Balal Khan was sentenced to three years imprisonment in a YOI on Monday, after being found guilty of mugging and raping a 21 year old woman in Cobridge last year. Khan,14, who’s name was given to the press after the Sentinel journalist in court asked for a ban on naming him be lifted, committed the offence at age 13.
In Westminster, the case was brought to the fore on Wednesday by Conservative MP for Monmouth David T.C Davies who called the sentence “Ëœdisgraceful’ as he requested it to be subject of a Court of Appeal review. He asked how Khan,at his young age, could hold such a disregard for a woman. His remarks where made as he brought the case to the attention of Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman.
Ms. Harman, taking PM Questions as stand in for Gordon Brown, told Mr. Davies that she believed that the Attorney General would consider referring the case to the court of Appeal.
This in turn as got a response from a retired district from North Stafford, Mr. Graham Richards. He stated that the case was not comparable with an adult sentence.
Mr. Richards had this to say to the BBC News Website:-
“Enough for whom, enough for the victim or the accused. The judge (Paul Glenn. Is only dealing with the accused, though he takes the victim’s condition into account as well.”
“The judge will had a number of psychiatric reports and other reports about the accused, none of which will, or should have been made public, those are the criteria on which he makes s decision which he feels is appropriate.”
Without making any comment on this case at all, a 13 year old can not possibly be dealt with in a way you would with a 22 or 24 year old.”
Source BBC News Website.
I agree that sentencing a child should be different than sentencing an adult. Even so I’m not sure that three years is a sufficient punishment.
What is also worrying is that if the offender is still considered to be a danger to the public in three years time he will still be released and will be free to commit the crime again.
If you’re old enough to do the crime, you’re old enough to do the time.
That sh*t should be held indefinitely until it can be proved beyond doubt that he won’t do it again.
If you are old enough to rape then you should be sentenced accordingly. The victim is just as traumatised whether the rapist is 13 or 30
the sentences for rape are not anywhere near enough generally. I’d be in favour of a minimum sentence of 10 years.
This is the problem with Labours Britain, it’s all about the offender and nothing about the victim.
What we need is to return to what it used to be, which was all about the victim and not the offender.
Yes, the sentance is short for what this dirty little b*****d has done, but misstakes have been made in the handling of the case. At first I agreed with Khan being named, but in hindsight, all its done is to fire up the brainless right wing, all to fast to toss themselfs and there missguided thoughts at the case. What has his race got to do with what he as done, Maybe not haer, our reguler right wingers are far to switched on, but on other sites they have many comments spouting the most disgusting right wing dross you have ever seen.I happen to now take much the same stance as Mr. Richards, how can you treat a boy of this age in the same way you would treat a fully grow man, who sould know how to behave, I know some don’t but there you go. Like I said yesterday, I think to perants are at falt, at the age he was, they would have had the main input into his life, them and his extended famley, older brothers, cousons, uncals maybe. The fools race is not in question, and its not known if he or his femley or indeed Muslim. Three years is a short sentance for what he as done, we all know he will out in half that time, and, if not treated for whatever problem he has, and theres no dought about it, he’s got a f***ing big problem, will more then likely do the same thing again, or worse. Thinking about it, I hope he stays in the penel system for 5 to 6 years, kept away from people who have molded him into what he his today, a dirty little pig, its not to late and he could be turned round.
And yes, I also agree that the victim and her feeling taken into consideration, after all, her as been afected in the most brutel of ways. We must think about this, but the law can only do what the law says.
Under strict Sharia Law (not all Muslim countries use this) a woman has to have 4 witnesses (men) to prove she was raped. If she takes it to court she runs the risk of being accused of ‘zina’ which is fornication, the penalty for this is receiving many lashes. BTW a woman’s evidence only carries half the weight of a man’s evidence under Sharia.
So although you may think the sentence was light under Sharia it would have been lighter.
Well, it’s a ruddy good job that things like this are sorted out useing the laws of this country, and always will be then is it not guest. You kill your own statement, you tell us that many Islamic countreys have moved away from this form of hard Sharia law.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT RACE. This particular nasty little individual has not got the punishment his hideous crime deserves, BUT IT IS NOT ABOUT RACE. The law never considers the effect on the current victim or any future victim. We cannot prove that he will never do it again, but he has proved that he is capable and so inclined. So if we let him out we are gambling with the safety of innocent members of our society. BUT IT IS NOT ABOUT RACE
Warren, you a so right to say that this case has nothing to do with his colour, religion or culture. Its about a male having no regard for a female.
Muslims locally are shocked that this has occured, but this is where it is an individual’s act that is having repercussions on a community, and certain factions of the wider community are not helpful.
As a muslim I agree and accept that we HAVE to be dealt with by traditional British law.
This is used in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan – and to a lesser extant in others. I just wanted to be fair in saying it was not universal but it still affects a lot of people.
I work in an area where it is not uncommon in the local “community” to see a man and woman walking 5 feet behind carrying all the bags and wearing an all encompassing burqua. One can assume that perhaps this man’s attitudes towards women are not exactly progressive.
David Davies is being pillared for saying something that we all know to be true. Backwards and repressive attitudes towards women are most definitively being imported, something attempts by Peter Hain et al to pretend it’s not the case. Are these attitudes being passed on to their children? It’s certainly worth investigating.
A woman here will be scared for life because of this. It seems our friends in Labour are far more concerned about protected their multi cultural immigration policy that they are about protecting women from violent assault. It is the Labour party that should hang their heads in shame.
we r in england!! that law doesnt apply!! if people want to go by this law then p*ss off the the places where it applys!!
Guest, the pictour you paint of the man and the woman 5 foot behind ladened with bags and dressed in a burqua is one I to only full well see most days. Its a problem I know, but British attatudeds to the diffrences between the roles of men and women have only realy changed within the last 40 years or so. I remember only to well when growing up, the little lady of the house, her job was to stay at home, do the shopping, look after the kids, cook, clean, wash, scrub, see to her hubbies needs when he got back from a hard days work and not even question his actions on anything. How its changed, for the better that is. What will happen is Muslim women will find there feet and start to show independance, they are now, they will break this cycal. Many are doing it now, I know many, I work with some, they are a right good set, fun loveing, funnie and are well nice to be around becouse of this. They dress well,better then most of the daggie white trash you see on the streets, some use head scarves, some don’t. With the input of more librel muslim thinking, witch is also happening, the days of the man dominet relationship is comeing to an end, thankfuly.
Well said Warren. As a modern muslim I work and play hard. I know that there are many who are still downtrodden, but this is changing, and the more people like you and me work on it the soon that equality to life as we know it will happen.
Education is a wonderful tool….if its used in the right way, the younger generation will realise that females are as worthy as males.
I just knew this one had legs, and hears a update on what the hells been going on. David T.C Davies has been interviwed on the radio and made, in the words of Pot n Pots, a right cock of himself. ‘What is it about this young man’s upbringing, about his community, his perantel upbrining that led him to think that a woman as second class people where hir rights can be trapeled over like this.’
Its spot the silly statement time Yep! Its the about his community bit, what a wassak he’s made himself look and now the Conserative Party are running as fast as they can away from that old trip.
Rob Flello as also made his thoughts public on the case. “I think this was a horrendous case, but to label a whole community based on one case is absolutely outrageous.” he said of Davies’s comments, with you on that one again Rob.
More common sense from Rob, lets be honest if we are to tar whole communities with the crimes of individuals we are going to be in a position where we cant trust anyone
If any 13 year old can do this to an adult forcefully, then maybe we should stop thinking about them as a poor innocent kid. Seriously, this kid raped someone and cuz he said sorry he is only going to be in jail for three years? That’s insane.
Put him jail for three years and then release this kid when he is 16. I am sure he is going to come out regretful and not full of anger and ready to start his life over. Right, that’s likely. Chances are his aggression will escalade in jail, as does the agression of many criminals. So when he comes out at 16 what is he going to do?
You can’t argue that he did not know what he was doing. He knew exactly what he was doing and all to show off. Thirteen year olds know right from wrong.