Cheetah7

It seems so impossible that she could still be alive although I hope she is. I know if he killed her he obviously is sick in the head but I feel no pity for anyone that sick in the head that they do that.

Some may say child killers can be rehabilitated but I dont think they should be given the chance - lock them up.

Hope there is some news today , her poor parents and that poor little girl.

Pollyana

So many echoes of poor Sarah Payne back in 2000.
The police had Roy Whiting's DNA on file, they had him on the list of known local sex offenders, we knew pretty quickly that his van matched the wanted vehicle. He would've known the police knew all that. Didn't stop him abducting and killing Sarah.

And to go back further (and more controversially) Russell Bishop - suspected of though never convicted of the Sussex "Babes in the Wood" murders of Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows. The police had DNA on him, they had files that were like encyclopedias about his movements and he knew it. Didn't stop him abducting another small girl and then leaving her for dead on Devil's Dyke.

Both guys are believed to have thought they could outwit the police.

carolinephillips

You cannot cure people like that. Why should the taxpayer fund their lifetime in prison? It is one of the few things I'm in favour of the death penalty for- if they have abducted and killed more than once then they are extremely unlikely to be innocent.

Zen10

I'm fundamentally opposed to the state killing people, but this area is the one that comes closest to persuading me otherwise. Weirdly, I am less opposed to the Islamic system where the the offender is basically turned over to the family and they have carte blanche to punish him as they see fit. I feel child abductions and other serious crimes against the person would drop dramatically to the levels seen in Islamic countries if the potential offender knew it ended in a warehouse somewhere with the family, rather than the protected wing of a prison and gradual reintroduction to society, which is what currently happens.

asprilla

I'm really interested in why you (and many others) have an issue with cctv. The main objection is usually something very nebulous like "it's an invasion of privacy". But how is that logical? How can it be an invasion of privacy when you are walking down the street, in public?

What do people really mean when they say "it's an invasion of privacy"? I am really curious. I suspect that 99% of people, don't really know what it is they don't like about it. It is simply the fear of the unknown. A fear of change and, dare I say it, progress.

Consider it this way. What are the pro's and con's of cctv?

cons
It's an invasion of privacy. Mrs Miggins, who has never broken a law in her life, will have her privacy invaded every time she goes to Sainsburys. She may even be caught on camera, picking her nose.

pros
The images caught on cctv can be used by the police to identify suspects and criminals. In fact, as per the sad case just recently in Melbourne, CCTV images may well have gone a VERY long way towards identifying and apprehending a very dangerous individual. Without those CCTV images, the offender may have gone on to repeat the offence against other women.


How can people honestly say that their privacy is more important?? I'm baffled by this one, I really am. For me, it's in the same basket as those folks who believe that vaccinations are a "bad thing".

asprilla

In relation to the original topic... the suspect is currently under arrest but has not been charged. A 12 hr extension was granted for further questioning and I am assuming that another extension has been subsequently granted.

Further extensions up to a maximum of 96 hrs can be granted.

Unless the suspect is charged by Saturday afternoon he will be free to go.

However - his name and face is now all over the media.

mrsgreenstar76

Answers in red.

I've noticed that the death penalty issue has (unfortunately) arisen. I think I shall bow out of the thread at this point, as that is always a slippery slope. See ya, guys & gals.

asprilla

thanks for your replies ! But please don't bow out, it's just a grown up discussion / debate.... no need for it to get out of hand.

ps - you didn't address my two key points:
1) the costs of CCTV (innocent people being recorded going about their everyday activities) are surely outweighed by the benefits? aren't they?
2) how can an invasion of privacy occur, in a public place??


Please note, if the authorities start wanting to install cctv in my lounge (and dare I say it, my bedroom) - I'll be with you all the way



edit - just wanted to add one more thing. You said the following (in red)...and my comments are in blue

ozzieeagle

Most CCTV is recorded over itself within a 48 hour cycle at the very most.... unless there has been a recordable incident.

So to paint a picture that everything is recorded and stored is totally wrong.

Recorded for evidence of immediate crime is all that happens in the vast majority of use.



I would have been very strongly against CCTV up until this Meahger case.... not only did CCTV actually catch the perpetrator, it's almost certainly saved future killings from evil that had just come to the boil. I know this for absoulte fact. I will say more after the trial.

If there had been CCTV on the roads at least around where this little Girl went missing then the perpetrator would have definitely had second thoughts.... unless he wants to commit personal suicide by noterity.... which I suspect is the case with some of these people.

moneypenny20

Do you have proof that the level of child abuse/abductions is low in those countries? I'm interested and don't know. What I do know is that they can legally marry a 12 year old girl so perhaps that's how they've got around the illegal bit. Just made it legal.

Zen10

Well you're quite right to raise the shameful forced marriages, and I haven't got any stats to hand, no. Crime in these places, and others like Singapore, is generally accepted as being lower because of the draconian punishments, but of course it could be other cultural factors as well. But yes - good point about the forced marriages.

Kapri

Also far less likely to be reported.
In some islamic countries, if you are raped, the last thing you would do is tell anyone.

chris955

I am absolutely in favour of CCTV and quite honestly can think of no reason to be against it, I couldnt care less who sees me going into Sainsburys or walking down the street, it doesnt affect me one bit.
I am also very much in favour of the death penalty in cases where there is no doubt and there are plenty of cases where there is no doubt. Why waste millions keeping the scum in prison until they die ?

h2oskineil

Reported by the BBC in 2008..... So Shocking to think this actually happens in the world!

A young woman recently stoned to death in Somalia first pleaded for her life, a witness has told the BBC.
A few minutes later, more than 50 men threw stones.
Human rights group Amnesty International says the victim was a 13-year-old girl who had been raped.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7708169.stm

Cheetah7

Did you see that cops program last night about CCTV, the amount of accidents, near misses, incidents caught immediately on CCTV on the roads/tunnels - especially the one where the guy was abusing his girlfriend, she escaped into the tunnel to get away and CCTV caught him dragging her across traffic in to the car.

Or the stupid woman that got out of the car on a freeway/busy road and tried to take down the barriers to avoid paying fees - CCTV picked that up, staff were sent to the scene and saved that woman from being knocked over.

There was a case a while back when a security company monitoring CCTV spotted a young teenager being dragged in to the bushes - I think she got away but the footage was used to catch the guy.

Shame there was no CCTV around for this little girl.

I hope we hear something soon, not looking good though