Seven years for flat out murder?

[Autumnlicious]

I've decided that Australia should change it's tourism slogan to:

"If you wish to commit murder and not have the judge believe your assertion, but get off comparatively easy, come to Australia!"

DARWIN, Australia -- Four people convicted in the beating death of a woman during what they said was an exorcism ritual on a remote Australian island were sentenced Friday to several years in jail.

... snip ...
Some of the accused had originally claimed that they beat Bara as part of an exorcism intended to cleanse her of the devil. But on Friday, Northern Territory Supreme Court Justice Peter Barr said the accused attacked Bara simply to cause her pain and humiliation.

"I am not satisfied that any of the accused thought she had the devil in her," he said.
...

REF: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23...aily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=122311&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

The judge thought that their rationalization was fake. Nothing like a maximum of seven years to teach the value of human life and doing nothing.

Sorry, Kichi and Zen, but your chosen country of residence manages to outbatshit mine through having a justice system like that.

And to think that Australia was peopled by aborigines and criminals. Nice to see that hasn't changed (for the criminals that is).

[kılıç_mehmet]

Well, there surely must be a reason why these men got away with only 7 years.
Clearly a loophole in the law or something.

[Shell B]

I remember reading something somewhere that they are lax in their murder punishments. I believe I read about a case where a woman flayed her husband and tried to feed him to her kids (unsuccessfully, thank goodness) and was the first woman to get life without parole in 1955. There had to have been murders worthy of it before then.

Kathleen Folbigg killed four kids and got 30 years, only 25 without parole.

On a side note, they did use the death penalty until the turn of the century. It seems they are getting more lax. They should just send them into the wilderness with no water and no shoes.

[kılıç_mehmet]

I remember reading something somewhere that they are lax in their murder punishments. I believe I read about a case where a woman flayed her husband and tried to feed him to her kids (unsuccessfully, thank goodness) and was the first woman to get life without parole in 1955. There had to have been murders worthy of it before then.

Kathleen Folbigg killed four kids and got 30 years, only 25 without parole.

On a side note, they did use the death penalty until the turn of the century. It seems they are getting more lax. They should just send them into the wilderness with no water and no shoes.

Well, even Anders Breivik, under current Norwegian law, won't get a sentence more than 20 years at most, probably.
Varg got away with killing Euronymous with 14 years, and boy you should have seen how he carved him up...

[Shell B]

Yep. Some laws are stupid. That's when corruption comes in handy. Nail the guy for something else the second he walks.

[KichigaiNeko]

[downbeatplumb]

I remember reading something somewhere that they are lax in their murder punishments. I believe I read about a case where a woman flayed her husband and tried to feed him to her kids (unsuccessfully, thank goodness) and was the first woman to get life without parole in 1955. There had to have been murders worthy of it before then.

"mummy mummy I dont like dad"
"Never mind dear, just push him to the side and eat your chips"

[KichigaiNeko]

Glenys Wurrawilya, Susie Wurrawilya, Paul Wurramara and Roderick Mamarika pleaded guilty to negligent manslaughter in connection with the beating, which several children witnessed.Groote Eylandt, home to an Aboriginal and mining community of around 1,500, is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the northern Australia mainland.

They were Aboriginal and so are treated VERY leniently..thanks to the interference of the UN...poor oppressed individuals that they are.

[Zen Badger]

I noticed that the offenders were all Aboriginal.

In my experience the Aboriginals will usually get a lighter sentence than anyone else.

On a lighter note I saw this in the sidebar.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22...ostpopular

Wouldn't that be the most amazing experience.