at the risk of sounding a bit Daily Mail-ish, I really don't think the sentences for this appalling attack on a young women with special needs are long enough...

[edam]

WARNING this is distressing Saw previous coverage of the trial - I'm amazed the rapists have only got six to nine years.

Seems to be this is about as serious a crime as you can get, short of murder. So why are the sentences less than the ones I see reported for armed robbery, for instance? Do we value victims of violence less than cold hard cash?

Just hope the poor girl somehow finds a way to live a happy life despite her injuries and trauma.

I think I will write to my MP tomorrow but if anyone has any other ideas please let me know.
My DS has severe SN and he is so trusting and so vulnerable. Children like him need more protection rather than (apparently) less

It is up to the Attorney General to appeal the case.

Reading the links posted by dittany and edam, it is not clear to me whether we need to write to the local CPS which will refer to the AG or to the AG directly?

Anyone can clarify and post relevant addresses?

Is there a petition?

Here is the page to create a new petition on the no 10 site:

here

I don't want to do it myself as i think it should be carefully worded and I don't want to cock it up.

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to..."

Does anyone know the name of the court etc? And I will write a letter tomorrow in my lunch break.

If we have all the info here it will be easy for people who see this thread to write.

It says there is a 28 day rule so we need to get cracking.

Dittany i think it would be a good idea to do a petition specifically about this as it has stuck such a chord.

I agree that a more general petition would be a good idea if you start one separately I will happily sign it. I just think that people are so upset about this specific case that loads of people will sign.

thanks, dittany. For the date, do you mean date of the judgment, rather than incident?

So that would be:

Wood Green Crown Court
19/01/2009
Rogel McMorris
Jason Brew
Hector Muaimba

Right?

And send it to the address Dittany put above.

Any thoughts on wording for a petition?

You need to get a transcript of the sentencing remarks, well the CPS would have to get this. And no, the CPS would not be afraid to challenge the judge on this sort of matter. It is part of the reason they are seperate bodies.

don't understand though, if guidelines say 8-13 yrs, why sentences were not 13 yrs?
thanks dittany and tumtum for your research.

I've just looked at the bbc site, sentences were 9,8 and 6 yrs apparently- still too low but not as outrageous as 2-4. Police say many others involved they could not bring to court, insufficient evidence. Community closed ranks and would not talk to police.

What a disgusting community.

Going to bed now but definitely going to write tomorrow.

Is anyone else going to?

This is a really really horrible story. Vicious men. Why? Why would they want to do that?

And she says she's tried to forgive them. It's terrible.

Awful. And yes, they should get longer. Scarily longer sentences. But I sound like I read the Mail now!

A quick link for writing to your MP here

I am not the least bit surprised the community closed ranks. Some parts of London, and no doubt other cities too, are just separate from mainstream society. They think the law doesn't apply to them, they have a whole different take on right and wrong. Hence the smirking and sniggering in court. They really, really do not care. It is very, very scary.

And, as has already been said, they will be out in a couple of years.

Because they have been in custody they will be out in a couple of years. Will definitely write to the Attorney General and my MP. Is someone with a legal background able to compose a letter we could all copy? Would make it much more likely that more people would also write in.

It was awful to hear about the smirking and sniggering in court which the girl and her family were subjected to. Hopefully they will have been removed from the court?

I do think that one reason why people don't testify is because they are very afraid. Other witnesses have had to be moved and have their identities changed. Police protection is also not always what it should be.

I have worked in the criminal justice system, and was really shocked at the lenient sentences in the face of all the aggravating features in this case.

I havent seen or heard it anywhere, but hope the 6 and 9 years respectively may actually be the minimum of an indeterminate sentence. Has anyone read this?

If not, the sentences are certainly way out of line and there should be an appeal. It is more likely that they will if there is a public outcry. I will be writing to Jack Straw if that is the case.

bump

lazy of me but is there a petition yet?

IMO the special needs aspect is a red herring. The sentences were too lenient regardless. The crime would have been no less horrific had there been no SN involved.