Abu Hamza: The Sins Of The Fathers...

[sandyRoe]

His son has blamed his notoriety for setting him on the path towards a life of crime. Is he deserving of any sympathy?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230068/Abu-Hamzas-son-blames-father-jailed-11-years-70-000-gem-raid.html

[FredPuli43]

"I blame the parents" ! His counsel has to do his best, though his argument is based on a non-sequitur, that being unable to socialise made the child a bank robber as an adult

[sandyRoe]

Something similar to the pleas for mitigation made in Lizzie Borden's famous case.
"I ask for mercy, m'Lord, the accused is an orphan."

[sir.prize]

Three of Hamza's sons currently in prison. Not surprising, eh?

[mushroom25]

//Something similar to the pleas for mitigation made in Lizzie Borden's famous case. //

in her case it worked - she was acquitted.

[netibiza]

It is not his fault who his father is but he is responsible for his own actions.

[sir.prize]

With 11 GCSEs and A-levels surely somewhere in his studies he learned that guns and robbery were wrong.

But then ''It was daddy's fault.''

Good verdicts - four more creeps off the streets.

[Khandro]

"Mostafa claimed during the trial he was teaching Arabic and the Koran at a community centre in London at the time of the robbery."
Was this demonstrated to be untrue?

[FredPuli43]

Khandro, the great thing about a speech in mitigation is that you can say anything like that without evidence being called to contradict it. You just wait for the judge to say that he attaches no weight to it in sentencing. A regular complaint was that counsel could make any number of suggestions about the character of the victim without any evidence. That's one reason why the victim, or family of a deceased victim, now makes an 'impact statement', to give their side of the story.

Lizzie Borden was not only acquitted of killing her parents with an axe, but her family got every copy of a book consisting of the local press report of the trial destroyed, buying up all they could find ; only about 6 escaped their attentions and have been found since . The report was perfectly fair, but they feared that people reading the case would think her guilty.

[naomi24]

//Was this demonstrated to be untrue?//

More to the point, was it demonstrated to be true?

//‘They’ve locked me up for something I did not do, all because of the conspiracy against my father and his beliefs,’ the statement said.//

What conspiracy? No conspiracy necessary.

[ChillDoubt]

Naomi,
Go back and have a look at sandy's shooting thread please, clarification post submitted.

[Khandro]

//More to the point, was it demonstrated to be true?// Well was it ? - I don't know; It would seem to be an easy claim to prove or disprove.

[naomi24]

Chill, dunnit. Sorry.

Hkandro, //It would seem to be an easy claim to prove or disprove. //

So one would assume it isn't true.

[mrs_overall]

I guess blaming your father makes a change from the old cry of society is to blame

(that is society in general, not the esteemed AB member of the same name lol)

[sandyRoe]

I don't know. How many stroppy teenagers have said to one, or other, of their parents: 'You've ruined my life.'

[naomi24]

Mrs.O, as if! :o)

[ChillDoubt]

No need to apologise Naomi, we generally sing from the same hymn sheet!

[naomi24]

Chill, Oh no. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and I'm very happy to apologise. :o)

[TWR]

Do you not think the likes of these clown's / terrorists has had enough publicity these last 3 days?