Judges green light to young murderers, those who try to kill

[TonyGosling]

Bonkers Britain
Judges send green light to young murderers & those who attempt to kill

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teenager-one-punch-kill -stepfather-manslaughter-cleared-douglas-herridge-colin-payne-ina-davi d-a7738951.html

Teenager cleared of manslaughter after killing stepfather with one punch
Judge said there was lack of evidence to convict Douglas Herridge and ordered jury to declare him not guilty
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teenager-one-punch-kill -stepfather-manslaughter-cleared-douglas-herridge-colin-payne-ina-davi d-a7738951.html

Rachael Revesz @RachaelRevesz 3 hours ago

Herridge lived with his father since 2014 and during bail as his behaviour reportedly became abusive iStock
A teenager who killed his stepfather with a punch to the head has walked free from court.

Douglas Herridge, who was 17 when he hit 54-year-old Colin Payne, was cleared of manslaughter after the incident in November last year.

Mr Payne, a father of two and former England squash player, intervened in an argument between Herridge and his mother, Ina, in the study of their home in Dartford.

Ms Herridge had refused to lend her son money due to his behaviour, which led to her son becoming upset and verbally abusive.

Herridge reportedly called his mother a “c**t”. Payne entered the study and told the teenager he could not speak to his mother that way.

Payne was hit between his left ear and jawline. He fell to the floor, unconscious, and Herridge walked out of the room.

Ms Herridge, a NHS risk manager and former nurse, tried to save him. Her son was charged with murder.

After Ms Herridge gave evidence for the prosecution and was praised for her “stoicism”, Judge Jeremy Carey said: “What mother could possibly cope with a situation in which she has had to give evidence for the prosecution and the defendant is her natural child?”

The jury spent over six hours deliberating and returned with a verdict of manslaughter.

Judge Carey ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict Herridge, however, and ordered the jury to declare he was not guilty.

He described Payne as a “fine man” and said his “untimely death” was “devastating” and “tragic”.


Herridge has been living with his father, David, while on bail. The teenager left court by his side and with other members of his extended family.

He had argued he had punched his stepfather in self-defence – trying to hit him twice but only landing one punch – and claimed Payne had gripped him around the neck.

“He had hold of me around the neck and all I wanted to do was get him off me. I was scared. I didn't know what was going to happen but I had to defend myself,” Herridge told the court.

He added that he would “never” have punched Payne, who was over six foot tall, if Payne had not throttled him.

Prosecutors argued that the now 18-year-old’s behaviour had deteriorated since the break-up of his parents in 2011.

They claimed that he had punched, kicked and throttled his mother, and the police came to the house after he tried to push her down the stairs.

In 2014 he went to live with his father.

The following year the court heard that he returned to live with his mother and Payne, but after quitting a business course at college and three jobs, his behaviour deteriorated again and Ms Herridge reportedly contacted social services.




Oxford student who stabbed boyfriend could avoid jail 'because of her extraordinary talent'
‘This was a one-off, a complete one-off, to prevent this extraordinary, able young lady from not following her long-held desire to enter the profession she wishes to, would be a sentence which would be too severe’
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/oxford-student-christ-c hurch-lavinia-woodward-stabbed-boyfriend-avoid-jail-extraordinary-tale nt-a7739411.html

Lucy Pasha-Robinson @lucypasha 25 mins ago 3 comments

Oxford student Lavinia Woodward could be spared jail because it could damage her career Facebook
An Oxford University student who stabbed her boyfriend could be spared a custodial sentence because of her “extraordinary” talent, a court heard.

Aspiring heart surgeon Lavinia Woodward stabbed her Cambridge-educated boyfriend, who she met on the Tinder dating app, in the leg before hurling a laptop, glass and a jam jar at him during a drug-fuelled rage at Christ Church college, Oxford.

The 24-year-old admitted to a charge of unlawful wounding at Oxford Crown Court.

The offence would normally carry a custodial sentence, but Judge Ian Pringle suggested she may be spared jail because of her academic record.

He said: “It seems to me that if this was a one-off, a complete one-off, to prevent this extraordinary, able young lady from not following her long-held desire to enter the profession she wishes to, would be a sentence which would be too severe.

“What you did will never, I know, leave you but it was pretty awful, and normally it would attract a custodial sentence, whether it is immediate or suspended.”

Christ Church College will also allow her to return to her studies in October because she is “that bright”, having had articles published in medical journals, the court heard.

Prosecutor Cathy Olliver said Woodward’s behaviour at the time of the 30 September attack had “deteriorated”.

The court heard how her boyfriend, who has not been identified, called Woodward's mum on Skype, and his then-girlfriend punched him in the face before picking up a bread knife and stabbing him in the leg.

Defending QC James Sturman said Woodward was a drug addict and her dreams of becoming a surgeon were “almost impossible” as her conviction would have to be disclosed.

He also told how Woodward had had a “very troubled life” and had been abused by an ex-boyfriend.

Woodward will be sentenced on 25 September. She was also issued with a restraining order and told to remain drug-free.

In January, she posted a photo to Instagram, with the caption: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she began to fly.#rehab #lifeworks #thepriory. Time for a new beginning.”


A spokesperson for Christ Church said: “I’m afraid that Christ Church does not comment on the circumstances of individual students.”