Abduction of 5 Year old Girl April Jones

Originally Posted by Damien

Whole life tariff.

Not surprised at that, given his bizarre defence.

---------- Post added at 16:07 ---------- Previous post was at 16:06 ----------

Originally Posted by nomadking

Don't the jury have to go over all the evidence, no matter how much of a foregone conclusion it seems?

The judge tells them how to weigh it up but what they do when they get into the jury room is up to them, and is a secret, on pain of prosecution.

Originally Posted by Derek

And in another rejection of the 'Huntley defence' Mark Bridger has been found guilty of the abduction and murder of April Jones. Also guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Hopefully now he will accept his guilt and tell the family what he did with her body.

It will be another case of an attempt to hold over some kind of 'Power', just like Ian Brady in the Moors Murder victim Keith Bennett and his body never being found or Brady revealing where he buried his victims body.

Just like Brady, I suspect Bridger will take the secret to the grave. Evil *******.

[joglynne]

I hope that in the hierarchy of the cell block that this evil man is destined to spend the rest of his life he is considered to be the lowest of the low and treated accordingly.

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by joglynne

I hope that in the hierarchy of the cell block that this evil man is destined to spend the rest of his life he is considered to be the lowest of the low and treated accordingly.

I think we all hope for that jo, I know I do.

Originally Posted by Mick Fisher

I think we all hope for that jo, I know I do.

can't see him ever being put in general population myself ,unless a door is accidentally left open .

Hopefully he will realise he won't ever see the light of day again and top himself

I don't imagine he's ever going to tell them what he did with her. That information is his only worldly possession now, he will hang on to it.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by martyh

can't see him ever being put in general population myself ,unless a door is accidentally left open .

Hopefully he will realise he won't ever see the light of day again and top himself

I hope it does, i am sure there will be a few inmates in that jail would love to get there hands on a child killer.

I went onto Wikipedia to see about Ian Huntley as I thought someone that killed him in prison but apparently he is still alive.

[Osem]

Not wanting to detract from the tragedy of this case but I wonder what would happen if a jury in such a trial made an instant decision. Might this not be grounds for some sort of appeal on the basis that the jury y may not have given the matter due consideration (i.e. possibly already made their minds up before the judge's summing up)?

No, "the jury was wrong" isn't valid grounds for appeal. An appeal has to be based on new evidence or a claim that proper processes weren't followed in the original trial. The nearest you could get would be to claim the judge didn't direct the jury sufficiently well.

[Osem]

Interesting. So could a jury, in a highly complex trial, simply make a virtually instant decision with no apparent thought or debate and this decision be binding nonetheless?

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Osem

Interesting. So could a jury, in a highly complex trial, simply make a virtually instant decision with no apparent thought or debate and this decision be binding nonetheless?

Yep. I know of one case very recently where the jury made a very, very quick decision on what should have been a 'slam dunk' case and someone walked away from a murder charge.

Their decision is final even if it flies in the face of common sense and the evidence presented. The only comeback is of new evidence comes to light later on.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Derek

Yep. I know of one case very recently where the jury made a very, very quick decision on what should have been a 'slam dunk' case and someone walked away from a murder charge.

Obviously without giving any details of the case or those involved, do you believe this person was guilty?

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Russ

Obviously without giving any details of the case or those involved, do you believe this person was guilty?

Oh yes. Absolutely 100%. He even offered to plead guilty to culpable homicide (Scottish version of manslaughter) but this rejected as there was such a strong case for murder.

Originally Posted by Derek

Oh yes. Absolutely 100%. He even offered to plead guilty to culpable homicide (Scottish version of manslaughter) but this rejected as there was such a strong case for murder.

That sounds like someone, CPS maybe, messed up.