At least the justice system seems to be working in this particular case.
From the Manchester Evening News
“Nine men who were part of a child sex ring have been refused leave to appeal against their convictions and jail sentences.
The sex offenders were part of a gang who received jail sentences of between four and 19 years from a judge who said they treated their victims ‘as though they were worthless’.
The paedophile gang operated in and around Rochdale in 2008 and 2009.
The five girl victims – aged between 13 and 15 – were given alcohol, food and money in return for sex but there were times when violence was used.
Police said the victims were from ‘chaotic’, ‘council estate’ backgrounds and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang. The men now have two weeks during which they can renew their application for permission to appeal.
Shabir Ahmed, 60, – the man regarded as the ringleader – was jailed for a total of 19 years for conspiracy, two counts of rape, aiding and abetting a rape, sexual assault and a count of trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation.
Takeaway worker Kabeer Hassan, 26, from Oldham, was jailed for nine years for rape and three years, concurrently, for the conspiracy conviction. Abdul Aziz, 42, was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy and nine years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Married father-of-five Abdul Rauf, 44, was jailed for six years for conspiracy and six years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Mohammed Sajid, 36, was sentenced to 12 years for rape, six years for conspiracy, one year for trafficking and six years, all concurrent, for sexual activity with a child.
Adil Khan, 43, was sentenced to eight years for conspiracy and eight, concurrently, for trafficking.
Mohammed Amin, 46, was sentenced to five years for conspiracy and 12 months, concurrently, for sexual assault.
Abdul Qayyum, 45, was jailed for five years for conspiracy. All six men were from Rochdale.
Illegal immigrant Hamid Safi, 23, of no fixed address, was jailed for four years for conspiracy and one year, concurrently, for trafficking.”
Let’s hope that any further attempts to appeal convictions and sentences will continue to be refused. When I see cases like this it makes me wonder if the lawyers who continue to represent such beasts after their conviction in cases like these have any conscience or internal moral compass at all?
I agree that these perps are the scum of the earth and deserve no sympathy whatsoever. Moreover, I suspect that the appeals (refusal of which will, no doubt, open up another line of appeal) were and will be handsomely funded by the taxpayer. However, the justice system is not there just to punish the guilty: it’s primary purpose is to protect the innocent; hence all the fussy rules which you appear to wish to sweep away.
Sure the scum benefit from application of the rules but, more importantly, so do you and I. As you do, I consider it appalling that the lawyers involved in these (probably) fruitless appeals (well “fruitless” until they get the ECHR involved, of course) make a good living at the taxpayers’ expense and, moreover, hold out the possibility that the perps will be freed on a technicality (+ damages for “wrongful conviction”). But, you know, on balance I prefer a system where even the scum have a chance of getting off lightly despite their guilt to one where we hand over everybody’s freedom directly to the police and other servants of the state.
Umbongo, I also want a justice system that is fair and I do see that the rules should apply to everyone, but what we have in the UK at the moment is a system that is becoming increasingly biased in favour of the wrong’uns and that cannot be right or just. I also do not wish to see ‘fussy rules’ as you put it swept away, but these beasts have had more than their day in court and have been treated much better than they treated their victims and I might add better than they would have been treated under other lesser legal systems.
I’ve had to personally, many years ago, had to make use of the right of appeal to a higher court in a legal matter, and I’m glad that ability was there. However these beasts and their venal and morality free lawyers have not been shortchanged by a police loving magistrate during a summary trial, they were convicted on convincing evidence by a jury.
It will be appalling if these scroates walked because of the ECHR. Unfortunately the number of scum who walk due to the legal system is not a tiny number, which would be acceptable in a free society, but is part of a trend of inverted justice where the guilty are seen as heroes and the innocent just so much chaff. Although it’s not a British case, look at how the American Left and activist lawyers managed to get the cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal away from the electric chair and his sentence commuted to life imprisonment. That is not justice and the same sort of activist lawyers are attacking our own justice system.