Children arrested after attack

[Neil]

At what age do you think children understand about about death and murder?
I don't see how you can lock someone up for life for doing something that they could not understand is wrong.

[Debbie J]

Originally Posted by Neil

At what age do you think children understand about about death and murder?
I don't see how you can lock someone up for life for doing something that they could not understand is wrong.

My son is seven. He knows it's wrong to hurt someone never mind kill them & I can't believe he is an exception! As I said earlier every child learns this at school if not at home.

[vorlon24]

At age 10 or 11 of course they know.

I also have a 7 year old son who knows the same as Debbie's.

That's 2 so far

[chav1]

sorry but i cant beleive that people actualy think that all 8 of these kids didnt know wrong from right and that murder was wrong

absolute bullocks

it was an act of pure evil and they should be all locked up away from society

i guess its so shocking that children can do this that people make excuses to justify their actions to avoid facing reality that kids can be evil


kids are taught from age 1 that you dont smak other kids and learn that it is wrong so strangleing someone would definatly register as wrong in any childs mind especialy over 10 years of age

[Tinkerbelle]

The rebuttable presumption that a child aged 10 or over is incapable of committing an offence was abolished by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, section 34, before this legislation the prosecution was required to prove, according to criminal standards of proof, that a defendant between the ages of 10 and 14 knew when doing the act that it was wrong, as distinct from an act of mere naughtiness or childish mischeif. A child aged 10 or above is now treated the same way as an adult for the purposes of criminal liability, it may seem harsh when some children develop quicker than other children BUT at 11 and 12 years of age these kids must have had enough upstairs to know that trying to strangle a little boy is wrong in the eyes of the law and everyone else!!

[Margaret Pilkington]

These kids were calculating enough to remove the five year old from the relative safety of his front garden.......so in my mind this proves malice aforethought.
Of course children of 11 and 12 know the difference between right and wrong.
Have any of you seen the film 'Lord of the Flies'....... the children portrayed in that film reverted to animal type instincts.

I feel very sorry for the parents of the accused children. They must be asking themselves where they went wrong.

I am sure that some children ARE affected by violent computer games. Isn't that why the makers/distributors put age categories on these games.

[grannyclaret]

it said this morning that they had to let the 12 year old girl go ,because her lawyer thought she had been in custody long enough ...

i wonder if he would feel the same if it had been a child of his


evil kids have more rights than evil adults .............

[chav1]

have they blamed a computer game yet...?

if so blame the parents that buy them for their kids

hundreds of adults in accy alone buy 18 rated games for their children and dont care less about the content even when warned by the staff selling them the game

game shops cant stop parents buying violent games all they can do is refuse children


if a parent buys an 18 rated game for a child then they should face the same fines as what a shop owner would if they sold 18 rated games to a child

anyway in todays world parents buy violent games for their kids and allow them to drink booze on street corners as long as it keeps them quiet so is it realy any wonder there are so many little sh1ts mennacing our society

[Sara]

Originally Posted by grannyclaret

it said this morning that they had to let the 12 year old girl go ,because her lawyer thought she had been in custody long enough ...

Just read on teletext that the girl as been re-arrested. Think it's disgusting and that they should all be tried with attempted murder (at least) and kidnapping. Of course they knew what they were doing, probably pre-planned. Makes my blood boil, so it does.

[MUMMIBOO]

oh dear!!!

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Of course children of 11 and 12 know the difference between right and wrong.

I agree, I think those children probably did know what they were doing. I just wondered at what age you all thought children did know what dead means.

[Steph]

one of the areas of prosection could gbh with intent which is different from gbh as it is an act of violence that was pre-planned and sustaned whereas just gbh is classed as a spur of the moment act and was not sustained for a long period of time, i feel that these children should be tried in the category of gbh with intent, because they took the child from the garden and it shows that there was a premeditated plan made to inflict harm

[Tinkerbelle]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

These kids were calculating enough to remove the five year old from the relative safety of his front garden.......so in my mind this proves malice aforethought.

Originally Posted by Steph

i feel that these children should be tried in the category of gbh with intent, because they took the child from the garden and it shows that there was a premeditated plan made to inflict harm

Defence will argue that there was no intention to harm the child when they took him from the garden.

Not enough 'true' facts about the case to be able to apply the law, there's only what is being released by the press to go on but putting a ligature around his neck, that will take some convincing by the defence to a jury that the kids couldn't forsee any harm coming to the boy .

[Steph]

fair point but how would the defence be able to say they had no ulteria moties behind taken the child out of the garden?

[chav1]

ime sorry but strangelation is not an action to hit somone its an action to end the life of somone

attempted murder should be the charge