SECOND TIME AROUND THE SENTENCE IS MORE APPROPRIATE

O.K. this is a tough one. The Ontario Court of Appeal has stated that a life sentence handed out to a Cambridge man was out of proportion to the crime he committed. The crime committed was counselling to commit murder. On the face of it, without further evidence, a life sentence with nobody dieing does seem excessive. It's the details that are so chilling. He stalked his ex-wife for fifteen years, threatened her, assaulted her, vandalized her property and THEN he hired a hit man. Good Lord ! Now I understand why Judge Peter Hambly imposed the life sentence.

At the same time the Appeal Court had to look at the issue of sentences given to similar offenders for similar offences. The reality in Canada is that very few first dgree murderers actually spend the rest of their lives in prison. This multi convicted felon did not kill anyone. His sentence was reduced from life in prison to the maximum for counselling to commit murder, namely sixteen years. I still wonder at the details. He received 23 convictions for offenses involving his ex-wife and her boyfriend between 2002 and 2007. This front page story in today's K-W Record claims that he is a long time alcoholic with no diagnosed mental disorder. Fair enough if he has no DIAGNOSED disorder. That doesn't prove that he isn't completely off his rocker and I think his long term behaviour suggests that he is. Shouldn't this person be in a secure mental hospital such as in Penetanguishene? When he is finally released, at least with regular interviews by psychiatrists, there might be some reasonable expectation about his future behaviour.