Not a good idea.

He’s not terrified.

He murdered to children with a machete in a planned attack.

He’s a psychopath.

@ElatedShark why did you use the words ‘young men’ to describe a 15 year old who was hacked to death, but the word ‘child’ to describe the 15 year old who did the hacking? Does being a murderer make you a child whilst being a victim makes you a young man? How does that work?

I personally think all the murderers should rot.

They were all children.

If you're under 18 you're a child.

If the procedure is in general that a guilty plea = a reduced sentence then that should apply here, too, for consistency.

But we're fighting over the tip of the iceberg. It's what the hell lies beneath we should be discussing. HOW this came to happen.

Prison shouldn't necessarily be about rehabilitation.

Sometimes prison should literally be about a place to put people you don't want to be out in the world

Two young men were not killed. Two children were.

I know it’s not considered the right thing to do on MN would I bring back the death penalty.
Realistically what's going to happen? They will go into prison; learn more ways to kill and torture people and come out and commit more crimes.
If they were XL bullies they would be put down; they are not any different.

Are you his mum OP? He’s a murdering scumbag who deserves all he gets, which probably won’t be nearly enough.

I hope they rot. They deserve to be terrified.

I hope they're all terrified, every day for the rest of their lives. You shouldn't get a moment of peace if you murder someone.

This - they had done absolutely nothing wrong. They were murdered in cold blood - poor children. Their murderers need to be locked up for good.

Ah! I can’t say that you heart bleeds for the little shits!

The laws in this country need reviewing. It should be a life for a life, no reduced sentence should be offered, it’s an absolute joke.

My brother was killed and the man who ruined our lives was out in 1.5 years, absolute joke, he was on his phone, speeding and racing and clearly not watching where he was going.

OP, to be honest I think anyone who murders a 15yo boy with a sixteen inch machete is beyond saving.

And the reason for this action? Someone had thrown bricks at a house. Even if they hadn't attacked two completely innocent children, it was a grossly excessive reaction. No community needs people with values like that walking the streets.

Personally I hope they throw away the key.

Interesting that you describe the 15/16 year old victims and the 15 year old thug involved in the murderer you describe as a child

As for him being terrified in prison. I hope he's terrified each and every day of his sentence. Those boys who were murdered must have been absolutely terrified.

I hope they're all locked up for a very long time

the "child"who confessed???? same age as the boys that died needlessly -out of all the things you could possibly think you come up with "i hope they go easy on him for early confession"
ok.you live with that.

So this "child" (aged 15 in fact) who the OP thinks deserves our pity was actually the same age as the children he murdered.

Nice try, OP.

This young murderer deserves nothing, apart from a life sentence. And to be publicly named.

Who cares if the shitbag confessed? Who cares if the murders were committed in a case of mistaken identity?

No, that's not the way the law works (as a previous poster has identified)