Comments on: Pensioner jailed for knife attack in Manchester gay village

By: amanda

amanda — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:00:55 +0000

the man was 70 and he was self defending himself
he was getting harassed

By: flapjack

flapjack — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:56:10 +0000

Seems like the victim was acting aggressive towards a pensioner and that suggests why the sentance was more lenient, you can argue self-defence and provocation up to a point.
That said, carrying a knife is going equipt, so it's difficult to call this one as the blame rests with the victim almost as much as the killer.
You have to ask yourself, if you were 71 and a guy followed you around late at night being aggressive and demanding cigarettes you didn't have, how would you react? I'm not sure I would've taken the high road under those circumstances, after all the police are never there when it all kicks off.

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By: Will

Will — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:05:36 +0000

Who brings a knife with an 8cm blade into a gay area anyway? I mean, the ultimate intention has to be obvious, as this tragic case proves. Its not like he was using this to open a bag of nuts at the time.

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By: Simon Murphy

Simon Murphy — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:02:03 +0000

I think the 7 year jail sentence is about right. He did kill a person (and was carrying a knife) and there is no excuse for that and he must be punished. However his victim sounds like a nasty piece of work – someone who harasses people for cigarettes and money is a public nuisance and probably a danger to people. If he had been arrested for his anti-social behaviour earlier he would be alive. It doesn't in any way excuse the killer but should be remembered.

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By: apYrs

apYrs — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:15:18 +0000

If you use a weapon aggressively then it should be "murder". A weapon is not a feather.

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By: karenbroady

karenbroady — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:51:04 +0000

This was a 71 year old man attacked by 2 young drug addicts, he defended himself, what kind of society do we live in that accepts pensioners being attacked? We need to defend the vunerable in our communities.

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By: Darrien

Darrien — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:47:52 +0000

One of my closest friends was stabbed and killed in what appears to have been a mugging gone wrong. The killer got off with just seven years because he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis that no one else was there so it couldn't be proved that he had wanted to kill anyone. I can see the problem the prosecution had, but sometimes the legal system (definitely not the justice system) makes me pig-pukingly sick because of its inadequacies. You and your half-cousin's family and friends are in my thoughts, Jan. It never really gets easier to cope with such a futile death of someone you love, but, gradually, time does take away the vicious, corrosive pain every time you think of it. Just keep breathing, luv, it's the only advice I can give

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By: Robert, ex-pat Brit

Robert, ex-pat Brit — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:03:44 +0000

Jan, its bewildering. Broady should have received a life sentence, murder is murder and so too should your half-cousin's killer. Since both killers are adults, I doubt if the light sentences had anything to with the fact that one was only 18 and the other 71, its a flaw in the system that needs to be addressed. I take it your half cousin was gay? Its possible that might have something to do with it. Here in the states, it seems that some killers of gay people sometimes get lighter sentences. They have this temporary insanity nonsense over here for justifying a lighter sentence in the killing of gay people, but some get the full life sentence too. It depends on the lawyers representing them I suppose.

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By: Jan Bridget

Jan Bridget — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:51:32 +0000

I do not understand the legal system in this country. My half-cousin was recently killed by a complete stranger; the murderer got sentenced to 4 years but he will probably be out in 18 months: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/darwen/3831949.Darwen_widow__utterly_disgusted__by_sentence_for_husband_s_killer_/

Is this anything to do with age? My cousin was 51 and his murderer 18; here Broady is 71 years old and the person he killed is 25 years old?

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