Good Old British Justice!

fozzybear · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:32

After Abu Hamza getting off with a slap of the wrists, we now have this .

Here are a few quotes if nobody fancies reading through the whole of it:-

'Lumsden attacked his wife on the night of 16 March 2005, five days after she had told him she was leaving him for Roger Flint.

He plunged a 12cm kitchen knife into his wife's back and continued to stab her repeatedly in the face and neck.

Christopher Lumsden was jailed for five years at Manchester Crown Court after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The judge said Lumsden would serve at least half the sentence.

The lawyer has already served 11 months on remand so he will be set for release in 19 months.'

Sentencing Lumsden, the judge said the was satisfied that Lumsden's "depressive condition" played a significant part in the killing.

"Had it not been for that, you would not have snapped as you did," he said. '

Sorry, manslaughter or not, you deserve a damn sight more than 2 1/2 years in prison for butchering someobody. Absolutely ******* ridiculous! :rolleyes:

Inquisitor · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:36

Manslaughter? What on Earth is this country coming to? :mad:

cleanbluesky · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:47

But would more prison time automatically make anything better?

Messiah Khan · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:48

Thats crazy. IMO he should have got at least 10years, if not even life.

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:54

He plunged a 12cm kitchen knife into his wife's back and continued to stab her repeatedly in the face and neck.

Sounds just like manslaughter to me. Well he was a bit "depressed" after all... poor lad.

Nothing to do with him being rich, upper class and in the legal profession - noooooooo. nothing to do with that at all.

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:55

cleanbluesky said:
But would more prison time automatically make anything better?

Well if that is the case, you could probably let half the murderers currently serving time in our prisons out this afternoon.

pyro · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:57

cleanbluesky said:
But would more prison time automatically make anything better?

He's a good boy now, he won't be stabbing no more

Moonpie2 · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:57

To be honest, whether he serves 1 year or 20 years it makes no difference in an English prison.
After all, its just like free B&B with Playstation and pool these days isn't it ?

Once a prison becomes a place of punishment and solitude THEN people might think twice about commiting crimes.

But still.... I think 2.5 years is another case of the british legal system "extracting the urine"

daz · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:01

I don't get manslaughter. Literally the slaughter of a man, yet less serious than murder?

If the gentleman really did have diminished reponsibility, he should be in a secure mental institution, otherwise he should be locked away in prison for much longer.

Vonhelmet · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:02

cleanbluesky said:
But would more prison time automatically make anything better?

What do you suggest as an alternative?

</genuinely curious>

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:03

pyro said:
He's a good boy now, he won't be stabbing no more

Wouldn't matter if he did by the sounds of it....

daz · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:05

Moonpie2 said:
To be honest, whether he serves 1 year or 20 years it makes no difference in an English prison.
After all, its just like free B&B with Playstation and pool these days isn't it ?

To be honest, I really wouldn't fancy any time inside. Tossing salad et al.

Prison is not a deterrant, because when people commit crimes they're generally not thinking of the consequences anyway. What is important is stopping repeat offenders, and stopping people that go away for a small crime, going inside fraternising with hardened criminals and coming out and being worse than they were before.

Visage · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:07

I can see where they're coming from with this. Prison is about more than punishments. Its about rehabilitation and incapacitation too.

If the guys actions were down to a medical condition, and that condition is treatable, then these latter conditions become moot, and it becomes purely a question of punishment.

Tom0 · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:08

If I could, i would migrate from this crap hole due to things like that.

daz · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:13

You'd think the UK was one of the worst countries in the world the way people on this forum go on about it.

How about emigrating to Somalia, where there has been no central government for 15 years.

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:13

Visage said:
I can see where they're coming from with this. Prison is about more than punishments. Its about rehabilitation and incapacitation too.

If the guys actions were down to a medical condition, and that condition is treatable, then these latter conditions become moot, and it becomes purely a question of punishment.

So do you think 30 months in prison is the right punishment for brutally murdering somebody ?

read this again and then decide...

He plunged a 12cm kitchen knife into his wife's back and continued to stab her repeatedly in the face and neck.

Visage · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:14

daz said:
You'd think the UK was one of the worst countries in the world the way people on this forum go on about it.

Indeed. And if everyone who made an idle threat to leave actually did so, we'd be a much better place. I'd even help them pack.

Visage · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:14

Pinkeyes said:
So do you think 30 months in prison is the right punishment for brutally murdering somebody ?

Where did i say that?

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:15

Visage said:
Where did i say that?

If the guys actions were down to a medical condition, and that condition is treatable, then these latter conditions become moot, and it becomes purely a question of punishment.

ACPCUP · 10 Feb 2006 at 14:16

Bring back the punishments of the medievel ages!!