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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Justice?
- Thread starter Legends of 2017
- Start date
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24561867-2862,00.html
Top prosecutor Jeremy Rapke wants tougher jail terms
Norrie Ross and Geoff Wilkinson
October 28, 2008 12:00am
VICTORIA'S top prosecutor wants courts to impose tougher jail sentences for serious crimes.
Director of Public Prosecutions Jeremy Rapke, QC, said the public was justifiably outraged when people who committed the worst crimes were given soft sentences, or no jail at all.
He was especially concerned at low sentences given to murderers, rapists and drug dealers.
Mr Rapke has begun lodging appeals against murder and rape sentences and is waiting for an appropriate drugs case to take to the Court of Appeal.
Mr Rapke told the Herald Sun he would ask the court to set new, tougher sentences to meet the concerns of a frustrated community.
Sentences often bore no relation to the maximums set down in legislation.
"Judges are failing to have regard to what the legislature has provided as the appropriate sentence," he said. "They are not looking at what the maximum penalty is."
Mr Rapke also believes Victoria needs night courts to help clear the logjam of untried cases.
It was not unusual for a County Court criminal case to take years.
Mr Rapke last night told politicians, judges, lawyers and senior police at a dinner celebrating the DPP's 25th anniversary that the criminal justice system "simply cannot cope with today's demands".
He said the number of pleas and trials waiting to be heard in the courts were at record highs.
He called for consideration of the removal of juries in long and complex cases and time limits to cut the length of submissions by lawyers.
The DPP said never before had so many appeals against convictions been allowed.
The Court of Appeal allowed 57 per cent of appeals concluded so far this year and the number of acquittals on appeal had risen from 5 per cent of appeals five years ago to 29 per cent this year.
The Office of Public Prosecutions has appealed against the two attempted murder sentences given to CBD killer Christopher Wayne Hudson in the Supreme Court last month.
Mr Rapke described the 12-year sentences for the attempted murders of Hudson's girlfriend, Kaera Douglas, and Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard as "manifestly inadequate".
Although the maximum term for attempted murder was 25 years, he could think of no case where a criminal had been sentenced to more than 15 years for the offence.
"It seems to me that if you have an offence the sentencing judge categorises as being in the worst category of that offence, why are they getting less than half the maximum?" he said.
"What is the maximum reserved for?
"The community is looking at the court and saying, `Just a moment, somone here nearly died in this incident'.
"I've appealed on specific offences because in my judgment they are falling out of kilter with community expectations."
Mr Rapke said it was in drug trafficking and sex offences that sentences were most out of line with the maximum terms and community expectations.
He has launched an appeal in a case where an offender raped a young female victim in a park and got six years with a four-year minimum.
"Rape carries a very significant penalty and people are not getting it for some very nasty rapes," he said.
Mr Rapke also said he made no apology about focusing on the rights of victims to be heard.
"When at the sentencing stage should the only voice be that of the offender?" he said. "Why shouldn't victims say, `Your Honour, please take into account the hurt that I've suffered'."
Some hope there, but will fall on deaf ears.
Top prosecutor Jeremy Rapke wants tougher jail terms
Norrie Ross and Geoff Wilkinson
October 28, 2008 12:00am
VICTORIA'S top prosecutor wants courts to impose tougher jail sentences for serious crimes.
Director of Public Prosecutions Jeremy Rapke, QC, said the public was justifiably outraged when people who committed the worst crimes were given soft sentences, or no jail at all.
He was especially concerned at low sentences given to murderers, rapists and drug dealers.
Mr Rapke has begun lodging appeals against murder and rape sentences and is waiting for an appropriate drugs case to take to the Court of Appeal.
Mr Rapke told the Herald Sun he would ask the court to set new, tougher sentences to meet the concerns of a frustrated community.
Sentences often bore no relation to the maximums set down in legislation.
"Judges are failing to have regard to what the legislature has provided as the appropriate sentence," he said. "They are not looking at what the maximum penalty is."
Mr Rapke also believes Victoria needs night courts to help clear the logjam of untried cases.
It was not unusual for a County Court criminal case to take years.
Mr Rapke last night told politicians, judges, lawyers and senior police at a dinner celebrating the DPP's 25th anniversary that the criminal justice system "simply cannot cope with today's demands".
He said the number of pleas and trials waiting to be heard in the courts were at record highs.
He called for consideration of the removal of juries in long and complex cases and time limits to cut the length of submissions by lawyers.
The DPP said never before had so many appeals against convictions been allowed.
The Court of Appeal allowed 57 per cent of appeals concluded so far this year and the number of acquittals on appeal had risen from 5 per cent of appeals five years ago to 29 per cent this year.
The Office of Public Prosecutions has appealed against the two attempted murder sentences given to CBD killer Christopher Wayne Hudson in the Supreme Court last month.
Mr Rapke described the 12-year sentences for the attempted murders of Hudson's girlfriend, Kaera Douglas, and Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard as "manifestly inadequate".
Although the maximum term for attempted murder was 25 years, he could think of no case where a criminal had been sentenced to more than 15 years for the offence.
"It seems to me that if you have an offence the sentencing judge categorises as being in the worst category of that offence, why are they getting less than half the maximum?" he said.
"What is the maximum reserved for?
"The community is looking at the court and saying, `Just a moment, somone here nearly died in this incident'.
"I've appealed on specific offences because in my judgment they are falling out of kilter with community expectations."
Mr Rapke said it was in drug trafficking and sex offences that sentences were most out of line with the maximum terms and community expectations.
He has launched an appeal in a case where an offender raped a young female victim in a park and got six years with a four-year minimum.
"Rape carries a very significant penalty and people are not getting it for some very nasty rapes," he said.
Mr Rapke also said he made no apology about focusing on the rights of victims to be heard.
"When at the sentencing stage should the only voice be that of the offender?" he said. "Why shouldn't victims say, `Your Honour, please take into account the hurt that I've suffered'."
Some hope there, but will fall on deaf ears.
Legends,
Hulls will stop this bloke.
We can't have people running around expecting judges that Hulls put in place give real sentences to perps.
Heck!
Think of the poor perp in all this and all the hurt they've gone through by committing the crime, hiring lawyers, going to court, being in custody awaiting trial, or having a family member bail them out.
Outrageous!
:hihi
Hulls will stop this bloke.
We can't have people running around expecting judges that Hulls put in place give real sentences to perps.
Heck!
Think of the poor perp in all this and all the hurt they've gone through by committing the crime, hiring lawyers, going to court, being in custody awaiting trial, or having a family member bail them out.
Outrageous!
:hihi
willo said:
Whilst I believe in the death sentence and that the Bali bombers have finally been served proper justice, I can't help but feeling that they've only shot the messengers. The real culprits in my mind are those that preach the hatred and intolerance in the first place.
Good riddance to those oxygen thieves.
One thing I don't get about their supporters mentality and way of thinking is, the bombers killed Aussies and many others, they were caught by the Indonesians, tried by the Indonesians, found guilty by the Indonesians and executed by the Indonesians, yet their supporters are threatening revenge and retaliation against Aussies and the US ??? ???. I know these aren't rational thinkers here but still...........
Agree. Sad to see pics of them preaching their hatred to kindergarten kids. What hope is there for peace.1eyedtiger said:
One thing I don't get about their supporters mentality and way of thinking is, the bombers killed Aussies and many others, they were caught by the Indonesians, tried by the Indonesians, found guilty by the Indonesians and executed by the Indonesians, yet their supporters are threatening revenge and retaliation against Aussies and the US ??? ???. I know these aren't rational thinkers here but still...........
Legends of 1980 said:
Legends,
Islamic extremists and 'rational thinkers' should never be used in the same sentence.
Why they threaten revenge and retaliation against the USA (what has it to do with them again?) and Australia, is simply because this isn't Islam against people who executed their collegaues...it is just more threats of hate against Christian/Western beliefs.
Islam .v. Christianity....jihad.
Personally, I wouldn't go to Bali before the 2002 bombing....its always been a cheap-arse hole if you ask me....but people say that the people there are great and that these extremists are but a small minority.
If this is so, then you would think the majority of Islamic followers in the biggest Islamic country in the world would take it upon themselves to protect their religion from these extremists hijacking it and turning people against Islam, and Indonesia in general.
Maybe if this silent majority spoke up more and became stronger against this minority then we wouldn't see as much trouble around the world when dealing with such a religion.
Good to see some of the Muslim clerics denouncing those murderers, saying they weren't martyrs at all. There was no jihad.
They should have wrapped the murderers up in pigskin after their execution and buried them somewhere. Then threatened the same to any who trod the same path.
No paradise for that sort.
They should have wrapped the murderers up in pigskin after their execution and buried them somewhere. Then threatened the same to any who trod the same path.
No paradise for that sort.
willo said:
Of course they're not martyrs.
They had appeal after appeal to try and worm their way out of it to begin with and apparently smart-arse Amrozi not only went white with fear as he was lined up by the executioners, he was also the quickest to die.
Martyrs my arse.
However, I do agree with what you said earlier 100%.....these 3 cretins were just pawns for Bashir.
If the CIA were ever to send a crack sniper somewhere, it should be to fix this old bastard up as he will use the 3 cretins being killed to try and incite even more violence.
What these cretins needed to think about as they were being indoctrinated with venom and told stories of virgins and Islamic paradise....is if it is so great to kill yourself in the name of Allah, why don't people like Bin Laden and Bashir set the example and do it first?
willo said:
I've heard that pigskin suggestion in the past. Wonder why it hasn't been suggested more often
Sorry, edited my post, meant murderers not murders.Liverpool said:
Too bloody right Livers. Leadership by example. Tell that sort to go first and show the way. The world would be a better place for all. Typical cowards.
Liverpool said:
IMAM Samudra has urged from the grave that his Muslim brothers should educate their children to become terrorists and killers of non-Muslims
Lacking any remorse or guilt, Samudra urged his fellow Muslims to fill their lives with the murder of non-believers, saying the title of terrorist was holier than that of Ulama or Muslim scholar.
He says: "For you who have committed yourself to fight against kaffir dogs, remember the war is not over."
He calls on others to fill their lives with murder of non-Muslims.
"Isn't it Allah who has ordered us to kill them all, just like they have killed us and our family? Have a desire to become the slaughterer of kaffir people. Educate your children and grandchildren to become terrorists and slaughterers of all Kaffir people."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24632859-662,00.html
Unbelievable :
, but then again, should be used to this by now.
Note what I've highlighted in yellow.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24643656-2862,00.html
Vile rapist's jail term
Elissa Hunt
November 13, 2008 12:00am
A VIOLENT rapist, who filmed himself attacking a woman, could walk free from jail in just four years.
The victim feared she would not survive the nightmare of being burned with a cigarette and repeatedly raped with various objects as she was held captive during a week in September 2005.
Her attacker took photos and used one as the screensaver on his mobile phone.
The rapist -- who can not be identified, to protect his victim -- was 19 at the time, and had been seeing the woman for several months before the attacks.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeal found the rapist's original 12-year jail term -- of which he was to serve at least nine years -- was "greater than was warranted".
The court heard he had shown no remorse, but cut his term by two years, ordering him to serve at least seven years of a 10-year sentence.
The man has already been behind bars for more than three years.
The woman, aged 20, said in her victim impact statement she had been betrayed by the boyfriend she thought loved her.
She suffers nightmares and migraines and is reminded of the assaults every time she sees the burn scars on her leg.
The attacks included a rape with a deodorant can, which was filmed on a mobile phone. Police later found the footage along with other images taken during the rapes.
The depraved attacks included the use of a torch and a sewer plunger. The man punched and kicked the woman and urinated on her.
The victim was tied up with a belt overnight and when the man untied her the next day, the beatings and sex attacks continued.
When her tormentor fell asleep, the woman was able to escape and seek help from a neighbour.
The man pleaded not guilty to most charges at his County Court trial, claiming the sex acts were all consensual and the beatings were "reckless".
A jury convicted him of seven counts of rape, five of intentionally causing injury, and one of indecent assault. He pleaded guilty to a charge of false imprisonment and was cleared of 11 other charges.
The man failed in a bid to overturn his convictions; but the Court of Appeal reduced his jail time on the basis that the judge had ordered too many of the sentences to be served cumulatively.
Justices Geoffrey Nettle, Kim Hargrave and Mark Weinberg said the man had no history of rape, though he had 46 priors for non-sexual offending.
He has a below-average IQ of 83, ran away from home at 13, and had a history of drug addiction.
The man said his drug use caused depression, paranoia and irrational behaviour.
The appeal judges said that, while the primary consideration in sentencing violent sex offenders was public safety, the youth of the man in this case was a factor.
"It cannot be forgotten that the public is also protected when an offender is rehabilitated," the judges said.
The judges agreed the man should remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
, but then again, should be used to this by now. Note what I've highlighted in yellow.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24643656-2862,00.html
Vile rapist's jail term
Elissa Hunt
November 13, 2008 12:00am
A VIOLENT rapist, who filmed himself attacking a woman, could walk free from jail in just four years.
The victim feared she would not survive the nightmare of being burned with a cigarette and repeatedly raped with various objects as she was held captive during a week in September 2005.
Her attacker took photos and used one as the screensaver on his mobile phone.
The rapist -- who can not be identified, to protect his victim -- was 19 at the time, and had been seeing the woman for several months before the attacks.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeal found the rapist's original 12-year jail term -- of which he was to serve at least nine years -- was "greater than was warranted".
The court heard he had shown no remorse, but cut his term by two years, ordering him to serve at least seven years of a 10-year sentence.
The man has already been behind bars for more than three years.
The woman, aged 20, said in her victim impact statement she had been betrayed by the boyfriend she thought loved her.
She suffers nightmares and migraines and is reminded of the assaults every time she sees the burn scars on her leg.
The attacks included a rape with a deodorant can, which was filmed on a mobile phone. Police later found the footage along with other images taken during the rapes.
The depraved attacks included the use of a torch and a sewer plunger. The man punched and kicked the woman and urinated on her.
The victim was tied up with a belt overnight and when the man untied her the next day, the beatings and sex attacks continued.
When her tormentor fell asleep, the woman was able to escape and seek help from a neighbour.
The man pleaded not guilty to most charges at his County Court trial, claiming the sex acts were all consensual and the beatings were "reckless".
A jury convicted him of seven counts of rape, five of intentionally causing injury, and one of indecent assault. He pleaded guilty to a charge of false imprisonment and was cleared of 11 other charges.
The man failed in a bid to overturn his convictions; but the Court of Appeal reduced his jail time on the basis that the judge had ordered too many of the sentences to be served cumulatively.
Justices Geoffrey Nettle, Kim Hargrave and Mark Weinberg said the man had no history of rape, though he had 46 priors for non-sexual offending.
He has a below-average IQ of 83, ran away from home at 13, and had a history of drug addiction.
The man said his drug use caused depression, paranoia and irrational behaviour.
The appeal judges said that, while the primary consideration in sentencing violent sex offenders was public safety, the youth of the man in this case was a factor.
"It cannot be forgotten that the public is also protected when an offender is rehabilitated," the judges said.
The judges agreed the man should remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
