Opinion of this sentence?

[DavidB.]

A case from the Netherlands.

61-year old N. is a friend of Simone's ex-husband and regularly visited the family. At some point he suddenly disappears and everyone thinks this is a little strange. Some time later, Simone's 11-year old daughter Daisy stops getting her period. A few weeks later her belly starts to grow. Simone gets anxious and asks her daughter whether something had happened, but Daisy ensures her that this had not been the case. She also says that she did not have sex with anybody. However, multiple pregnancy tests show that Daisy is pregnant. An echo shows that Daisy had been pregnant for 16 (!) weeks already. The next week, she has an abortion, which obviously deeply affects her, both physically and mentally. The DNA of the fetus is collected and there is a match with N. One of Daisy's hairs is researched; even months after being drugged, forensic institutes can find out if this had happened, and indeed: N. probably used Tenazepam to make Daisy fall asleep or lose consciousness and then raped her.

N. first flatly denies everything but finally comes up with a disgusting story in which he blames Daisy, who "suddenly ended up naked on my lap".

The maximum punishment for this is 12 years imprisonment in the Netherlands. The public prosecutor had demanded 10 years, the defendant's lawyer plead for 6 years. The judge decided on 8 years. As in the Netherlands prisoners are released after finishing two-thirds of their jail time, and as detention on remand is taken into account, the perpetrator will be free in about 5 years.

FF or HP?

In the Netherlands, people who think we are too lenient in sentencing are often viewed as uneducated rednecks. I think the joke is on those supporting this.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Yeezus. HP, of course.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Yeezus. HP, of course.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

8 years sounds just right for this.

[Maxwell]

12 years is about the most prison sentence I could realistically want for anyone, so 5-8 years sounds right.

[beaver2.0]

Opposed, obviously.  I don't see how you could be in favor of it.

[mvd10]

I have some sympathy for the judges when they give very low sentences to people who killed people in a car accident (even though it feels horribly wrong to give someone like that 2 months or so, they probably aren't real threats to society), but this is f**ing insane. A criminal who killed some other criminals or a drug dealer gets 20-25 years but somehow someone who drugged and raped a 12-year old girl and blamed her afterwards is deemed safe enough to return to society after 8 f**ing years? And I know the maximum punishment is 12 years (why on earth didn't he get 12 years anyway then?), but politicians can just raise maximum punishments. The people most likely to follow the #MeToo hype also are the people most likely to view you as an uneducated redneck for getting angry over these things, but if a crime like this gets you 8 years, what would raping a grown woman get you? 3 months?

Anyway, I'm in favour of replacing the term D66 judges with GroenLinks judges (D66 judge became a meme after far-right leader Geert Wilders said it during his own trial for hate speech) .

[bagelman]

Actually, I think 5-8 years is a perfectly acceptable sentence for this sort of crime. 5-8 years in a good old fashioned gulag.

[Lechasseur]

Yeezus. HP, of course.

This

I have some sympathy for the judges when they give very low sentences to people who killed people in a car accident (even though it feels horribly wrong to give someone like that 2 months or so, they probably aren't real threats to society), but this is f**ing insane. A criminal who killed some other criminals or a drug dealer gets 20-25 years but somehow someone who drugged and raped a 12-year old girl and blamed her afterwards is deemed safe enough to return to society after 8 f**ing years? And I know the maximum punishment is 12 years (why on earth didn't he get 12 years anyway then?), but politicians can just raise maximum punishments. The people most likely to follow the #MeToo hype also are the people most likely to view you as an uneducated redneck for getting angry over these things, but if a crime like this gets you 8 years, what would raping a grown woman get you? 3 months?

Anyway, I'm in favour of replacing the term D66 judges with GroenLinks judges (D66 judge became a meme after far-right leader Geert Wilders said it during his own trial for hate speech) .

Agreed

[Dr. MB]

"suddenly end up naked on my lap"... yeah you should act like a responsible adult and show some restraint. I'd aim for 15 years at least.

[Antonio the Sixth]

12 years is about the most prison sentence I could realistically want for anyone, so 5-8 years sounds right.

This.

[DavidB.]

Remember that these are Dutch prisons and not American ones. I am sympathetic to the idea that American prisons are inhumane hellholes, but Dutch prisoners can go to the gym, watch porn on big TVs and even have escorts "visit" them. It's like a hotel that you can't leave.

This guy should be in prison for the rest of his life imo.

[Lechasseur]

Remember that these are Dutch prisons and not American ones. I am sympathetic to the idea that American prisons are inhumane hellholes, but Dutch prisoners can go to the gym, watch porn on big TVs and even have escorts "visit" them. It's like a hotel that you can't leave.

This guy should be in prison for the rest of his life imo.

Agreed

[dead0man]

Why isn't rape of a child a bigger deal in Europe?  Seems like I just said this a few weeks ago about something else but it's weird how hard Europeans are on some things and how soft they are about others.

[Torie]

If in fact the perp drugged and raped a 12 year old, I would go for at least 15 years myself (20 years, with 15 for good behavior).

[Torie]

If in fact the perp drugged and raped a 12 year old (I assume the story that he found her naked on his lap without his having drugged her was not believed), I would go for at least 15 years myself (20 years, with 15 for good behavior).