(no subject)

[hellison]

Is there something up with lj, or is it just me? Everything has gone wonky.

Anyway. 'nother interview today, same as last one only for a grade up (in civil service terms) so it was tougher and a lot more on policy and management. Bleh. Hopefully managed not to disgrace self, and I think achieved the main purpose of going which was to hammer home to our useless director (who was on the panel) the relevance of what I actually do now, since my current manager helpfully informed a while back that he doesn't have a clue and didn't think it was anything relevant (barely restrained myself at the time from pointing out Very Strongly and Loudly that surely it was HER JOB to make him aware... but meh).

Anyway tis done now, thank god and the Central Library Book sale is on so YAY.


In news of less yay and more Complete Fucking Outrage -

Rapist jailed for 8 years

Surely this is a good thing? Well no, it's fucking not.
He and a friend caught a young girl with a group of male friends, robbed them and forced them to watch while he raped her twice, then phoned her mother to tell her how much he "enjoyed raping your girl".
He initially denied it but switched his plea to guilty at the last minute (given he was found still with her phone when arrested, not to mention DNA and the eye witnesses...).

Eight years. For rape, theft, false imprisonment...
Except it's NOT. We still have 50% remittence. So it's FOUR years.
Time on remand counts as double and gets taken off. So he could be out of jail before she's out of her teens.

If that's all he gets with that amount of proof - evidence described by the judge as "overwhelming "- AND admitting he did it, is it any wonder so many rapes and attacks go unreported?
The 'friend' who helped, held off *her* friends & robbed them and watched?
Out on probation.

What's the fucking *point*?

Comments

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

That is truly depressing.

I think the judiciary tend to think of rape as 'ah, it's just a bit of sex'. Unreal.

[hellison.livejournal.com]

I have no idea wtf they were thinking. The judge even commented that the... scumbag had shown absolutely no sign of remorse. So here, have a couple of years.

Where does that leave someone with a much less cut and dried case? Why would even bother TRYING to take it to court and putting yourself through it? For that?

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

I tend to be a sandal-wearing-muesli-eating Guardian reader but hearing stuff like this makes me feel a bit hang-em-flog-em Daily Mail. I hate to say it but I hope this man gets raped every single day of his paltry term.

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Same here. Currently I'm hoping the pair of them get their knee caps either blasted off or battered to tiny pieces with a Stick With Nails in as soon as they get out.

[thesme-01.livejournal.com]

You know, that comment could only have been posted by a Nordie :P

I, although half Nordie, have been Mexicanised to the extent that I was angrily thinking:
'They should be locked up for life and forced to take part in the State Treatment Programme. YEAH.'

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Well obviously (and now that I am not so much seething with rage) Locked Up and Treatment Programmes are much preferrable to punishment beatings/knee capping, but when one walks out of court and the other will be out in 3 years or less it's hard to stick with the system.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

I think the judiciary tend to think of rape as 'ah, it's just a bit of sex'. Unreal.

Not in general. There'll be some, just like there'll be some coppers or whoever else who think that. However, the judiciary's hands are tied on the matter by fairly clear sentencing guidelines.

http://www.sentencing-guidelines.gov.uk/docs/82083-COI-SCG_final.pdf - pages 25 and 26. It's presumably been taken under the second box (either rape with more than one offender, or rape with sustained attack). The range you get is 6-11 years, with 8 years as standard. The aggravating factors they can apply are relatively limited.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

Sorry, 8-13 for a 15 year old. Though I am not 100% sure how this works if it would be thought the girl is 16 or over. (See the "Young Man's Defence" for men who sleep with 14 or 15 year olds, thinking they are 16.)

[hellison.livejournal.com]

I thought it might have been a set term thing, but thought even 8 years seems light - the 50% remittence thing just makes it a joke. Eight years isn't exactly a long term, but four? Probably 3 at most if you thrown in time on remand?
And this where there is absolutely no doubt that a. it was rape and b. it was him.

What hope does that give to anyone with a less cut and dried case? Who didn't have witnesses? Or a rapist who admitted at the TIME it was rape and then pleaded guilty?

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

There aren't too many crimes with set terms/punishments, once you get too far beyond things like fixed penalties and points on your driving license, that sort of thing.

The various forms of cutting of sentences are all really awkward. There's time off for pleading guilty, because this wastes a lot less time (and a lot less heartache for victims) if there's an incentive to plead guilty. Otherwise, everyone just pleads not guilty. And time off for good behaviour and all that sort of thing. It gets... messy.

I do wish that sentences were reported more openly, however. There's a fair body of opinion these days around reporting "life" sentences as the actual tariff in years, and I wish ordinary sentences were done the same way - 4 years minimum, up to 8 if you don't behave in prison, or whatever.