tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17101458.post1280664062348337196..comments2023-10-31T15:14:05.373+00:00Comments on Hagley Road To Ladywood: This country needs helpUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17101458.post-2023305371550010182009-04-03T21:05:00.000+01:002009-04-03T21:05:00.000+01:00Chris,in fact I'm not having a go at the governmen...Chris,<BR/>in fact I'm not having a go at the government. There's no Daily Mail view here. I'm sure under a Tory administration there'd be little to no difference.<BR/>Which is why this country needs help!claudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11498799178450479883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17101458.post-28482081201531299852009-04-03T19:51:00.000+01:002009-04-03T19:51:00.000+01:00You may be right, but in mitigation, the governmen...You may be right, but in mitigation, the government has sought to increase sentences for violent crimes. We see cases like this and the ones you mentioned and sometimes they highlight flaws in the law and the sentencing guidelines, but at the moment I'm not sure what the wider picture is for how manslaughter is dealt with. I've tried to find out the average sentence - a few years ago it seems to have been a little over five years, but obviously that covers various types of crime so it's hard to know what conclusions to draw.Chris Baldwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17101458.post-60081375701427054362009-04-03T18:48:00.000+01:002009-04-03T18:48:00.000+01:00Chris, we read about the Government and the opposi...Chris, <BR/><BR/>we read about the Government and the opposition, egged on by the tabloids, both going on about safety and security, ID schemes, tough action, law brought upon law, Green papers and White papers, Rizla and Swan and blah blah blah ...but what use has all that got when you read of sentences like this one?<BR/><BR/>I would just love to have a chat with the judge who thought a 4 year sentence to Virasami is fair. HOW ON EARTH? Especially knowing that, including his few months on remand and good behaviour, he could be out in less than 2.<BR/><BR/>But the trouble is, this is not an isolated case. Last October a scumbag was given 27 months for pushing a 60-year-old man off a bus in Hartlepool. Is 27 months worth the life of an innocent man, in the opinion of some people? The murderer will be out before next Christmas.<BR/><BR/>I could go on with other cases, Sophie Lancaster, Richard Whelan, Jody Dobrowski, Michael Causer and all the victims further insulted by hideous sentences but what's the point?<BR/><BR/>The sentencing system in Britain is deeply fucked up and offers little guarantee of protecting vulnerable people, let alone upholding deterrence. <BR/><BR/>I'm not talking about illiberal measures, ID cards, the death penalty, or any of that waffle. <BR/><BR/>I'm on about people who are found guilty, totally guilty in fact, and still are handed ridiculous sentences for no apparent reason. <BR/><BR/>Where's the deterrent? Where's the proportionality between crime and punishment? How does it make people feel safer?<BR/><BR/>Btw, "This country needs help" was the title of a song. I thought it sounded appropriate.claudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11498799178450479883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17101458.post-86014560144129652152009-04-03T17:28:00.000+01:002009-04-03T17:28:00.000+01:00Hi that was me. The point is, what's the big pictu...Hi that was me. The point is, what's the big picture? What does this sentence actually say about Britain?Chris Baldwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17101458.post-83799351167773585092009-04-03T16:09:00.000+01:002009-04-03T16:09:00.000+01:00"Rather insufficient"?Well, take a seat first, mak..."Rather insufficient"?<BR/><BR/>Well, take a seat first, make yourself a cup of tea and then we'll begin...claudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11498799178450479883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17101458.post-55099357855292762412009-04-03T11:34:00.000+01:002009-04-03T11:34:00.000+01:00OK, it does seem rather insufficient, but why do y...OK, it does seem rather insufficient, but why do you think the UK "needs help"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com