Stuart Hall, 15 months.

[kinboshi]

The law needs to protect 'minors' - and so a custodial sentence is probably correct here.  But 5 years!  Surely some 'common sense' needs to be applied as well?

Sexually abuse more than a dozen children as young as 9 years old, and you get 15 months.   

Doesn't seem right, does it?

[outragous76]

Good old British justice

I honestly don't know how I feel about the guy tbh, there was certainly an upsurge in the tone yesterday once he had been found guilty, with paedophile and predatory being words that hadn't been used before in this case by the media.

I guess we will never know, but I think he is probably on the wrong end of this one

[The Camel]

The use of the word paedophile is factually incorrect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia

"As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia or paedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in persons 16 years of age or older typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest toward prepubescent children (generally age 11 years or younger"

This sentence is not justice, it makes me extremely angry.

The guy was (and probably still is) stupid, misguided and fckd up.

Sticking him in prison for 5 years is not going to solve anything.

[MANTIS01]

I went to an all boys school. When I was 15 my form teacher was called Miss Griffiths who also taught french. She was about 22, spoke with a french accent, and was smoking hot. Everybody fancied her, students, parents, other teachers. If she had of approached me one day and suggested we run away together to France for sex I would have wept with joy.

[titaniumbean]

I went to an all boys school. When I was 15 my form teacher was called Miss Griffiths who also taught french. She was about 22, spoke with a french accent, and was smoking hot. Everybody fancied her, students, parents, other teachers. If she had of approached me one day and suggested we run away together to France for sex I would have wept with joy.

interesting innuendo mantis

[AndrewT]

I went to an all boys school. When I was 15 my form teacher was called Miss Griffiths who also taught french. She was about 22, spoke with a french accent, and was smoking hot. Everybody fancied her, students, parents, other teachers. If she had of approached me one day and suggested we run away together to France for sex I would have wept with joy.

That's what Mantis went to school for.

[titaniumbean]

[The Camel]

Why didn't he plead guilty?

The underage sex thing would not have been an issue then.

[outragous76]

How can he be sentenced for something he hasnt been found guilty of?

[Jon MW]

Why didn't he plead guilty?

The underage sex thing would not have been an issue then.

That's what I wondered all along, he's basically never had any defence.

And I agree that the paedophile talk is misused - although in the trial the prosecution said to the jury that they might not think that paedophile is the right label, but that was irrelevant. It was all the other stuff, in particular the abuse of trust that they were really out to get him for.

But she was 14 when the relationship started, I don't think he should be awarded too many brownie points for waiting until she was 15 before he started having sex with her, and it sounds like she was fairly troubled but instead of putting off her crush he actively encouraged it and kept it going - that does sound quite a bit like grooming doesn't it? And although it doesn't have a legal impact, when it started was pretty soon after he'd got married - which at least tells you something about his general moral character.

5 years is a bit harsh, but whatever sentence was appropriate (maybe 2?) it should be doubled because of the abuse of authority - so I don't think it's too harsh.

Also the maximum is 7 and he never admitted he'd done anything wrong and never showed any remorse - from a technical point of view it's not exactly surprising that he got so close to the maximum.

[Jon MW]

http://www.crimeline.info/case/r-v-jeremy-forrest

sentencing remarks, they don't add much - but that website is pretty good for any court case related discussion I think

[kinboshi]

How can he be sentenced for something he hasnt been found guilty of?

He pleaded guilty to the sex charges.  The jury didn't have to find him guilty of these charges, just the abduction charge,

[The Camel]

Why hasn't Bill Wyman been arrested yet?

[Tal]

Why hasn't Bill Wyman been arrested yet?

Someone told me - rightly or wrongly - he offered himself to the police and was told they weren't interested in him.

[AndrewT]

Why hasn't Bill Wyman been arrested yet?

Mandy Smith is now 42 - how old does that make us all feel?