I hope he rots

[2AdventSevenfoldShoes]

in prison

He wont though. He will be taken abseiling a few times, given a top notch education and released with a new identity in about 7 years time. While he still young enough to enjoy his life. Rhys wont have that chance

unfortunately he won't

22 years doesn't seem long enough does it

He wont even serve that South. More like 10ish.

stephen and melanie jones have behaved with utter digity throughout this whole thing

that poor,poor family

*dignity

I cried when I saw the pictures of Reece's family today ,I have an 11 year old DS who is football mad I shudder to think what they have /are going through .

Actually, I think the minimum tariff means he will have to do the full 22 years (but I'm not a legal person).

I cried too for Rhys's family. They were wholly admirable throughout.

He will only be let out if he has shown that he has reformed. Which seems extremely unlikely.

I feel so sad for Rhys's family. What a waste of a young life.

And I am bewildered by the fact there are teens such as Mercer roaming the streets. Where are their parents? How come they have grown into these angry, violent teens?

The world is going to hell in a handbasket and I am worried.

absolutely disgusting

have you seen his girfriend proclaiming him a 'hero'

He will serve 22 years actually, minimum. It is a life sentence and if he isn't considered safe for release in 22 years, he won't be coming out then either. If he is released and ever does anything wrong again, he will be back inside and die behind bars.

this was being discussed on the radio this morning, a solicitor who is an expert in criminal law said that he will be serving 22 years, before he is eligible for parole

so he cannot apply for parole until he is 40

and there is no guarantee he will be eligible, based on his performance in court, where he showed no remorse or respect, i doubt he will be walking free at any point in his life

min of 22 years and part of a life tariff with minimum specified means rehab re education are vital before release and usually I believe showing understanding of your actions and admitting wrongdoing and showing remorse are part of being parolled.

Appalled at what he has done but remember he is simply a product of his upbringing and evidence of gang culture.
Grim signs

Acting as devil's advocate, just for a moment here - what if, during his time in prison, Mercer has a real change of heart, and changes?

Yes, my gut reaction is that he should rot in jail, and that there's very little likelihood of any change in his character for the better. But I worry about a system where there's no hope or expectation of reform or rehabilitation. People can change, and sometimes there's something good buried under all the learned behaviour and history - and shouldn't prison, at least partly, be about finding that, and making a better person?

As well as obviously feeling sorry for Rhys Jones' family, which barely needs to be said as it's so obvious, I do feel sorry for his family. His father and Rhys Jones' mother were both in tears at the sentencing.

It is easy to say he obviously came from a bad family but we don't know that, he could have come from a perfectly good family who despair at the way he has gone off the rails, we just don't know.

I, for one, was surprised and pleased by the severity of the sentence. I was imagining 7-8 yrs, which are the terms his accomplices got.

Newspaper (admittedly The Sun) claims today that his mother is a prostitute. Other reports also claim that his father is criminal as well. (For hippi, who wondered what his parents were up)

But how is anyone to know, Sunny? How can you be sure if you instigated a system where the minimum sentence is commuted because the felon appears to have changed, that they weren't pretending?

If he does genuinely change, there are many worthwhile things he can in prison, and he will be out at 40, still in time to get a career, marry, have children. Rhys Jones will never do those things.

The Judge in this case had the option to start the minimum tarrif at 12 years. He believed that the aggravating factors, including his refusal to plead guilty, were so bad that the minimum tarrif should be 10 whole years longer. That's a lot of aggravating factors.

and that he joked and swaggered while evidence showing Rhys's murder was being given.
Wicked wicked. that behaviour alone was worth 22 years.
I'm not sure if he goes straight to adult prison?

You're absolutely right, georgimama. I just wish that something could be done so that he won't come out of prison as bad as when he goes in.

Plus, someone who's been in the gang culture, seen the error of their ways and reformed, could be the best person to help others out of the gang culture.

I know I'm being unrealistic, but the whole thing makes my heart heavy.

For the record, I do believe that prison should be about punishment as well as being about rehabilitation and keeping offenders off the streets for the public safety. And I can understand the need for justice and punishment in this case. This young man does deserve what he got.

I am glad justice has been done for Rhys, Mercer deserves to to spend to rest of his adult life in prison that arrogant little shit thought he was above the law and showed no remorse

If he's 18 I would think he'd go straight into an adult prison. If he was under 18 I think it would be a different story.

Vile person, he deserves his 22 years for what he has done to that family. Showing no remorse for killing a young, innocent boy? Lets see if his 22 years can change his mind at all.

I must say I'm glad the judge didn't go lightly on him, perhaps it may have some kind of effect on the whole gang scene, though I doubt it. It's just a rush for them isn't it.