How will it help anyone if this man goes to prison?

[DecisionTime123]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0rd0r5zez9o
Man kept his dead mother in the freezer, held her hand and chatted to her.

I definitely agree he needs to pay the benefits etc back if possible, but they are letting rapists out of prison as they don't have the room, yet this clearly mentally ill man has to be locked up? YABU = he deserves punishment in custody or YANBU = it won't help anybody, he should get a suspended sentence

It would set an awful precedent to not appropriately punish this. How would you feel if a family member or friend was put in a freezer and their death kept a secret whilst someone claimed their benefits?

We only have his claim that it wasn't for financial benefit. He chose to continue to claim money which wasnt his. I'm not sure what I think about this. He kept her frozen, and denied her the right to dignity in death.

This is what's wrong though, why is about how the family feel rather than what is of most benefit to society? Not about revenge or retribution, but the relative cost and benefits to society. Sending him to prison has a huge cost and no gain.

If he hadn’t committed fraud then maybe a community sentence but the two combined, no. Prison is appropriate

He broke the law and there is a penalty for that.
It’s not about ‘helping people’.

I might have more sympathy for him if he hadn’t stolen her benefits. He’s a liar and what about other family and friends who would have wanted to mourn her.
He could’ve chatted to her at her gravesite.

He wasn’t too distraught to stop claiming their benefits, fraudulently. .

Maybe a secure mental health unit would be more appropriate.

The whole thing is very sad really, clearly not a well individual. I am not sure prison is an appropriate place for someone like this tbh, but we do so hate financial crimes. I think a mental health unit would be better or some sort of facility with rehabilitation in mind. It sounds like he’d been her carer for 15+ years and the two of them had led a very isolated life.

It doesn’t say what he spent the money on. I assume it was just on living, not holidays and designer gear or anything extravagant.

He stole money from the Public Purse.

Not only should be be imprisoned but he should have to repay the amount he stole by fraud. Every penny.

He defrauded the state of £78K. You think that doesn’t deserve prison?

It's quite a sad story. I don't think he should be sent to prison but he probably needs some help for his mental health.

It's not quite that black and white though. He clearly has some MH issues.

He should be made to work to pay every penny back in addition to a lengthy prison sentence.

He should definitely be locked up as Nd if there are not enough prison spaces for rapidt build more prisons.

How can he work if he's in prison?

With the lack of jail space this is my idea…

1. House arrest… allowed in his garden 1 hour out of every 24.. no garden? Tough cookie
2. ankle tag
3. basic meals delivered three times a day
4. hot water 5 mins daily, 10 mins on a Sunday for a shower
5. basic bbc & itv channels on tv for 2 hours daily
6. new set of joggers delivered every 6 months
7. 2sets of underwear delivered once a week
8. no cigarettes, no alcohol, no biscuits, no sweets, no ‘snacks’
9. i’d suggest this for 90% of offenders
10. no driving licence or passport for 25 years.

I think his sentence has more to do with the fraud than the issue of his mother tbh.

I don’t think his poor mental health meant that he didn’t know that what he did was wrong.

So men should be free to steal money as long as they have a sob story, great idea.

I’m another one who doesn’t really see the point. Yes he’s stolen money from the public purse but it’ll cost over £50k to keep him in jail per year. Honestly I think unless people are a danger to the public it’d be better to have them tagged and have to live under house arrest only leaving for things like community service or work (assuming they can find or keep a job) or other pre approved stuff.

I dunno. I’m sitting in a room with my mum’s ashes and I don’t want to let them go. I took pictures of her dead in the funeral home as I needed to remember. Mind you, she only died in spring.

I feel quite sorry for this man. He’s alone, no family apart from his adoptive mum who he cared for for a very very long time. Hideous and lonely for sure. He must be broken.

He hasn’t harmed anyone. I doubt he was taking the pension for anything elaborate. He was probably just paying bills and buying food and sitting with his mum.

I certainly wouldn’t jail him. I’d jail burglars, rapists, sexual assaulters etc.

I mean actually on reflection, what has he got to lose or protect? He might be happier in jail where he’ll get meals and be looked after.

Our society is sick.

Because he was stealing from you and me...the oh I was chatting to her is ok..if he hadn't continued to take the £78,000....

It’s not likely he would have become self-sufficient and a productive member of society again anyway with such clear poor mental health, it’s likely he would have ended up entitled to benefits and claiming similar amounts to what his mum was doing.

Whole thing is just really sad.

Or came up with a brilliant excuse if he got caught.