Leaving Aside
The social, societal and other circumstances that made this group capable of such an act for a second (because it is a debate that could go on for ever, and worst of all lead to people being accused of being closet Daily Mail readers), I don't think they were on to a winner with the appeal anyway.

1. It is reported (always dubious, but we'll accept the BBC of being fairly non-biased as the subject matter does not cover politics, ballet or gardening) that they expressd no remorse. Nada. Not a sausage. I'd be willing to bet there would have been a lot of 'good boys, never been in serious trouble before, 'snot their fault really' from their nearest and dearest, as there usually is. However, no remorse.

2. You cannot, I repeat cannot, stamp repeatedly on someone's head without the 100% intention of causing them death or serious injury. Not possible, no matter how pissed you are. This is not a drunken fight where someone got punched, fell over, and cracked their head open on a kerb. This was a group who kicked and stamped a young bloke into a coma, and then did the same to his girlfriend, who from the photos wasn't exactly built like a Bulgarian weightlifter. If it had been a fight where someone died by accident, it would be manslaughter. In this case, there appears to have been the desire to kill or cause severe injury to two victims.

3. The appeal was launched almost before they had been sent down (an exaggeration I know). As there was no appeal over the verdict, the comments of the judge, evidential matters or any question of their complete and utter guilt, this was purely a case of trying to get the sentence down. As there was no chance that they would be freed or the conviction quashed, why on Earth appeal so quickly, when the barbarity of the act was still fresh in the public/press/martian's minds?

In real language "we still did it, we still have no remorse for carrying out a murder that shocked the plod in it's barbarity, but we are only young, so can we get some time off please? Innit."

Who exactly will this have benefited? The token reduction in sentence for scrote No 1 will make bugger all difference in the long term, as odds on they will only serve a proportion of their sentence unless they turn into Charles Bronson while inside. The cynic in me says that the only people who will have profited will be the legal beagles. Oh, and a few more newspapers sold, of course.

The question over the possibilty of rehabilitation for this mob is another one, prpbably for people with bigger brains than me (not difficult). You average ODC may well benefit from education, retraining and a chance to get off whatever drug they are on. Those with mental health issues should be treated in a sympathetic manner, rather than kept in prison-as-a-dumping-ground-for-nutjobs 'treatment'. However, there is perhaps a category of criminal who fully deserves to have his or her stay in the nick to be truly unpleasant. Not saying they are past rehabilitation, but effectively saying that what they did was so heinious that it'll take a lot of time and effort on their part to atone to society for their acts. I believe that it is a principle of the Godsquad that forgiveness too lightly given is worthless, as the person will in themself not believe that they deserve redemption unless they have paid 'their' price.

Oo lots of long words.

On the other hand, the mouthbreathing scum should be nailed to a tree.
(osok Rebel without a clue, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:35, Reply)