Justice - but not as it ought to be

So today Baby P's mother, her boyfriend and their lodger, were finally sentenced for the various parts they played in the events leading to his death. They have all been given indeterminate sentences which may be reviewed by the parole board after a certain number of years have been served. However long they serve though, we can be sure that it will not be enough. One of the most infuriating aspects of this case is that they apparently can't be named for' legal reasons.' We would very much like to know what those reasons are. Why should the perpetrators of such a sickening crime apparently enjoy the benefit of anonymity? Our view is that for public interest reasons as well as ensuring that justice is not only done but seen to be done, they should be named and shamed. We can grant that baby P's mother has expressed remorse for what happened and carries with her a burden of guilt. So she should. However the fact remains that could have taken steps to remove her son from harm but failed to do so.

Typical of what so often happens in these cases - with sickening regularity we might add - Haringey Social Services have been blamed for failing to prevent Baby P's death. We do not doubt that they could, and probably should, have done much more than they did. However social workers have a difficult task to perform, one not made easy by the various balancing acts they have to perform and, let it be said, heavy caseloads more often than not. No, the blame for Baby P's death lies firmly with his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger - the very adults which the small boy in question should have been able to trust to keep him safe from harm, not cause his death. This is all the more reason why they should all be named and shamed.

Comments

Haringey Social Services should shoulder a lot of the blame, baby Peter wasn't just killed out of the blue by the people he lived with on a sudden whim, he suffered months and months of sustained and terrible abuse during which time social services turned a blind eye to his pain. No one can prevent a parent killing a child if no one has seen the warning signs, the warning signs here were clear for any moron to see. He came to the attention of social services many, many times - how can they not share the blame?
The names of the mother, her boyfriend and the lodger have been all over the net for months.
 
death penalty. it may not serve as a deterrent. but 50% of rehabilitated sex offenders reoffend, so lets actually protect our communities!
 

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Adrian69702006
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