The government is reviewing the “lenient” sentences given to three boys who avoided prison sentences for raping two girls in Hampshire — and the Voice of the Mirror supports this review…
Three boys. Ten rape convictions. Two young girls whose lives have been torn apart. And not one of those guilty will spend a single night in custody.
That is the reality of the Hampshire rape cases that have left people across the country struggling to understand how it can possibly be called justice.
Among them is Gisèle Pelicot. The brave French survivor became a symbol of hope for victims everywhere when she waived her anonymity and faced her attackers in open court so that, in her own words, shame would change sides. Now she, too, is deeply shocked.
When a woman who has endured what she has endured is left appalled by a British court’s decision, the rest of us should sit up and take notice.
Judges must weigh age and rehabilitation. That is their job. But sentences also exist to reflect the gravity of a crime. Right now, we believe it is impossible to argue that it does.
Our legal system has safeguards built in for cases like this. Let us hope the Court of Appeal now delivers the justice many fear is missing.
Reform UK must reflect — and quickly
Every political party eventually faces moments that reveal who they really are. For Reform UK, those moments now arrive daily. Their latest hopeful MP, Robert Kenyon, is already under pressure over alleged misogynistic comments. Now more alleged remarks linked to him – including sneering slurs and complaints about gay people on television – have surfaced.
However much Reform insists these are old posts, many voters will still ask why people expressing such views keep ending up associated with Nigel Farage’s party. This issue is bigger than one candidate.
It is the growing sense of a party repeatedly dragged into rows over prejudice and offensive language while its leadership appears more interested in damage limitation than serious reflection.
RIP World War Two veteran
We all owe men like Gilbert Clarke more than words.
A teenager from Jamaica who crossed the Atlantic to help defeat fascism, he represented courage, sacrifice and duty in its purest form. His generation helped save Britain and rebuild it afterwards. As their numbers fade, their stories must never be forgotten.