Law's too soft on rapists and child abusers.
Byline: JASON O'TOOLEAN unfortunate Irishwomen probably woke up this morning an emotional wreck after being raped last night.
We can surmise it statistically happens every day because there were 655 cases recorded by gardai last year.
There was a 28% surge in the numbers of attacks reported here in 2018. Yet despite the alarming year-on-year increase of sexual assaults, the average rape sentence of 10 years has only increased by a token 10% since 2005.
And most of these sexual predators are out prowling our streets again after only eight years when the suspended portion of their sentence is taken into account.
Our legal system is far too lenient when it comes to sex crimes and is failing victims who don't feel proper justice has been served in an effort to help the healing process and bring closure for them.
Convicted rapist Keith Hearne thankfully failed in his bid last week to have his 12-year sentence reduced, which was appallingly light for such a violent attack.
He's clearly a very disturbed individual because nobody in their right frame of mind roams the streets with a so-called "rape kit", which included a prop knife, handcuffs, a mask, condoms and what were described as "sadomasochistic" items.
His victim Dominique Meehan, who bravely waived her right to anonymity so he could be named and shamed, said: "Every rapist should get life, and every child abuser, and without parole."
It would be extreme for all firsttime sex offenders to receive a life sentence because many murderers get out quicker, but there should be a mandatory 15 years for rape.
There is also a strong case for the Government to look at implementing the Three-strikes law enforced in many US states.
In LA, those who commit three crimes with one or more of them being deemed violent - such as sexual survivor Dominique Meehan abuse, robbery, assault, murder or kidnapping - can be automatically jailed for 25 years even if the third offence is considered minor.
With regards to rapists and paedophiles, I would go one step further and suggest compulsory chemical castration for repeat offenders and those released early on parole.
In layman's terms, chemical castration is the use of "anaphrodisiac" drugs to cause impotence and reduce both sex drive and compulsive sexual fantasises. A trial of these drugs in Scandinavia showed it can cut reoffending rates from 40% to 5%.
The effects are reversible if treatment is discontinued, but why shouldn't sick perverts be forced to take such medication for the rest of their lives? It's 10 years since Poland became the first EU state to make chemical castration compulsory for all child molesters or anyone who rapes a close relative.
The Government should seriously explore it too because similar approaches have since worked very well in other Eastern European counties and Russia.
The Italian government was this year talking about making it compulsory for rapists after the country was shocked by a spate of horrific sex crimes.
I imagine human rights activists here would be up in arms about it on the grounds of civil liberties.
But the protection of women and children is far more important than the rights of dangerously warped perverts.
I can't think of any other approach that would work as a better deterrent because many sex predators won't otherwise stop acting on their repugnant impulses.
[email protected]
"Chemical castration has seen repeat offending drop from 40% to 5% in Scandinavia
CAPTION(S):
twisted attack Rapist Keith Hearne appealed his sentence
survivor Dominique Meehan
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | Features |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Sunday Mirror (London, England) |
| Date: | May 19, 2019 |
| Words: | 586 |
| Previous Article: | DEBS HAUL; Fears as prom pupils splash out on cocaine. |
| Next Article: | Buying drugs fuels misery; COMMENT 2nd floor, 9A Beckett Way, Park West Industrial Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 12 Tel: 01 868 8600, Fax 01 868 8626,... |
| Topics: | |