Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Jail term for two teenage thugs who abused undercover BBC TV reporters in Bristol, sentenced to two years in prison, broken Britain runs deep














Dear All

BBC Panorama every now and again pulls off a surprise into how broken Britain exists in every day to day life.

Journalists Amil Khan and Tamanna Rahman undertook an assignment to live among people on the Southmead estate in Bristol.

What they found was not pleasant but it is what to some extent what Britain has become, fractionalised and marginalised.

Sink estates exist all over this country where people have given up hope and have no stake in society.

They operate out with the rules of what is generally termed decent behaviour.

Effectively some people have become feral in nature.

When Amil Khan and Tamanna Rahman went to live in the Southmead estate, they encountered people like were met Sean Ganderton and Martin Durnell who systematically bullied and threatened them because they were outsiders.

The treatment they received at the hands of these thugs shows how far the UK has sunk and will continue to sink.

Two yobs who had nothing to do hurled a string of racist abuse at the undercover reporters during a BBC documentary over an eight week period.

For them that is normal behaviour; since that BBC documentary they have been charged and found guilty of racially aggravated harassment or putting people in fear of violence.

By pleading guilty they will automatically get a reduction in sentence.

Judge Michael Roach jailed Ganderton for two years and sent Durnell to youth custody for 21 months at Bristol Crown Court.

Society has shelved the problem but the Ganderstons and Durnells of this world aren’t going away.

Judge Michael Roach said:

“Your behaviour in this eight to ten-week period was utterly abhorrent. In a cowardly way you bullied and threatened the two people. On one occasion, Mr Ganderton, you punched Mr Khan. This behaviour can only justify a custodial sentence. It will not be tolerated. Whenever this behaviour comes to court, immediate custody will follow. I've no doubt Miss Rahman and Mr Khan were utterly distraught by what you did; and who could blame them?”

Jail was the correct sentence by Judge Michael Roach, society has a duty to protect individuals like Amil Khan and Tamanna Rahman but effectively we are closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Sean Ganderton and Martin Durnell were brought wrong, their parents and society failed them.
But the problem for Britain is that there are more people like Sean Ganderton and Martin Durnell out there who similarly think such behaviour is normal.

Two 11-year-old boys on the Southmead estate were also filmed giving the reporters abuse; they were given a curfew and parenting order respectively by the youth court.

They are the Sean Ganderton and Martin Durnell of tomorrow because even at 11 years old, they know that they have no future in society.

And that is the same for many up and down the country.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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