Monday, July 27, 2009

[child killer] needs our sympathy and understanding

Stefanie Rengel, Canadian girl stabbed to death on the orders of a schoolmate


The lead story at the Canadian Globe and Mail today had this:

From everything I've read about M.T., the now 17-year-old girl who is to be sentenced tomorrow after being convicted of first-degree murder for cajoling her boyfriend to kill Stefanie Rengel, the Toronto teenager, stabbed six times and left to bleed to death on an icy sidewalk in January, 2008, she is a monstrous kid.

Judith Timson, columnist, then called for the "monster's" execution, yes? Well actually ... no. Here is the headline which I didn't report first up:

DON'T SENTENCE M.T. AS AN ADULT

and the tagline:

If M.T. serves a mandatory life sentence in an adult prison, she will less likely become a better person, one who ultimately feels true remorse.

Our compassionate and sweet-smiling Judy


Ms Timson accepts that M.T. is a "cold-hearted monster" but wants this monster "understood" as it might affect her future life if anything bad happens to her. And Ms Timson's view of the ... er ... victim, lying in a pool of blood?

She seemed at 14 like a terrific kid.

Seemed a terrific kid. Y-e-e-es, isn't that lovely? Let's follow Judy's example and show compassion for all the perpetrators, for example, say, Ian Huntley. He might have had a difficult childhood and we wouldn't want him scarred for life now, would we? This is the compassionate, "prizes for all" society, after all and monsters need to be understood and given a six figure book deal to help them with their rehabilitation.

And ... um ... what about the boyfriend who so willingly obeyed the monster's decree of death? He doesn't get a mention; he's not as pretty as a gorgeous young girl - doesn't sell as many papers. Oh and the Globe and Mail have thoughtfully disabled comments on this news item.

Now interested, I googled the incident, to see how the other news services reported it. Here was Canada dot com:

M.T. was standing in court behind her lawyers, dressed in a blue sweater and dark pants, with her hair in a ponytail, as the verdict was read out. M.T. started to cry quietly before she was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs and returned to the Toronto area youth jail where she has been held for the past 14 months.

M.T. started to cry quietly, dressed in blue sweater and dark pants? Right, right and how did the victim's parents feel about it all perchance? What were they dressed in on the day? Did they "cry quietly" too? This doesn't seem to interest the journos as much.

Choking on the toast and marmalade here. Is there some sort of charge which can be brought against cold-hearted and exploitative journalists?
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11 comments:

  1. If a significant number of people do not cancel that rag, they may all deserve each other. That's what I'm afraid of.

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  2. I agree, James. Too much sympathy for the perpetrator and not enough for the victim and her family. How the parents must feel having to watch this girl in court is unimaginable. I think a life sentence should mean exactly that.

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  3. I'm all for giving anyone a chance to reform, but this is ridiculous.

    I promise I'll do my best to show real sympathy and understanding once I've seen some evidence that this child-killer has shown a whole lot more remorse than merely "crying quietly"; has acknowledged the magnitude of what she's done; has made some obvious effort to turn her life around; and has found something she can do for other people without expecting to get anything from it for herself.

    Till then, my sympathies are solely with the bereaved family who now have a life sentence of their own to face, without the possibility of parole.

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  4. They know right from wrong at this age, too many excuses given these days for atrocious crimes by young people. Why do we bother to teach our young there are consequences for every action including murder or inciting murder.

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  5. "If M.T. serves a mandatory life sentence in an adult prison, she will less likely become a better person, one who ultimately feels true remorse."

    If M.T. got the death penalty then there'd be a significant chance she wouldn't take someone else's life again :)

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  6. hmmm, I'd like to see their effective plan of care for rehabilitating a person with sociopathic tendancies

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  7. I have never understood parents that swill go to court day in and day out awaiting justice.

    If anyone did that to my family-they wouldn't live long enough to make it to trial.

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  8. How did Stefanie Rengel's crying rate? How cutely was she dressed? How did the whole thing affect her?

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  9. I shan't give a commenter by commenter comment this time, except to welcome new and returnees Aislinn, Nunyaa and Rick. Xlbrl, WCL, Winfred, Naz, HGF, Uber and Moggs are more known knowns [forgive me].

    Agreed with you all. Rick - what's the corollary of your point?

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Comments need a moniker of your choosing before or after ... no moniker, not posted, sorry.