Self promotion into a rant

I am in quite a good mood at the moment. To find out why, go here

Now I feel I have to comment on the case of the killers of James Bulger. I was going to leave this alone but I read a letter in one of todays newspapers which has set me off.

For those who are not Brittish and therefore might not know about this, James Bulger was abducted and killed eight years ago. The killers turned out to be two ten year old boys. They are to be released on lifetime licences, and given new identities.

As you can imagine, this has caused a storm of protest in Britain. However, the following letter, printed in todays News of the World, has really pissed me off:
The killers should be shipped out of the country as soon as possible or positively identified. We cannot risk mobs mistakenly targeting innocent young men in their hunt for this evil pair.
D Grey, Perth.

I’ll let that last bit sink in. This is not suggested to protect hypothesised future victims. It is not so that future workmates or partners will know the truth. This is suggested to help mobs hunt them.

WTF? Since when has Britain lived under mob rule? Assault’s assault no matter what the victim has done before. Justice is to be served by courts, not the people.

And for those of you who do not think justice has been done in this case, bear in mind that the original sentance given was seven years. This has been served. Therefore justice has been done. They might have spent longer if Michael Howard, the then Home Secetary, had not put his foot in it and lengthened their sentance personally, a move which was then declared illegal under E.U. law.

Also remeber. They were ten. They were put on trial in a adult court. Two scared boys. And charged with murder. If I had commited the same crime, and been found to have a mental age of ten, I would be tried for manslaughter. And don’t believe anything you read about the two of them not having changed. Away from their broken homes, away from the situations they were in before, anything is possible.

I have also heard it said that they cannot be truely sorry for what they did as they have refused to speak to James’s parents. But could that not be a sign of how sorry they are? It can be hard to face the people you hurt the most with your actions. Whether it is as serious as murder, or breaking someones heart. As the old song says, sorry seems to be the hardest word.

Not that I’m condoning what they did. Nor can I condone mob justice. The decision has been made. We can either look to the past and stagnate, or look to the future and grow. The same can be said about Princess Di (more on that later).

This entry will probably upset some people. But remember, it is just my opinion. And if it got you thinking, good.

Will