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Torture justified

10:18am Monday 6th July 2009 in


THE refusal of David Hodgson to reveal the whereabouts of 19- year-old Richmond girl Jenny Nicholl’s body (Echo, June 30) highlights something I’ve believed in for a long time: that in a decent, civilised society there are circumstances in which torture is justified.

In short, Hodgson’s failure to come clean about what he’s done with Jenny’s body should not be tolerated. I would extract the information from him by whatever means necessary, and I would do the same in all such cases where convicted killers have refused to say where they’ve put their victim’s body.

We owe it to the victim’s family, and their feelings are, or should be, paramount. In my book, they take absolute priority over every other consideration.

Tony Kelly, Crook, Co Durham.

Comments(6)

Steve Colborn says...
12:14am Tue 7 Jul 09

What a retrograde and barbaric attitude. I will say to you, as ive said to others, in this instance with regard to corporal punishment. I would not allow the "STATE" to do this to my sons. They are my sons, not the "STATES". Anyone wants to disagree, I,m the first port of call. I dont think the whippee would like my response.

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David Lacey says...
9:30am Tue 7 Jul 09

Whilst I think that torturing the guilty party in these circumstances is not acceptable, I would most certainly reintroduce corporal punishment in lieu of community based sentences for thugs. And if one of Steve Colborn's sons was found guilty of anti-social behaviour and given six strokes of the birch he ought to ask then to add a couple more as dad's punishment.

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Steve Colborn says...
11:45pm Tue 7 Jul 09

David, you are entitled to your opinion but I stress again, if the state tried to use corporal punishment on my family, there would, as the saying goes, "be hell to pay". I check my childre not and I repeat not the "STATE"
This old chestnut of the beat bobby giving a "CLIP ROUND THE EAR", is, in my opinion not justified. It may have been accepted in your day, but you do not, as I do, see the police as the agents of state control and nothing more. And as I have said, if anyone touches my sons, they will have to answer to me. End of story.

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David Lacey says...
11:54am Thu 9 Jul 09

Steve

Thanks for responding. I fully understand and respect your position. It is that of a parent who sets appropriate values and expects his offspring to adhere to them. Sadly - as we both know - there are plenty who don't and my comments were aimed at them. However it intrigues me to learn how you would deal with a wayward son who - for example - spray paints a wall, smashes up a bus shelter or beats up an old person and is merely tapped on the wrist by the courts. Can you advise?

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Dean M says...
5:37pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Steve Colborn wrote:
What a retrograde and barbaric attitude. I will say to you, as ive said to others, in this instance with regard to corporal punishment. I would not allow the "STATE" to do this to my sons. They are my sons, not the "STATES". Anyone wants to disagree, I,m the first port of call. I dont think the whippee would like my response.
I personally believe that strictly controlled corporal punishment should be re-introduced to secondary schools.

However, parents (like Steve) should have the right to refuse permission for this punishment to be administered to their children - although a lengthy suspension or expulsion would be the alternative.

In other words, take the punishment like a man, or get out.

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Super steve says...
3:48pm Fri 10 Jul 09

And what dear reader if the chap in prison turns out to be innocent ?, we have had literally dozens of cases over recent years like poor Steven Kiska and the Birmingham three all convticted of hienous murders, only for them to be found completely innocent many years later. So what you folks suggest is the risk of not only imprisoning an innocent person but torturing him to give an answer he can never give. and with the polulation of the north easts habit of believing every piece of crap published in the papers you can be equally sure that lynchings would not be far behind as was nearly the case in portsmouth when the local idiots simply could not tell the differencve between a paedaphile and a paediatrician. Personally when the police say they have overwhwling evidence against a suspect I would doubt its validity even more.

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