What is happening to today's society?

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/6xm3mgl

What causes a 17 year old to commit such a savage attack on a little 4 year old girl?

These type of cases are becoming more and more common in today's society, what is happening?

When I was a 17 year old one would blush, even speaking to a girl of one's own age.

I think the law should now be changed and creatures such as this should be named and shamed, and given a much harsher sentence than this individual received.

[piggynose]

stupid question but where were the parents during the attack?

[ummmm]

Do you really think it didn't happen in years gone by?

[mccfluff]

and hardly your typical 17 year old, thankfully

[joko]

its horrific - hopefully shes young enough not to be too traumatised - but what other evidence did they get? - none of the other articles mentions any other evidence than the t-shirt - but i hope they had more evidence than a 4 year olds recollection of a t-shirt! those articles imply thats all the evidence they needed...unless its a one-off.

[mightywease]

What causes it? Who knows

Is it indicative of today's society or becoming more common in today's society? I think not

Should he be named and shamed and should he have had a harsher sentance? Possibly, but without knowing the full details i.e. the state of his mental health etc..it is difficult to judge.

[China Doll]

The child would have had an ABE (acheving best evidence) interview with the police and a medical examination so that would be part of the evidence, I'm sure it's not just all on the t-shirt.

And in answer to AOG's question, todays society has a much wider access to media resources and thigns that were not necessarily so widely known in previous years are now much more generally known thanks to things like the internet and vitcims lobbying for support etc...

[Arti]

Horrible things like this have happened throughout history but, as other posters have mentioned, increased media tools and increased awareness, have enabled these types of offence to be more reported. I do think, however, that these types of crime are increasing as time goes on. The recognised effect on some victims of sexual abuse is that they go on to be abusers themselves, thus one victim, later in life, may create twenty victims. Out of those victims, some will create more victims, and so on.
Added to this is the availability of sexual-related images, topics, advertising etc to younger people. None of this excuses what this vile youth did, but I fear that increases of this type of crime are inevitable.

[anotheoldgit]

piggynose

Not a stupid question at all, yes where were the parents?

[tigerlily11]

They have always been here. Even in those stringent Victorian days the streets had them.
It's just now we hear about them a whole lot more because it doesn't take weeks for news to travel far. Once they were confined to their own little villages and now thanks to large estates we see more of them.
It is the nature of the beast. In this case a species of psychotic apes.

[sara3]

the sentence is appalling. you could get more for fraud.

[sandyRoe]

5 years hardly seems anywhere near a suitable sentence for such a crime

[hc4361]

You've forgetten Myra Hindley.

You may have blushed speaking to a girl at 17, I don't know how old you are but before the 1960s marriage under the age of 21 was common.

You were a late starter, I think.

These attacks have always happened. The news coverage has changed, and the reporting of it by the victim and the victim's family.

[seadogg]

It would seem, from a historical point of view, that we live in times which are safer and less brutal than in past centuries. It may also be argued that during the last 80 years or so there is a weakening in allegiance to society's norms of behaviour with the decline of church and family influence over the behaviour of the individual.

[anotheoldgit]

tigerlily11

I think you are taking the easy way out by saying it has always been here, have you any proof of that?

I don't know how old you are, but myself I can go back many years, and it has never been as bad for these types of crimes to be committed as it is today. If fact I can never remember any.

Obviously I can't go back to Victorian times, but I am sure even in those dark times, a 17 year old would not commit such acts upon a 4 year old girl.

Take the notorious 'Jack the Ripper' murders, they have gone down in the annals of history, today they would hardly reach the front pages for little more than a day.

Taking more recent times 1930s /40s / 50s / 60s / 70s or even 80s, we never heard of them, and you couldn't say the news took weeks to travel far then.

/// Once they were confined to their own little villages and now thanks to large estates we see more of them. ///

Such crimes would be less likely to happen in close-knit village communities, and large estates have been around since the early 60s, and they didn't happen then.

[mightywease]

AOG - all you need to do is google child abuse or child rape in Victorian England and you will see all the evidence you need that it existed. To say it didn't is naive.

Plus the NSPCC was founded in 1889 to protect children from abuse, including sexual abuse.

[I.Don No]

when my children were that small and playing in the open my husband or I were right by them in case they fell, as well as wanting to join in the fun they were having.

This thing that committed this crime should never see the light of day again and the little girl's mother should have to answer for her lack of keeping her child in her direct sight.

[alexanderd]

anotheoldgit, I am afraid this sort of thing did happen in the 60,s remember Mary Bell?