Killers Of Becky Watts Sentenced To 33 And 17 Years.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3316857/This-despicable-act-evil-never-forgiven-forgotten-Becky-Watts-father-tells-court-easier-killers-taken-coping-daughter-s-death.html

Quite a substantial sentence but not in comparison with the families, why even the Judge was brought to tears.

[B00]

Awful time for the family, not only have they lost their daughter they've effectively lost a son too. I truly hope they can now gain a bit of peace.

[Gromit]

// a substantial sentence but not in comparison with the families //

Not sure what that means?

[alan23]

i thought that with the minimum term but i haven't followed the case fully on the ins and out. deserved

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

// a substantial sentence but not in comparison with the families //

*** Not sure what that means? ***

They have a 'LIFE'S' sentence, one that means life.

[ummmm]

I don't know what to say. I can only imagine what must flash through her parents minds. I don't think they'll ever be at peace again. So so sad.

[Mamyalynne]

The words in that article 'It's like the worst horror film , but it's real' - utterly chilling and no one can ever get over that.


So very sad.

[-SharonA-]

Awful, just awful. I really feel for the parents, as this has affected their relationship. I hope they can get everything back on track.

[Jackdaw33]

I would be interested to learn why the girl was only convicted of manslaughter and not murder.

[marval]

Such a tragic case, that poor girl. A good sentence I think, they deserve nothing less.

[Mamyalynne]

Jackdaw, I know what you mean - someone on here often posts the Court Transcripts (or similar).

Not sure I'd want to read any more than I have.

[ummmm]

Did the GF actually play a part in the murder? I was under the impression she helped hide the body.

[alan23]

after researching it and reading a quote from a paper "the new fred and rose"
give the bas/ard a whole life tariff so he really has NOTHING to hope for

[Jackdaw33]

Until 1957 the sentence would have been no problem. As s.61 of the Offences Against the Person Act so succinctly put it:

"All persons convicted of murder shall be sentenced to death".

[New Judge]

“I would be interested to learn why the girl was only convicted of manslaughter and not murder.”

“Judge Dingemans told Hoare she had been convicted of manslaughter because she had participated in a kidnap where any "sober and reasonable person" would have known some harm would come to Becky.”

To support a murder charge the prosecution has to prove an intention to kill. We cannot really go into the debate about whether Hoare showed that intention or not because we don’t have the full facts, only the very abridged version of events we have been fed by the media.

[alan23]

i dont understand why she has not under joint enterprise law been convicted of murder,was the jury given that option?

[Jackdaw33]

...but concealing a body or assisting an offender, serious though they are, do not amount to manslaughter.

[Jackdaw33]

The only thing I can think of here is diminished responsibility.

[Jackdaw33]

"To support a murder charge the prosecution has to prove an intention to kill."


... or an intention to commit GBH. The legal definition of intention is broader than the normal one, but of course you don't need me to tell you that.

[mikey4444]

AOG...as you say, substantial sentences.

[New Judge]

Yes quite so, jackdaw.

I have not been following all the grizzly details of this case but it seems Hoare was stood trial for murder but was acquitted and found guilty of manslaughter in the alternative. As I said earlier, it is difficult to determine why the jury found the way that they did but they had six weeks' worth of evidence to consider whilst we have only a few column inches.

One dreadful aspect of this appalling matter which seems to have been somewhat glossed over is that the victim's father and the murderer's mother are married to each other. Quite how they will manage that for the rest of their lives is anybody's guess.