Crime and Punishment

"Five boys have been sentenced to two years' detention for killing a father who collapsed with a heart attack after being pelted with stones and rocks." That's from the BBC report on the five boys who killed Ernest Norton aged 67 whilst he was playing cricket with his son at a leisure centre in Erith, south-east London in February 2006.

Two years! Two years for killing someone! Two years, they'll be out in one...

The report continues "Passing the sentence at the Old Bailey, Judge Warwick McKinnon said: "The conduct of all of you as a group was utterly disgraceful and criminally irresponsible.""
Disgraceful? They killed someone and not in an instant but by throwing stones over a period of time.

"Judge McKinnon said: "This was a vicious, entirely unprovoked and sustained group attack involving a barrage of missiles. He added the boys "hyped" themselves up by "earlier rowdy mischief and misbehaviour" before attacking Mr Norton."
"Vicious", "entirely unprovoked" but only a 2 year sentence?

"they were approached by up to 20 youths who began shouting abuse including "rubbish bowler" and "go back to the old people's home".
This is today's youth and if they know that the most they will receive if they kill someone is a two year sentence, presumably in a soft kiddie jail and that they will serve 70% maximum of the sentence then what's the deterrence?


"Following the sentence, Det Insp Clive Hayes said he hoped the "tough sentence" will "act as a deterrent" to other youths tempted to get involved in anti-social behaviour."
"Tough sentence"! Two years for killing someone, what would a lenient sentence be?

The Police and judicial system in this country is a joke.


UPDATE:
The bleeding hearts have been out in force over this news story, apparently they are only children and don't understand right from wrong. When I was five, I knew you didn't throw stones at people because they could get hurt. By the time I was nine, I knew that if you hurt someone by throwing things at them, then you would get into trouble and punished. If these children don't know those simple facts then their upbringing has been seriously deficient and their parents should be held to account. Thankfully there are people out there who see the problem for what it is, the BBC Have Your Say has comments from many.