ROSSENDALE and Darwen MP Janet Anderson has launced an Early Day Motion calling for a review of legislation on hate crimes following the murder of Sophie Lancaster.
Mrs Anderson made the call for hate crimes to include crimes motivated by appearance after the killers of Sophie, 20, were this week sentenced to life imprisonment.
Brendan Harris, 15, of Spring Terrace, and Ryan Herbert, 16, of Rossendale Crescent, both Bacup, killed Sophie and left her her boyfriend Robert Maltby for dead in Stubbylee Park, Bacup, last August after attacking them because they were dressed as Goths.
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Harris, who was convicted after a trial last month, was ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years. Herbert, who admitted murder, received a 16-year tariff.
Mrs Anderson told the House of Commons that she was appalled by the murder of former Haslingden High School pupil Sophie and the vicious attack on Robert.
She welcomed the news that their attackers had been "appropriately dealt with by the courts".
But she called on the Government to review the scope of legislation on hate crimes and "assess whether there is a need for an amendment to include crimes perpetrated on innocent victims like Sophie and Rob merely because of their appearance."
The motion has been signed by Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, Mansfield MP Alan Meale and MP for Sunderland North, Bill Etherington.
The Home Office define hate crime as 'Any incident, which constitutes a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate.'
Currently, it is classified as being motivated by an offender's hatred of someone because of their race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality or national origins, religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
Nationally, in 2006-07, police reported 5,619 hate crimes in which someone was injured, 4,350 hate crimes without injury, and 28,485 cases of racially or religiously motivated harassment.
There were also 3,565 cases of criminal damage related to hate crimes.
If Labour had taken the issue of yob culture seriously in the first place they wouldn't have had the drubbing they have just suffered in the elections. Stop constantly sucking up to big business and start working for the people who elected you.
If Labour had taken the issue of yob culture seriously in the first place they wouldn't have had the drubbing they have just suffered in the elections. Stop constantly sucking up to big business and start working for the people who elected you.
Posted by: Jon Dale, Near the scene on 4:56pm Sat 3 May 08
RE:
The typical hate offender is a young white male.
Are we not allowed to say any other colour -- or will that be Politically Incorect
I don't know exactly where the stats come from, but if the typical offender was Black or Asian I'm sure that Catherine Pye would have reported that.
RE:
The typical hate offender is a young white male.
Are we not allowed to say any other colour -- or will that be Politically Incorect
I don't know exactly where the stats come from, but if the typical offender was Black or Asian I'm sure that Catherine Pye would have reported that.
Posted by: Jon Dale, Nearby on 5:22pm Sat 3 May 08
It's not extra legislation on 'hate crime' that's needed, it's an instruction to police to start using existing laws to get drunks off the streets. It's become acceptable to be out in public 'fuelled by alcohol' - as Sophie's murderers were - and the gang of youths that were wandering the streets until they found their victims in the early hours of the morning were doing nothing that the police would have stopped them from doing until then. Tonight, and most other nights, in the same area where the murder was committed, under-age and legal-age drinkers will be wandering freely, hanging about wherever they please with no more fear of being arrested (or even delivered back to their parents to control) than last summer.
It's not extra legislation on 'hate crime' that's needed, it's an instruction to police to start using existing laws to get drunks off the streets. It's become acceptable to be out in public 'fuelled by alcohol' - as Sophie's murderers were - and the gang of youths that were wandering the streets until they found their victims in the early hours of the morning were doing nothing that the police would have stopped them from doing until then. Tonight, and most other nights, in the same area where the murder was committed, under-age and legal-age drinkers will be wandering freely, hanging about wherever they please with no more fear of being arrested (or even delivered back to their parents to control) than last summer.
That's right! Think about how drinking and driving became unacceptable and remember all the effort that the government and the police put into changing attitudes about that and seeing the law enforced. The justification for clamping down on drinking and driving was that too many people were being injured and killed because society was condoning it and police were largely ignoring it. Now, exactly the same is true of drinking and walking the streets: Too many people are being injured and killed because of it. The same kind of zero tolerance that's applied to drunk drivers needs applying to drunk people on foot.
That's right! Think about how drinking and driving became unacceptable and remember all the effort that the government and the police put into changing attitudes about that and seeing the law enforced. The justification for clamping down on drinking and driving was that too many people were being injured and killed because society was condoning it and police were largely ignoring it. Now, exactly the same is true of drinking and walking the streets: Too many people are being injured and killed because of it. The same kind of zero tolerance that's applied to drunk drivers needs applying to drunk people on foot.
I would likely be classified as a "goth" I suppose, and I have definitely had my fair share of being spit on, bottles thrown at me, verbal abuse, etc. However, I'm not so sure I support hate crime legislation.
Why not just stiffen penalties on ALL VIOLENT CRIME?
I would likely be classified as a "goth" I suppose, and I have definitely had my fair share of being spit on, bottles thrown at me, verbal abuse, etc. However, I'm not so sure I support hate crime legislation.
Why not just stiffen penalties on ALL VIOLENT CRIME?
Posted by: see all, rossendale, valley of the bins on 11:23pm Wed 7 May 08
If Janet Anderson really wants to win the hearts of the people in her constituancy and do us all some good, Then she needs to square up to Gordon Brown and the rest of his cronies and tell them she is no longer going to tow the party line or be a puppet of big business unless it is in the total interest of all her constituants whatever the topic of the day, This is what she was elected to do, But i can tell you now that this will never happen, Why? Because it is not in her interest, and i defy anyone to prove different
If Janet Anderson really wants to win the hearts of the people in her constituancy and do us all some good, Then she needs to square up to Gordon Brown and the rest of his cronies and tell them she is no longer going to tow the party line or be a puppet of big business unless it is in the total interest of all her constituants whatever the topic of the day, This is what she was elected to do, But i can tell you now that this will never happen, Why? Because it is not in her interest, and i defy anyone to prove different
Posted by: constituent, rossendale on 9:48pm Thu 8 May 08
[quote][bold]Chelsea[/bold] wrote:
I would likely be classified as a "goth" I suppose, and I have definitely had my fair share of being spit on, bottles thrown at me, verbal abuse, etc. However, I'm not so sure I support hate crime legislation. Why not just stiffen penalties on ALL VIOLENT CRIME? [/quote] I agree with stiffer penalties and also that any violent crime is treated as a hate crime, there's certainly no love about it. For murderers like Harris and Herbert life should mean life, only coming out of prison in a coffin.
The charge of GBH on Rob should have been attempted murder, the hulmes brothers and mallett should also have been charged with accessory to Sophies murder, with sentences which reflect the fatally violent crime. Janet Anderson should fight for a change the law to reflect this and help prevent violent attacks of this serious nature occurring again.
Chelsea wrote:
I would likely be classified as a "goth" I suppose, and I have definitely had my fair share of being spit on, bottles thrown at me, verbal abuse, etc. However, I'm not so sure I support hate crime legislation. Why not just stiffen penalties on ALL VIOLENT CRIME?
I agree with stiffer penalties and also that any violent crime is treated as a hate crime, there's certainly no love about it. For murderers like Harris and Herbert life should mean life, only coming out of prison in a coffin.
The charge of GBH on Rob should have been attempted murder, the hulmes brothers and mallett should also have been charged with accessory to Sophies murder, with sentences which reflect the fatally violent crime. Janet Anderson should fight for a change the law to reflect this and help prevent violent attacks of this serious nature occurring again.
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