Appalled at NSW 6 year sentence for killing wife by cutting her throat in jealous rage. Manslaughter not murder because he was "provoked" emotionally. Seems to put women's rights back into the subservient slave category. If they play up beat them or kill them. Don't think ex-lawyers who make it to the bench have any particular qualifications in delivering justice. Wonder what other Aussie voters think about this. Killer was foreign visitor so question whether we deport him when he gets out or give him citizenship as an upholder of the law.

Voterland I do not value judges or magistrates.
We have spoken about this often, but most recently in a thread about Sydney gun crime.
Such a sentence is proof some are not fit to judge.
I however think only in minimums can one side or the other help the out comes.
That puts a floor in such cases, hopefully 15 years.
I also think costs of imprisoning are partly to blame for short sentencing and early releases.

Don't forget the other side of the coin Voterland. That's where women have committed premeditated murder, but by claiming domestic violence, often somewhat doubtful, they have got off scot free.

Still I do agree. I can see no reason to select barristers, who have often done much of their business with criminals, to be our judges.

Many of them are closer to their criminal customers than the general public.

Most of them have indulged in "smart" practices in order to be successful in the somewhat shonky business of trial activity, & more than a few have been found bending the truth when they thought they could get away with it.

In fact they are probably the least likely people to dispense justice. Dispense the law, but justice is not of much interest to them.

I like the idea of mandatoey sentences, & elected judges. Much better for the general public.

your forgetting that prison is a fun camp[apparently]
but who wants to know...private prison industry?

yes private prisons[paying slave wage]
its the rest of us that are wage slaves..
helping capitalist prisons reap in free labour
plus govt supply and subsidy

[heck i been under self imposed home detention for 5 years]
im over paying a govt that declared me criminal

setting criminal sentance?
first clarify what is criminal
[no victim no crime]..when are we going to jail capitalists frauds?

white collars..that stole so much...they own the system
bailout banks..by lending from banks...but the burden on the rest of us

its so easy to beat up fears
and get tough on drug users..criminalising 1 % of the population EVERY YEAR*

those who made a plant a drug
how do we correct the rape of millions[1%..in one year
25% in 25 years]..in collusion to revenue raise..by threat/fear

by govt handout
renting back to govt
so many need to be jailed
lets put the really evil/vile criminal..in jail

judges have the facts
lying under oath[missleading the court]..will go directly to jail

yeah right
its time if you shared the crime[or covering it up]

equal time!

Ii'm oppsed to elected judges.
In the US , this processs, has given rise to judges, struggling to raise money to fund reelection campaigns, if not accepting bribes, at least delivering verdicts that are favourable to the wealthy.
I would also point out research where people were asked if judges tended to sentence too leniently.
Most said yes.
Yet when those same people observed an entire case and saw ALL the evidence, they tended to suggest lower sentences than the judges eventually imposed.
This research suggests that we often end up with a distorted view of the circumstances in any given case due to a) not having access to all the facts and evidence; and b) the tendency of the media to support facts selectively and to intentionally whip up community anger because it sells copy.
Maybe a third reason is that politicians bereft of sensible policies can always count on a get-tough-on-crime strategy to garner votes.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

Voterland, I feel that you have made a very firm judgement on this case without knowing anywhere near enough about it. It could well be that the judge got it right.

Or it could be that the sentence is manifestly too harsh.