Words fail me—Domestic abuse goes unpunished

[matgb]

Executive who branded wife with iron freed with a £2,000 fine:

A report recommended a community service order, but Recorder William Featherby questioned how Read would fit it in around his long working hours.

He said he was concerned that Read had denied the offences despite overwhelming evidence and he called the iron attack "appalling".

But the judge said it was the circumstances of the marriage that had provoked Read and that now those circumstances had gone, sending him to prison would "help no one".

So branding your wife with a hot iron isn't worthy of punishment in and of itself? A £2K fine (about a weeks pay for this guy) is going to sort it all out?

Prison has three functions: Punish, protect and rehabilitate. This guy seems barely able to acknowledge he's done wrong, but because he has a busy job he can just pay it off?

Judith Stephenson, of Women's Aid, said: "This case is extremely worrying. It takes an enormous amount of courage for a woman to go to court and this sentence may deter other women from doing so."

That people (predominantly but not exclusively women) become trapped in abusive relationships and feel they can't get out is something I can't relate to, can't understand. But I know it happens, and it has happened to people I like and respect. To have the court system then effectively dismiss it out of hand is horrifying.

Via Katy at The Devil's Kitchen.

Comments

[ginasketch.livejournal.com]

You should see the Belizean mentality. The number of times I've had friends come into work with broken fingers or bruises...

Me: "Who did this?"

Friend: "insert name of bf here"

Bf's friends: "NAH UH! SHE DID IT TO HERSELF FOR ATTENTION!"

Guess who everyone believes...

yeah, because I know breaking 5 fingers is such an easy task and one I do often when i'm very upset. *eyeroll*

[pmoodie.livejournal.com]

Un-fucking-believable.

He burned her with the iron BECAUSE SHE HAD FAILED TO PRESS A SHIRT HE WANTED TO WEAR TO A BEACH PARTY. Then he slashed her with a knife while she was sleeping and pummelled her with his fists when she woke up, and beat her up again the following day. BECAUSE SHE HAD FORGOTTEN TO MAKE HIS SANDWICHES.

And he gets away with a fine for £2K???

The mad fucking bastard should be locked up! Who gives a FUCK how busy his job is? If his bosses are sane they'll fire the maniac in any case so he'll have plenty of free time!

Any judge who would make such a ludicrous ruling is clearly unfit to hold the position.

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

And what's with the crap that he "couldn't remember" if he did it? Yes, you did it you pathetic excuse for a subhuman.

Good grief. That whole case is just disgusting.

[gaeriwitch.livejournal.com]

I think the guy is totally disgusting and, like Miss D said, subhuman, but unfortunately, I know such scum exists, so what really scandalises me is not the jerk, but the judge who is condoning his behaviour. It's like a "you naughty boy" message. 2000 pounds? Even I can afford that!
Just look at him. He's going to go on doing it.
Makes ones faith in the judiciary system really boost, eh?

[dainul.livejournal.com]

Read... email sent to MP.

Not sending him to jail I can understand - there is overcrowding and I think prison sentences should primarily be a tool to prevent re-offending, with secondary roles as punnishment and deterrant. However a) suspended sentence. b) Why the hell is his convinence an overriding concern when passing down sentence!? And if you're going to hand down a fine, hand down a fine that actually means something.

Meh, most of it's been said above so I'll not go on further.

[greyarea.livejournal.com]

Weird, that just doesn't make any sense. I'd like to read the full facts/judgment. Often in these "shock horror!" reports they gloss over some fairly salient details. Reading between the lines, he denied the iron attack, and it doesn't sound as though there was any proof of it - had the burn healed by the time the police were involved? The article doesn't really say.

Nor, more importantly does it say what exactly he was found guilty of, either. In the absence of any evidence of the injuries, and his denial, it'd be her word against his. Chances of securing a conviction on that are pretty slim; the CPS may have gone for a lesser charge with a higher chance of conviction. Sad, unfair, but not unusual.

None of which makes him any of an odious shit, obviously, but it might make the court's ruling a bit more understandable.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

To have the court system then effectively dismiss it out of hand is horrifying.

To have the court system then effectively dismiss it out of hand is normal, love. Which is why I never bothered reporting my ex. What's the point in going through all that just to get him a slap on the wrists?

A reminder: it was only 1974 when it became illegal for a man to rape his wife, and it was after that when the "rule of thumb" was withdrawn by case law.

[doccy.livejournal.com]

Read told police that his wife was "self-harming". Later, he claimed it was "possible" he had attacked her but he "couldn't remember".

My opinion? It looks like they have indeed disproven the "self-harming" crap, so that leaves "couldn't remember" or "talking bollocks". Let's be kind and assume that think he's not talking bollocks - where's the psychiatric evaluation followed by hospitalisation of a man who, by his own admission, can be extremely violent and have no recollection of it? Or maybe they're just hoping he'll take out the whole of his firm with a meat cleaver one day, then go for a pint and a burger because he doesn't remember doing it...

[davidnm.livejournal.com]

That's absolutely shocking, from the fact it happened in the first place to the judge's response. I mean, I'm all for re-habilitating offenders and all the rest of it, but not jailing them as they mightn't be able to fit it around their working hours??? Good god.

I wonder what planet the judge was on...

[staceyuk.livejournal.com]

There are no words.

[greyarea.livejournal.com]

On the plus side:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=479353&in_page_id=1770