Man who raped, murdered woman given lighter sentence due to his age - distressing story

[ArabeIIaScott]

This is a really horribly upsetting case, and the news stories are upsetting so content warning on the link.

What is the absolute final insult right now is the fact he's got a lighter sentence because he's 23.

https://news.sky.com/story/jill-barclay-man-23-who-raped-mum-of-two-in-aberdeen-and-burned-her-alive-given-lesser-sentence-due-to-young-age-12888501

'Jailing Bennett for life, Lord Arthurson said: "I have determined on the particular facts of this case that the notional headline punishment part of that sentence should sit at a period of 29 years.
"Taking into account, as I require to, the circumstances of your early plea and the engaged guidelines for the sentencing of offenders under 25, and approaching these discounting elements on an in cumulo basis, I fix the actual punishment part of your life sentence at a period of 24 years.'

Scotland, and the Scottish government: fuck you to hell.

Bloody hell. What is happening to sentencing guidance?

What must that do to to the grieving process of her family and friends?

I was actually surprised at a sentence given over 20 years. Not that's it's enough in anyway but I normally see outcry at 10/12 year sentences so I was glad to see at least a 20+ sentence for this poor woman.

This must be the Scotland where, if you're under 25 and commit murder, you're deemed too young to be treated like an adult. But where if you're wanting to socially or medically transition and you're under 25, you're magically an adult.

These?

www.scottishsentencingcouncil.org.uk/media/2171/sentencing-young-people-guideline-for-publication.pdf

"In assessing culpability, the court should have regard to the intellectual and emotional maturity of the young person at the time the offence was committed. Research shows that young people are not fully developed and may not have attained full maturity. As a result they:

 are generally less able to exercise good judgement when making decisions;
 are more vulnerable to negative influences such as peer pressure and exploitative
relationships;
 may be less able to think about what could happen as a result of their actions, including the impact on any victim and others affected by those actions; and
 may take more risks."

Absolutely ridiculous. I have worked with offenders for years and the sort of person who can do this will not change no matter how much 'rehabilitation' they do, they will always pose a risk. Still, just to women, so I guess it's worth giving him a chance

The thing is that none of those could explain why this man committed that terrible offence. It wasn't poor judgement. He wasn't peer pressured into it. He may be less able to think about consequences but this isn't like stealing from a shop or even mugging someone. The list above to me relates more to crimes such a that, not all offences are equal and this is in a totally different category to youthful mistakes.

He should be spending the rest of his life in prison for what he did and how he did it.

This happened not far from me, and it is absolutely terrifying to think this happened so close to home.

That poor woman and her poor family, especially her two children. I cannot even imagine what they're going through. She has lost her life, and her family's lives have changed forever. His sentence is nowhere near long enough for someone who is only 23. That means before he's even 50, he will be able to walk out and have some sort of life afterwards. Absolutely disgusting that they reduced the sentence because of his age. He knew what he was doing. He even went back to her and set her alight!

I can't even.

Those guidelines are inappropriate for murder.

This is horrible. Horrible. Why does Scotland seem to produce so many of these evil men? Why does the Scottish system seem to take their side?

Why are we not rioting in the streets about this? This should be front page news. Her poor family, her poor kids.

Every day another terrible story about a woman who dies at the hands of a violent man...it's unbearable.

I hope he has the same done to him in prison.

He needs life without parole

If he would have done that to a man, he wouldn't have been released, ever

There is nothing that can be rehabilitated about that man.

That's horrifying. His age is irrelevant, this was nothing to do with immature frontal lobes causing poor decision making.
And I don't care about 'punishment', he should in prison for his whole life for the protection of women. There is no prospect of 'rehabilitating' a man capable of that kind of sexual violence.

Small comfort, but there were, I believe, protests and marches in Aberdeen after it happened.

What absolutely gutted me though, was that two separate witnesses, at least, heard it happen, and did nothing.

If you hear a woman screaming, at the very least, call the fucking police.

I'm hoping that the sentence is reviewed and appealed and lengthened. For the protection of the public, at very least.

The Scottish government needs to have a hard look at this new guideline for the under 25s, this is the second horrible crime that has resulted in a lenient/more lenient sentence - the other being the man who got community service for the rape of a girl.

Only three replies before somebody manages to shoehorn the trans debate in there. 🙄

This really is the most appalling and senseless crime, and I am also distressed at the reduction in the sentence, an absolute shocker.

And WHY WHY WHY would the bloke who was out walking his dog or the people in the flat nearby who heard not, at the absolute least, phone the police...what is wrong with people? I just can't get my head around that complete lack of concern for another human being...it makes me want to weep.

I thought the same- one news report said that a dog walker heard a high pitched scream and a woman saying “no, no, no”. What’s wrong with people that they would hear that and not call the police.

I also don’t understand why this case seemed to receive so little national media coverage at the time.

That poor, poor woman. A life taken away for no reason and because of some revolting, perverted piece of shit who should not be walking this earth. My heart breaks for her children, her partner and all who love her. She should be cuddling her children tonight. They should have had many, many more years with her. RIP Jill.

Yes. Absolutely. My thoughts are with her family.

I just can't see the logic. "This person was under 25. He might not realise that raping and killing someone is wrong. He might be a bit impulsive and get carried away."

Sadly I'm not at all surprised and it's not just Scotland but the whole of the UK. Just look at the sentence that piece of scum Thomas Hughes got for the extremely cruel and prolonged torture, and ultimately murder he committed against his own son, a defenseless 6 year old boy!

That scum got 21 years initially, then after an MP requested a review (under the unduly lenient scheme) that was upped to... drum roll... just 24 years in cushty jail.

Well either youths are mature enough or they’re not. In Scotland minors can vote, transition and marry at 16 but commit a crime under the age of 25 and you aren’t in fact all that mature after all. It’s appalling. This is the second case in as many months where a man has got a reduced sentence after crimes against women and girls. How are you supposed to make sense of that?

All I can think of is that poor women going through such a horrific attack and maybe, just maybe, thinking she might survive only for him to come back again and murder her. I am so desperately sad for her family.

He's 23?! Looks 43.

That is one of the most horrific and terrifying crimes I have ever heard of. It's not 'youthful folly' or 'immature judgement,' it's a crime of pure malice and sadism. The punishment should reflect the weight of the crime and nothing else. He may get out young enough to repeat this crime again. This is the second time I've read about a male sex offender in Scotland getting a lower sentence because of their youth. What message does that send out to woman-haters and psychos? Get it done early, boys, and you'll be out in no time.

I think there has been an appeal against the sentence of the other under 25 year old rapist.

Let’s hope there will be an appeal against this ‘ young’ psycho’s sentence.