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Calls for death penalty by Sussex councillor (From The Argus)
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Calls for death penalty by Sussex councillor
5:10pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in News
A councillor has called for the return of the death penalty for those who kill police officers and children.
Annabelle West, who describes herself as a “committed Christian”, said she would like the Government to reintroduce capital punishment for extreme crimes.
The Conservative councillor from Eastbourne claimed police and child killers should be punished by death.
She said: “There are people who agree and people who don’t.
“Police officers killed in the line of duty and murdered children for me personally are the most severe, deserving cases.
“Take for example the two young women police officers who were killed in Manchester – they were vulnerable, responding to a call which is part of their duty to the public.
“Children too are very vulnerable but so many are killed.”
Mrs West, who is a councillor for Eastbourne’s Upperton ward, was previously a magistrate and has more than 20 years’ experience on the bench.
She added: “I have faith in the justice and prison system, but I believe life should mean life.
“If somebody is given a sentence, it’s immediately cut and they only serve half of that.”
Asked whether she was concerned at the possibility of convicting the wrong person in a murder case, Mrs West said mistakes that had been made in previous years were rare.
She said: “You have to trust the evidence. The evidence that comes before the court has to be really tight, so that when a decision is made and a sentence is given, there’s no cause for doubt at all.
“I respect people’s personal views either way.
“My view is that I think there is an opportunity now, with the mood of the country, to vote for capital punishment to be brought back. MPs should be given an opportunity to discuss it.”
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Comments(35)
Nathan_Adler
says...
5:37pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Committed Christian?? YES!!!
Beethoven
says...
5:39pm Thu 18 Oct 12
ourcoalition
says...
5:40pm Thu 18 Oct 12
All the evidence shows that mad, bad, killers, will kill, death penalty, or not.
And how many mistakes would be made before it was banned again - evidence The Guildford 4, the Birmingham 6, etc.
Hove Actually
says...
5:47pm Thu 18 Oct 12
See if you feel the same way when it's someone you know swinging on the end of a rope. A better choice would be life actually meaning LIFE and not 12 years in a holiday camp
Nathan_Adler
says...
5:56pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Hove Actually wrote:How do you correct the situation when somebody has served 20 years hard labor and been anally molested for most of that in a grotty prison? A pay out? A gold watch. They would be just as dead as it they were fried in the first place.
OK great idea lets kill them, that will teach them, hold on how do you correct that when new evidence comes to light or we find someone was set up.
See if you feel the same way when it's someone you know swinging on the end of a rope. A better choice would be life actually meaning LIFE and not 12 years in a holiday camp
I am afraid your argument is not valid.
leobrighton
says...
6:03pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Rocco10
says...
6:56pm Thu 18 Oct 12
In short, just make LWOP worse than death then everyone's happy.
lillylou
says...
6:59pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Chieftain11
says...
7:13pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Fight_Back
says...
7:58pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Nathan_Adler wrote:Idiot - maybe you'd be the first innocent sent to the gallows is it was brought back. I'd bet you'd be crying your eyes out !!!!
Hove Actually wrote:How do you correct the situation when somebody has served 20 years hard labor and been anally molested for most of that in a grotty prison? A pay out? A gold watch. They would be just as dead as it they were fried in the first place.
OK great idea lets kill them, that will teach them, hold on how do you correct that when new evidence comes to light or we find someone was set up.
See if you feel the same way when it's someone you know swinging on the end of a rope. A better choice would be life actually meaning LIFE and not 12 years in a holiday camp
I am afraid your argument is not valid.
There is proven police corruption and CPS incompetence over the last few years yet there's still people who believe that our criminal justice system is good enough to have the death penalty. Morons each and every one of them.
nocando
says...
7:59pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Why waste valuable money on the huntleys, bradys, whitings and sutcliffes of this world. Put them down like they deserve.
gaz scott
says...
8:13pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Nathan_Adler wrote:Not sure the true nature of death has quite been grasped here.
Hove Actually wrote:How do you correct the situation when somebody has served 20 years hard labor and been anally molested for most of that in a grotty prison? A pay out? A gold watch. They would be just as dead as it they were fried in the first place.
OK great idea lets kill them, that will teach them, hold on how do you correct that when new evidence comes to light or we find someone was set up.
See if you feel the same way when it's someone you know swinging on the end of a rope. A better choice would be life actually meaning LIFE and not 12 years in a holiday camp
I am afraid your argument is not valid.
Thatsjustyummy
says...
8:48pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Guess the Crusades never happened then did they??? In her eyes.
What a fool to make a statement like that trying to back it up with religious ideals whilst obviously being a complete and utter buffoon.
kkj
says...
9:51pm Thu 18 Oct 12
mictrix
says...
10:25pm Thu 18 Oct 12
lillylou wrote:what on earth are you talking about?? jeeezz
I totally agree when the convicted are 100:/: guilty and I also feel filthy peodos should hang for any kind of abuse and too rapists definatly justice would be the victim and family's should choose and be part of there execution !!!
Capt. Sensiblé
says...
12:26am Fri 19 Oct 12
funkyyoyo
says...
12:43am Fri 19 Oct 12
going too????
MrShakespere
says...
1:10am Fri 19 Oct 12
Cash Cow
says...
5:04am Fri 19 Oct 12
Cash Cow
says...
5:13am Fri 19 Oct 12
rostron71
says...
7:29am Fri 19 Oct 12
*sarcasm
RK_Brighton
says...
8:57am Fri 19 Oct 12
leobrighton wrote:Do you not see the scaryness in your post - encouraging religious hatred and intolerance. You authoritarian tone shows you want to silence those who disagree with you, rather than accepting people will have different views and motivations.
Whatever your opinion about the death penalty we also need to eradicate religion in politics
I very much disagree with the Eastbourne councillor's view on the death penalty and am a Christian myself. So I doubt very much her views are based on her being a Christian. I don't know why it was mentioned in the article at all in the way it was, other than perhaps to provoke a reaction from people like yourself.
mimseycal
says...
9:00am Fri 19 Oct 12
The death penalty is nothing short of judicial murder. Our conviction rate is far from infallible and it is better to let 10 guilty men (or women for that matter) walk free than hang a single innocent. I wouldn't want the blood of an innocent on my hands and please do not forget, the law acts in your name as much as in mine.
As for all that emotive “Police officers killed in the line of duty and murdered children for me personally are the most severe, deserving cases. ..." Yes, it is horrific but hanging the convicted does not make it any less horrific.
Gym'll fix me
says...
9:22am Fri 19 Oct 12
mimseycal wrote:Kill them all, let God sort them out.
Poor Annabelle West must be feeling neglected. Come on Eastbourne ... you voted her in, it is up to you to make the bint feel valued.
The death penalty is nothing short of judicial murder. Our conviction rate is far from infallible and it is better to let 10 guilty men (or women for that matter) walk free than hang a single innocent. I wouldn't want the blood of an innocent on my hands and please do not forget, the law acts in your name as much as in mine.
As for all that emotive “Police officers killed in the line of duty and murdered children for me personally are the most severe, deserving cases. ..." Yes, it is horrific but hanging the convicted does not make it any less horrific.
Gym'll fix me
says...
9:31am Fri 19 Oct 12
Crystal Ball
says...
9:33am Fri 19 Oct 12
Morpheus
says...
9:49am Fri 19 Oct 12
Cash Cow
says...
10:15am Fri 19 Oct 12
RK_Brighton wrote:Sorry RK, I agree with Leo, he didn't say religion "and" politics, he said religion "in" politics. Keeping the two seperate is a perfectly sensible suggestion, I don't see what your problem is, if anything you come across as being hateful and intolerant, in keeping with Christian faith, after all, the Crusaders didn't travel half way round the world for a cup of tea and a game of Gin Rummy following an afternoon at the Jumble Sale, did they?
leobrighton wrote:Do you not see the scaryness in your post - encouraging religious hatred and intolerance. You authoritarian tone shows you want to silence those who disagree with you, rather than accepting people will have different views and motivations.
Whatever your opinion about the death penalty we also need to eradicate religion in politics
I very much disagree with the Eastbourne councillor's view on the death penalty and am a Christian myself. So I doubt very much her views are based on her being a Christian. I don't know why it was mentioned in the article at all in the way it was, other than perhaps to provoke a reaction from people like yourself.
cookie_brighton
says...
1:01pm Fri 19 Oct 12
Also previously 20 years as a magistrate......god help anyone who went before her.
In years to come, after I have gone, and many of you too, and the Muslims take over our once GREAT Britain and sharia law is voted in .......then the death penalty will return...until then it has no place in our society.
The Real Phil
says...
1:26pm Fri 19 Oct 12
On the lighthearted side of the subject it was funny that up until 1999 it was still legal to behead by sword any welsh person found on the streets of Chester after dark.
Hoarder12345444
says...
3:10pm Fri 19 Oct 12
Baldseagull
says...
3:48pm Fri 19 Oct 12
At least the Police Officer is presumably aware that he may face some danger in his job, and is usually equipped with a fair amount of weaponry to defend himself.
I suspect that Police Officers kill more civilians without proper justification than civilians kill Police Officers.
Maybe Police Officers should face the death penalty, to deter them from killing suspects?
Fairfax Sakes
says...
3:49pm Fri 19 Oct 12
chris elmes
says...
2:26am Sat 20 Oct 12
Gym'll fix me wrote:I belive you mean
mimseycal wrote:Kill them all, let God sort them out.
Poor Annabelle West must be feeling neglected. Come on Eastbourne ... you voted her in, it is up to you to make the bint feel valued.
The death penalty is nothing short of judicial murder. Our conviction rate is far from infallible and it is better to let 10 guilty men (or women for that matter) walk free than hang a single innocent. I wouldn't want the blood of an innocent on my hands and please do not forget, the law acts in your name as much as in mine.
As for all that emotive “Police officers killed in the line of duty and murdered children for me personally are the most severe, deserving cases. ..." Yes, it is horrific but hanging the convicted does not make it any less horrific.
Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius (Kill them all. For the Lord knoweth them that are His.).......You are the Papal legate Arnaud Amalric and I claim my five pounds........
Camel54 says...
5:26pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Committed Christian?