When will the punishement fit the crime?

[elginred]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_ and_east/7840307.stm

I find this so frustrating. Given the statistics on child abuse in this country, surely there should be more appropriate punishments?

[keyplus90]

Unfortunately the kind of punishments we need to sort these sorts of serious crimes, are always associated (purposely) with Islamic Sharia law and as a result branded as barbaric. So until people will stop thinking on these lines and look at the reality and practicality, we will have to wait.

If you have any doubt about what I said, then just wait and see the responses on this thread my post will get.

[jno]

sounds like some sort of postnatal depression. She was turned in by her own family, though they might have done better to try to help her earlier. I can't see that putting her in prison would have helped if she is sick rather than cruel.

[Octavius]

Are you flaming serious keyplus, Shariah Law?? Justice???

Get with the 21st C mate.

[123everton]

To be fair K90 a friend of mine returned from Pakistan a few years ago and related to me a story of a child being beaten quite severely by his mother for his inability to recite the Koran, I could tell by his tone that he tacitly approved.
This sort of thing goes on everywhere irrespective of race, creed, colour, sexual orientation, class, wealth, education or social status.

[Sasha-2008]

moving away from the subject a little, but I ffeel people who comit crimes should pay, & taking a life should mean life in prison.

I wouls rather see the death penalty be brought into this country.

Sorry to barge in on your convo. :)

[keyplus90]

I do agree Everton � And I never said that these things do not happen in Pakistan not only for Quran though specifically. No one is in favor of beating a child so harshly that you kill him/her anywhere it may happen. But a little slap or telling them off to bring some sort of discipline is not out of question. And I have seen so many posts on this website people agreeing with that when talking about the reasons of yob culture, teenage gangs, teachers being harassed by pupils etc. Of course you do not punish anyone before looking at all the circumstances involved under any law. But its the punishment (once proven) we are talking about.

Octavius � So many people here have talked about bringing back capital punishments and I can assure you that sooner or later it will happen. However if you do see that in your own life, do not forget my words. As I said earlier if you have a problem with what it is called then give it a name of your own choice.

[Gromit]

elginred

Do you know the statistics on child abuse in this country?

Are they high?
Are they higher than everywhere else?
If they are high, is this because we do not send abusers to prison for long enough?
How does our sentencing compare with other countries?

[123everton]

To the same end Gromit how does our reporting compare to other countries, Japan for instance tends to cover up such matters.

[naomi24]

jno, it wasn't due to post natal depression. If I've read the link correctly, this woman isn't the childs mother. She was just looking after him. (Or not!)

[jno]

yes, I think you must be right, Naomi, it just says she was looking after him. It doesn't mention who the child's parents were - or why they might have left them with this woman.

The only other report I could find - and it does suggest she was his mother - is this:

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/71005-woman-who-as saulted-baby-avoids-jail/

It sort of sounds as if we're only getting half the story here. I find the facts very unclear.

[naomi24]

I don't think it does, jno. It says the child was in her care - and something about the report outlining the child's connection to her, which doesn't suggest she's the mother. It sounds to me that she was just supposed to be looking after him - although it seems on rather an on-going basis. Very odd.

[Ethel]

There is nothing in that report to suggest the woman is the child's mother.

[BradleyGas]

I share your frustration elginred. 80 hours community service is not appropriate. And what makes it worse is that it wasn't a one-off attack - it was over TWO weeks for goodness sake.

And why didn't the father + stepmother spot the injuries in that two week period?

[jno]

The STV report I linked to says

He was kept in hospital overnight and his mother was arrested in connection with the injuries the following day.

She originally claimed that the child's father was responsible, but later told police she would force feed the child and drag him about by his ears

...going straight from 'his mother' to 'she' (and 'she', from that sentence and subsequent ones, is Pace). But it doesn't mention otherwise that Pace was his mother. So I'm unsure.

[naomi24]

It's all very confusing, jno. Bad journalism.

In answer to the question, community service doesn't fit this crime.

[jno]

I don't think I'll work up a head of steam over a story I don't even understand. I hope the court, at least, knew what was going on.