Well done China...

[USER1999]

So if they had shown leniency, he would have been sentenced to a long jail term, been repatriated to the UK to serve it, and let out in 3 weeks due to his mental condition (unproven at this stage). What deterent is that. He would have got a stiffer sentence over here. If you commit a crime in a particular country, you face their legel system, that is the way it is. As has been pointed out previously, if his familly are so concerned over his welfare, why weren't they looking after him a bit better.

 

[drawboy]

I've thought about this over and over each time trying to find a reason to disagree with the Chinese decision,however I cannot. Drug dealers cause such misery in our society and destroy lives of vulnerable people who in turn spread misery to others through the crimes they commit in order to pay for their habits.In the end I think the Chinese are right in their policy of zero tolerance, it is the only way to stem the flow of drugs in society.It is out there now the consequences of drug smuggling in China have reached a wider audience through this and it will make people think again before trying to get illegal drugs into China.

 

[Fyldewhite]

50 odd years ago Timothy Evans was hanged for a crime he didn't even commit and his relatives and friends were pleading the same "mental" card to what were deaf ears at the time. No doubt had the internet been around we'd have seen the same posts about how namby pamby we would be to commute the sentence. How wrong the state was then and possibly how wrong China was yesterday.

As for a deterrent, the people who gave this guy the heroin, those who would have distributed it and profited massively from it are still walking the streets somewhere looking for another poor sod to take the big chances and there will always be people who are so stupid (mental?) or so desparate that they will do so. This killing will not deter anyone or change anything.

 

[Screwback]

For me regardless if he has mental health problems or not a crime is a crime the law is the law and punishment was dished out accordingly.

 

[toonarmy]

50 odd years ago Timothy Evans was hanged for a crime he didn't even commit and his relatives and friends were pleading the same "mental" card to what were deaf ears at the time. No doubt had the internet been around we'd have seen the same posts about how namby pamby we would be to commute the sentence. How wrong the state was then and possibly how wrong China was yesterday.

As for a deterrent, the people who gave this guy the heroin, those who would have distributed it and profited massively from it are still walking the streets somewhere looking for another poor sod to take the big chances and there will always be people who are so stupid (mental?) or so desparate that they will do so. This killing will not deter anyone or change anything.

Possibly the most salient post in this abhorrent thread.

I am appalled, if unfortunately not surprised, by some of the sentiments expressed in this thread. My only hope is that some of the rhetoric in here is under the safety of distance and relative anonimity that the Internet affords, and not genuine feelings.

So much for the season of peace, love and goodwill to all men, eh?m

 

[Screwback]

Toonarmy,

So your saying and i am sure you will correct me if i am wrong that because it is the season of peace, love and goodwill to all men criminals should get away with there crimes???

 

[toonarmy]

Toonarmy,

So your saying and i am sure you will correct me if i am wrong that because it is the season of peace, love and goodwill to all men criminals should get away with there crimes???

Consider yourself corrected.

 

[USER1999]

Who ever burgled my house certainly isn't forgiven, season of good will or no. If I ever find out who did it, and there is the remotest possibility of not getting caught, he is in a world of trouble.

 

[Imurg]

This whole matter hinges on whether this guy was mentally capable of deciding right from wrong - correct?

If that is the case then, assuming he was incapable of the distinction between right and wrong, he had no business being out on the streets. If he couldn't tell that taking a suitcase of heroin into China is a bad idea, then he's wouldn't have known that it's a bad idea to walk out in front of a moving train or jump off a motorway bridge.

IF he was incapable then where were the family, what the hell were they doing to stop him doing himself harm? IF he was genuinely mentally ill then he should have been under some sort of care. Some responsibility has to lie with the family.

There is no record of a diagnosis of mental illness so its reasonable to assume that either one hasn't been made or he never went for one. Either way, with no proof of illness he was always going to be in trouble once he got caught.

In the absence of proof to the contrary he was found guilty and the punishment for the crime dished out.

 

[Screwback]

Toonarmy,

So your saying and i am sure you will correct me if i am wrong that because it is the season of peace, love and goodwill to all men criminals should get away with there crimes???

Consider yourself corrected.

MMMMM some correction, i must have been right

 

[dangermouse]

in the first press reports of the case, the guy was playing the old "didn't know it was in my bag, someone must have planted it" routine. Couple of days later, hes changed his tune to "well I might have known about it, but I'm a nutter so please let me off"

Given the fact at least one if not both of those are lies, I would be very sceptical that there was much wrong with him in the first place other than him being a scumbag drug dealer. Would be happy to be proved wrong, but on the publicly available info (all of it from him or his supporters), I find it hard to conclude much else

 

[golfcitydweller]

pity this country didn`t have the balls to bring back the death penalty- i bet it wouldn`t be in the state it`s in now if we had it !! gcd

 

[JustOne]

pity this country didn`t have the balls to bring back the death penalty- i bet it wouldn`t be in the state it`s in now if we had it !! gcd

In this Country just proper prison sentences would be a good start

 

[backwoodsman]

I don't know enough about the various strands to this to be able to condemn or approve, but...

Bipolar doesn't mean the guy wasn't fit to be on his own "out on the streets" but does mean that he'd certainly have (at least) serious spells of detachment from reality. And would mean the chap certainly needed help.

But, 4kg of heroin, in Urumche of all places, - one of the most sensitive areas in the whole of China - does mean the Chinese authorities were always going to take a hell of a lot of persuading as regards leniency.

Right or wrong? Gawd knows. If you think you do know, then I admire your clarity of thought.

 

[Fyldewhite]

pity this country didn`t have the balls to bring back the death penalty- i bet it wouldn`t be in the state it`s in now if we had it !! gcd

I very much doubt it. The problems in this country are far deeper seated than that. There are no quick fixes so don't kid yourself that this would actually change much at all, it wouldn't. All talk on sentencing although relevant and important is ultimately only dealing with the symptoms and doing nothing about the underlying disease.

 

[viscount17]

even back in the day when death sentences were carried out in public - both to serve as an example and to show that the sentence had been carried out - it didn't deter. executions were taken 'indoors' only because they had become an entertainment and a scene of riotous behaviour.

that said, I think they are necessary. I can think of more than a few in recent years who more than deserve it - and who under the old system probably wouldn't have got it (child murder was less likely to attract a death sentence).

In this case, it's their country, their laws - and there are more than China and Indonesia who have the death penalty for drug smuggling - and anyone naive enough to think China was going to back down after being being scolded by the West (we are still hairy barbarians to them)had better stay inside - they obviously aren't safe out on their own.

 

[Ethan]

There are many well known cases which, presumably, the mob here would have thought merited the death penalty for the convicted.

Then it turned out that the police had fabricated damning (or concealed exculpatory) evidence and deliberately framed the accused, or perhaps less commonly, a mistake had been made, and the people were in fact not guilty and were released.

How do the right thinking hang 'em and flog 'em brigade suggest that executed people get released after such a miscarriage?

 

[viscount17]

I'd agree, that could present a problem but I would contend that it's not of itself sufficient reason for the blanket ban that we have.
I see no reason for the continued existence of Whiting or Brady to name but two.