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Depressing stuff, and these stories are becoming depressing normal.

Violence happens anywhere, but sometimes I cant help feeling that there is nowhere else where it could be so banal, so stupid.

Quote:

Gang get life for '£5 bet' murder

A man and two youths who kicked a disabled man to death over a £5 bet have been jailed for life.

Brent Martin, 23, who had learning difficulties, died in hospital after he was found in a pool of blood on Sunderland's Town End Farm estate.

William Hughes, 22, and Marcus Miller, 16, had admitted the murder but Stephen Bonallie, 17, had denied the charge.

The judge at Newcastle Crown Court ruled they must serve minimum terms of between 15 and 22 years.

The three, all trained boxers from Sunderland, repeatedly punched, kicked, stamped on and head-butted their victim over a £5 bet to see who could knock him out first.

They chased him around the Town End Farm estate just three months after he was released from a psychiatric hospital where he had been staying due to his learning difficulties, the court heard.

Finally he was stripped of his trousers and pants and left dying next to a parked car in Baxter Road, Town End Farm, as his attackers posed for photographs.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Martin died from a massive head injury and had suffered at least 18 separate blows to the head and neck.

Hughes, from Washington Road, must serve a minimum of 22 years, Bonallie, from Birtley Avenue, 18 years, and Miller, from Baxter Road, must serve at least 15.

Judge John Milford described the attack as "sadistic conduct on an extremely vulnerable victim".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/7270808.stm

We had a story here a few years back about two young boys who beat a toddler girl to death. Sociopaths are everywhere and can, on occasion, be difficult to tell from others (when they're not involved in what I'd call 'sociopathic' activities).

This is a terrible situation, indeed.

I remember seeing a report on youth crime in Germany (Deutsche Welle, back in January) where the government's fundamental principle on youth crime is "education instead of punishment", where children are preemptively taught about empathy and conflict management, and when young people are caught doing bad things they aren't simply locked up, they're taught about how to behave appropriately. It works well.

I have to wonder if prevention tactics could have prevented cases like this.

wow, thats just fucking horrible. what the hell is wrong with people these days?

if you want to kick someones ass, try fighting someone that can fight back.

and these people were trained boxers? you would think that they would know better to fight anyone thats not in the ring, especially a disabled person.

this just pisses me off.

I know violence is everywhere, and I know there are many places more dangerous... but I dont know if the same hooliganism and yob culture, the same drunken aggression and nastiness, exists like this anywhere else.

It follows that any society will have a level of violent people, but I think it is our culture that shapes them the way they end up.

I read a case in my local paper today that I would quite happily would have seen the killer swing for, as much as I morally support the death penalty.

This is just sad. Why is there no good news coming out of the media. And not the so and so got pregnant or so and so showed their snatch...again, I mean truly good news bringing truly good people to light. This is really sad.

Messed up. Why do I want to break into a rendition of "London Calling"?

Anyway, the news I read from over the pond has pretty much made me write England off.

You arrest people who defend themselves against thugs, thugs sue victims (and win), thugs permanently cripple people and get slaps on the wrist, etc.

Sir Winston is surely spinning in his grave at how pussified the UK has become.

I wonder if these two had any ASBOs on the record.

Hmmm 5 pounds to beat up a handicapped person...

We're starting to lose our reasons for violent acts. [TFP thread]