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Original poster

To Think 10 Year Olds Are Children?

76 replies

SpookOnAStick · 13/03/2010 21:48

I don't often post on Mumsnet and when I do it is when I'm pissed rubbish, but this is annoying me beyond all reason.

There has been much talk today of raising the age of criminality from 10 to 12, re - the killers of Jamie Bulger. This was a terrible thing, I know, and justice had to be served, but is it just me? Surely the parents of this pair should have been prosecuted? Shouldn't they?

OP posts:
OrmRenewed · 13/03/2010 23:20

We do not that at least one of the boys is back in prison.

No, it doesn't change their guilt, but unless we are going to just lock them up forever, we need to be pragmatic. 1 toddler died. Is it really better to have the lives of 2 children ruined as well?

MadameDefarge · 13/03/2010 23:22

Its the same mentality that has mindless mobs rampaging round to a paediatrians house because they are too stupid to know the difference between a paedophile and a doctor.

And who get some kind of moralistic high from their vitriol.

GypsyMoth · 13/03/2010 23:22

op thinks the parents should have been prosecuted?

op is this in place of the boys who did this,or as well as?

and does this cover EVERY crime?

because it has to be consistant....to make parents accountable,for this one crime and other parents not accountable for another crime is unfair. you couldnt pick and choose.

where would you draw the line?

MadameDefarge · 13/03/2010 23:25

and it is also extremely arrogant to assume that those who have compassion have no personal knowledge or experience of violent and abusive crimes.

skidoodle · 13/03/2010 23:26

"1 toddler died. Is it really better to have the lives of 2 children ruined as well?"

Were their lives ruined? On what basis are you making that claim?

What would you prefer had happened to them?

We know that one of the two has been recalled to prison under the terms of his licence. We don't know why, or what he has done, whether he has committed a crime or if it was a minor breach of the conditions under which he was released.

The other man (they are no longer children, so perhaps we should stop referring to them as though they were) has not been recalled to prison.

So if we're taking them as a representative sample (which of course we shouldn't) then so far it's been 50% successful.

MadameDefarge · 13/03/2010 23:31

Any mental health professional will tell you that there is a vast difference between knowing something intellectually and knowing it emotionally.

An emotional awareness of right and wrong comes as the result of healthy maturity.

An intellectual awareness of right and wrong develops as the result of instruction and retention of those precepts.

You can have that intellectual knowledge far before you have the emotional knowledge.

Original poster
SpookOnAStick · 13/03/2010 23:32

op is this in place of the boys who did this,or as well as?

As well as. And I think this should cover every crime. I would draw the line at 16.

Thankyou for all you responses.

OP posts:
jjones · 13/03/2010 23:39

Because of all the news about this, I have explained to my ds aged 10 about what happened the James Bulger (we live in Liverpool, about 5 miles away from the strand shopping centre). He was horrified and said "why would anyone do that to another person, let alone a little boy like that"
These boy's where responsible for their actions but there parents also had some responsibility for what the boy's did.

Mermaidspam · 13/03/2010 23:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

GypsyMoth · 13/03/2010 23:44

op that would be so unworkable.

kids get in trouble....talking about minor crimes here not murder.....yet you propose the parents are held accountable too.for every crime?

so if my 11 year old ds went out and shoplifted for example,then i would be prosecuted also? bye bye any job then....with that sort of thing on my record.bye bye house with no job. and of course ds may have to end up in care...

not going to work is it? and less caring parents may severely punish a child who dragged a parent into the courts!

runnybottom · 13/03/2010 23:49

"apparently" you know a few rumours, and should probably keep them to yourself.

Original poster
SpookOnAStick · 13/03/2010 23:51

My four children are aged 21, 14, 11, 18 months. They aren't angels but they are taught right from wrong, and they are LOVED.

OP posts:
Mermaidspam · 13/03/2010 23:51

I'm not a gossip-monger, it was relevant to the previous posts about the other one not returning to prison.

Original poster
SpookOnAStick · 13/03/2010 23:54

I got the 'prison offcer' text too

OP posts:
runnybottom · 13/03/2010 23:55

it wasn't relevant as it is baseless rumour and you know about as much as any of us. Which is nothing.

Mermaidspam · 13/03/2010 23:58

Okaaaayy

I have reported my post as I did not mean to cause offence to anyone. Obviously I know nothing and should therefore, not comment.

abbierhodes · 14/03/2010 00:09

Mermaidspam, I got that text too. If you google it, it's very easy to find out it's a hoax.

Mermaidspam · 14/03/2010 00:15

DH didn't get it by text though, that's why we kind of believed it. A prison officer mate of his told him face to face.

I didn't know it was a rumour, and quite a popular one by the looks of it.

Thanks abbie for letting me know and not being rude about it.

Original poster
SpookOnAStick · 14/03/2010 00:21

DH didn't get it by text though, that's why we kind of believed it. A prison officer mate of his told him face to face.

That's what my ex dh said in his text!

OP posts:
Original poster
SpookOnAStick · 14/03/2010 00:26

I agree that this pair should have been hung, whatever.

This wasn't my point. My point is, the parenting should have been taken into account. Instead, the parents were apparently given new identities and moved from the area.

Maybe they were loving, caring parents. Who am I to know?

OP posts:
Mermaidspam · 14/03/2010 00:26

Must be doing the rounds of POs then.

DH isn't lying! I know the guy who told him very well and he isn't usually one to believe rumours/hoaxes, and neither is DH. (Neither am I for that matter )

Original poster
SpookOnAStick · 14/03/2010 00:33

C'mon Mermaidspam. Have an opinion or butt out

OP posts:
Mermaidspam · 14/03/2010 00:40

An opinion on? The original OP?

I would say that at the age of 10 a child should be held responsible for his/her actions.

IMO, the only time it would be relevant to prosecute the parents would be if there was a correlation between their parenting and the crime that the child committed (sexual abuse, physical abuse, etc) but don't know how that would be proven.

Some people are (unfortunately) born to do horrible things, their upbringing makes no difference.

Mermaidspam · 14/03/2010 00:42

Oops, just OP

cory · 14/03/2010 09:07

It is worth noting that the age of criminal responsibility is lower in Britain than in comparable European countries.

At the same time, the level of responsibility allocated to British children of this age is usually far lower than in comparable European countries.

So there is a strong discrepancy as in when children are considered to be grown up enough to have individual responsibility.

And all available statistics do seem to show that young children who commit horrific acts have almost always been abused; this is different from a teenager going off the rails, which may be due to outside influence. The main influence on a 10yo should be the parents.

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