Spotlight on Sentencing
Lots of things puzzle me about Mick Philpott - who will be sent to prison later today after being found guilty of manslaughter for killing his children.
But the main one is how he managed to create such terrible mischief for most of his adult life - since Philpott was banged up in jail before for the attempted murder of another girlfriend although curiously only for 7 years.
The stroy goes that Mick Philpott - when he was 21 - broke into his 17 year-old girlfriend's home after she ended their relationship and tried to murder her with a knife - and ended up stabbing the young woman 13 times to her severe and potentially fatal injury.
Philpott also attacked the girlfriend's mother - when she attempted to come to her daughter's aid.
Yet Philpott received a sentence of only 7 years - and was presumably back on the streets by the time he was 25.
Now manslaughter can carry a maximum sentence of up to life in prison - depending on the circumstances - so I presume that a charge of attempted murder falls into that category as well.
Mick Philpott was described by his trial judge as a very dangerous man which begs the question - why did he lock Philpott up for such a short time?
Because if he had given a much tougher sentence - perhaps even life - to reflect the gravity of his unprovoked and violent crimes against two defenceless women - things might have turned out very differently today.
And as the state has been paying for his upkeep and his benefits lifestyle from the day he was released from prison - keeping him under lock and key would not have cost the taxpayer any more.
Given that 'Shameless' Mick has hardly worked a day in his life and seems to have spent most of his energies fathering 17 children to a string of different women - with his only means of support being his welfare benefits.
Now locking up violent men for a long time may be an expensive business - but at least they are off the streets and unable to play havoc with other people's lives - which is the real lesson to be learned in this case.
