HUntley's mother calls for him to be hanged

[codswallop]

I just cant imagine this.
here

[KaySleighBells]

I can't believe any mother would want their child to die. No matter what they had done.

[Northerner]

just read it and don't know what to say. My thought is that she is very brave to say this. Could I ever wish my ds dead? Doesn't bear thinking about.

[BadHair]

Must be to exonerate herself from any parental blame.
I know someone who works with child sex offenders (as in the offenders are children) and half of their parents have disowned them for just that reason. The other half are on crack.

[BluStocking]

No, but I could believe that she would say this to avoid being hounded and attacked herself.

[jinglesaur]

That occurs to me too as the most plausible motive Blu.

[KaySleighBells]

That crossed my mind too BluStocking

[hmb]

One of the main reasons that I oppose the death penalty is that I couldn't countenence it's use on my children, no matter what they did. I would want them to be punised (and I think that life should mean life), but I couldn't cope with the death penalty.

[Tinker]

Imagine it's 'easier' to say this when you know it can't happen as well.

[SilverStripes]

Not just theoretical for me...I come from a very anti-death penalty family; in fact it has hurt my father's career as a judge in California that he personally opposes it.

Even if my child were the victim I don't think I would ask for it because it would feel vindictive; like sinking to the level of the beast that did X to my child. 'Course if the sentence were handed down, I wouldn't be out there campaigning for leniency, either. Locking them up and letting them suffer, quite happy with that.

I don't think Death Penalty works as deterrent, either. People like Huntley or Saddam Hussein do what they do because they think they won't get caught at all, or they have poor impulse control and can't envision consequences, either.

Apparently IH had a pretty unpleasant upbringing (not that that excuses what he did), but his mom's statement does seem to suggest she hasn't been the best mam in the world.

Not previewing, 'coz i don't know what thread this will end up on if I do!

[alohappychristmas]

I fiercely oppose the death penalty for all crimes - and I hope I would be able to hold to my principles even if something happened to my son or stepdaughter. I know a lawyer who does free work for death row convicts - most of whom are victims of hideous miscarriages of justice - all over the world and I respect her more than I can say. I suspect Huntley's mother's motivation is a mixture of guilt and fear - a strong desire to distance herself from her son to avoid being attacked.

[katierocket]

blustocking - that is exactly what I thought - wasn't it some 'exclusive' with The Sun .

[BluStocking]

It is plastered all over the Sun today, but the link at the bottom is to the Times...whatever their rep for accuracy might be!

Also...she has seen what has become of MC, and where loyalty got her, so I guess the motivation for dissocaition is very strong.

I do worry that this will stir up a hanging-frenzy "even his own mother thinks he should hang" etc, and I could never accept the Death Penalty within a society I was part of.

[Tinker]

Yes, the death penalty is one issue I really never want to go to a referendum. Would be far too worried about the result.

[JanH]

When we lived in NY one of the blokes DH worked with was v. gung-ho about the death penalty - when DH suggested to him that it didn't work as a deterrent he drawled "sure as hell deters the one that gets it!"

[BluStocking]

Ah, but then didn't she run off with a lesbian? explains everything...
(NOT!)

[FairyLou]

I would think she is doing ti to try and distance herself , but her statement is irrelevent imo anyway, as hanging is not an option in this country.

[handlemecarefully]

No wonder he is screwed up and lacking in empathy and morality if his own mother advocates this about him.

You wonder if he had loving supportive parents (not that if he didn't, it lets him off the hook)

[RoscoeReindeer]

I don't understand how one minute she is talking about how he deserves to be electrocuted or should be hanged, then the next minute she says, "When I visit him he says..." Do you visit someone in prison if you truly believe they deserve the death penalty? I have no sympathy for Maxine Carr either but IH's mother seems to be blaming her for the murders. He only killed because MC went out for 2 nights???! This whole article is an exercise in blame-avoidance.

[BluStocking]

Waiting to see his FATHER villified on the front page of a tabloid paper. IH caught his father having sex with a 16 year-old babysitter when he was 11 (I think). His father beat him and made him promise not to tell his mum. His father continued to beat him til he eventually DID tell his Mum.

[Twinkie]

Message withdrawn

[handlemecarefully]

Twinkie,

Re your 2nd paragraph - there is evidence to suggest though that violent offenders are more likely to have experienced childhood trauma than the average member of 'joe public'

I think it just underlines our very weighty responsibility to raise our children right