Mob mentality is cowardly, pathetic, and stupid
and leads (famously) to paediatricians getting attacked through a cretinous case of mistaken identity. I'm 100% not in favour of this.

That said; at the age of ten, you may still struggle with grey areas of law. You might not fully-comprehend the ramifications of apparently-victimless crime, such as shoplifting, or copyright theft. If at that point you've failed to realise that abducting, torturing, and brutally murdering a toddler is probably a Bad Thing, then a few hours on cheap couch with an underperforming psychiatrist is unlikely to turn your life around. At that point, on a purely functional level, there's probably an argument for being put down - as would happen to a violent, uncontrollable dog. Not with malice or vengeance in mind; just mild regret, and a quiet satisfaction in the knowledge that the world will be a slightly less dangerous place for everyone else, afterwards.

You seem to place a continued onus on the justice system to rehabilitate this fellow. I wonder when it becomes his own personal responsibility to stop being a fucking scumbag. I do understand your point, but I question how much blame society has to take for the spectacularly egregious misdeeds of the individual, and how long it should have to tolerate the same.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 0:27, 2 replies)

^Fucking This^
Would click once for every year that tool should be in prison..but that's zero...death penalty FTW.

I know...can't take an eye for an eye etc..that's Old Testament in a book no-one believes in...but I think it's safe to say he won't be repenting or bringing good to the World anytime soon. If a FREE 15 year holiday to Australia doesn't give you a grin, nothing will.
(Galahad is out of his gourd on yellow bentines, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 1:17, closed)

Australia?
www.hoax-slayer.com/jamie-bulger-email-petition.html
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 9:08, closed)

Oh no, I totally agree, Phantom
As a society, we do pretty well, and a person who commits such deeds effectively removes themselves from society, so we lock them up away from it. A lot of the time we try to do it so that eventually they can be brought back in to it - and if you're not going to hang people for fraud, stealing, driving without a license, then this is what you have to do. That's not soft, it's just logic.

But some crimes, like this, warrant permanent removal. I think we all agree with that.

The only onus I put on the justice system is to do its job well, choosing the right punishment for the crime, etc etc. The justice system exists so that each crime is looked at objectively, with passion, loud voices and braying mob removed, so that the rabid dog ends up being put down with society's conscience clean. It's just unfortunate that this country doesn't give the justice system the teeth it needs to do its job properly in cases like these.
(MrOli is ugly, but in the morning you will be sober, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 8:34, closed)