imi

SHOCKING

vindaloo

Before you're post I hadn't realised she had been left paralysed. Yep, it's shocking and horrific.

Even so called good areas have their druggies etc.

Hanslow

In answer to the question in the title.....no

Time for some civil unrest methinks

Iain Young

Of course there isn't anywhere safe. Nutters with a good pair of legs can walk anywhere

dpb

As above......its called care in the community................

OllyK

A slight de-rail but...
I'm not sure how that is important, is it trying to suggest that it is more of a tradgey bacase she is catholic? That it was god's doing and they should be praying to thank him? That if they had been atheist it wouldn't have mattered?

Rather than praying to god, wouldn't they be better off pleading for witnesses who might actually be able to do something?

Leslie

OllyK,

I think you are allowing your evident anti religious fundamentalism to overtake your common sense and tolerance.

If Catholics want to offer up some prayers on that poor girl's behalf according to their own beliefs, surely they are entitled to do so without having to put up with that kind of carping. Just tell us what harm that is going to do anyway!

Do you honestly think that doing that would stop them from telling the police about anything they might have seen in connection with the crime?

Maybe a bit of "live and let live" might be appropriate here.

Les

OllyK

"anti religious fundamentalism" now there's a nice oxymoron to start the post off.

And back to my original question - how is them being catholic relevant to the fact that a young woman has been stabbed? Why is the label required? Does her being catholic make any difference what so ever to this horrible crime?

Leslie

I think the so called "oxymoron" is pretty apt in relation to what appears to be your perceived attitude towards those who follow a religious life.

To be honest I cannot see any significant point to your original question. What heinous action are you trying to expose when some people say they wish to support her in their own way, ie by use of prayers?

Do you honestly believe that this will hinder the investigation by the authorities?

Les

Iain Young

I'm sorta with Olly here. I've no objection to people doing whatever they like, but the way the media has been presenting it infers that they were special because they were devout catholics. This has no relevence to the crime whatsoever and is just another example of the media trying to get more out of this tragic story than there actually is.

Doesn't detract from the horrible crime though....

OllyK

It's apt to make a self contradictory statement to make your point? Well that's a new one on me.

My point is: what was the point of the labelling? Why is it so important to label somebody as black, white, asian, christian, muslim etc when it has no bearing on the fact that a innocent person has been stabbed in the neck - or are you suggesting this was in fact ,a religiously motivated attack? If not, why mention it?

I belive that it was irrelevant to the story, the religious beliefs of the victim are not relevant unless it was a religiously motivated attack. I see nothing in the story to suggest this is the case - why mention it. We aren't told what her birth sign is so why tell us her religion?

OllyK

Thank you Iain - I think you have put it a little more succinctly than I managed.

I found the inferance that her being catholic makes it more of an outrage than if she had been of another religion (or none at all) frankly rather distasteful. It's that kind of religious self righteousness that is the cause of so many of the world's problems.

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

It's called victim level: the more "innocent" a victim is, the more the press likes to report it. Do you know which group is the most liekly to be mugged? Well, the answer is young men, 18-30 years old. But the press prefers to report on old people, children, mothers, Christians etc as they are more "innocent" and make better press. BTW, when did you last see it advertised that a victim was Muslim?


M

OllyK

I don't recall having seen "victim" and "muslim" used in the same sentence when it comes to "street crime", but I could be wrong. "Asian" I have seen on many occasions, but again I am not sure I see the relevence of reporting it in most cases. It's almost like the press are trying to imprint "race crime" in your mind from the outset (even if the perpetrator is Asian as well).

Having said all that, your post does kind of explain the "why", which is what my original question was all about, so thank you for that.

David Lock

Man and women companion arrested in connection.....

dexter

The problem with this is that the Government don`t care IMO.

The sooner they start dishing-out proper sentences, then the sooner all this type of thing will decrease.

The ******* do this type of thing just because they can. Simple as that !

OllyK

While I think the government ultimately have a lot to answer for, it seems the courts have a tendancy to go for the lower end of the sentence range in so many cases. I guess that's probably due to government pressure to stop prisons getting overcrowded. Personalyl I'd make more room by taking out their TV's and luxuary items and have the cots shared out on a time share basis, 3 to a cot, 8hrs each

Holy Ghost

when you remove criminal's fear of punishment - as has been done over the last four decades or so - then you also remove the deterrence to commit crime.

blame liberal political thinking ... and politicians' fear of grasping what has become a very painful nettle.

66 minutes to early doors.

Jerome

Absolutely!

Compare the re-offend rates for a comparatively cushy civilian prison and that of the Armed Forces prison in Colchester (aka the Glass House).

Holy Ghost

it really isn't rocket science is it.

hokey theories and trendy sociology are no match for guaranteeing that the punishment fits the crime. every time.

David Lock

But I thought UK had the highest prison population per capita in Europe (please correct me if I'm wrong)?

So should we bang even more people up or look for other causes e.g. a failure in the education system?

Jerome

When over half the prison population are there for minor motoring offences, that's hardly suprising.

David Lock

Fair enough if that's true but time and again I read about drunken killer driver who only gets 18 months or whatever. Surely it's only the fairly serious motoring stuff that gets you bird? I suppose one could argue about 160 mph on a quiet motorway but you don't go down for the minor stuff?

unclebuck

Tories are once again spot on with this issue.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politi...ge/4471939.stm

"The violence and lawlessness of some of Britain's inner cities is already spreading to suburbs and market towns across the country," he said.

"Let me tell Mr Blair straight - life in Britain is very different today outside your security bubble."

You know what to do come May 5th

Jerome

Oops, my memory failed me. I meant more are in jail for minor motoring offences than for burglary. The following taken from here:



Last month, the former prisons chief Martin Narey claimed that jails were overrun with those on short sentences for "petty offences". Figures showed that in 2002, 15,039 motorists went to jail, compared with 10,178 burglars.

Of the drivers, about 4,700 had committed serious offences such as causing death by dangerous driving, or driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. That left 10,269 imprisoned for less serious offences, among them a 62-year-old decorator jailed for two weeks for not paying a disputed speeding fine.

David Lock

Can't disagree with that!

mart360

What was it...

70% reoffend under normal civvy prisons

less than 30% reoffend and return to the glasshouse..

how clearer does it have to be...


its prison for ffs not the open uni or summercamp

breaking rocks on dartmoor wouldnt go amiss either!!!!



m

wongascoob

sod the politics bout all this....... lets just hope she pulls through, not only for herself but also for the little one.

imho. the barstweard thats committed this tragic crime deserves to die....(an eye for an eye an all that)

warrenm2

Its all about lies and statistics... check this out...
http://www.civitas.org.uk/data/prisonEU2000.htm

We lock up more people per head of population, but we lock up less people per 1000 crimes committed..... ie we are more lenient to a criminals but we have more criminals per head of population. Hope this helps!

Bit of reading here as well http://www.civitas.org.uk/data/prisonRisk1950-2000.php


P.S. Thought sweden was a high tax, high benefits wonder country? check the crime figures....