UK - Alesha MacPhail, 6, raped & murdered, Ardbeg, Isle of Bute, Scotland, 2 Jul 2018 -*arrest* #6

[Cappuccino]

Can someone please link to the law that says 27 years is the max he could be given?

He wasn't given 27 years, he was given life.

 

[Gardenista]

He wasn't given 27 years, he was given life.

I worded that wrong, I'm trying to multitask. Can you please link me to the law you were referring to earlier?

 

[Cappuccino]

If that is the case then it's worrying and perhaps explains why he didn't receive any help.
Was it ever recorded that he had a social worker prior to the crime?

It is puzzling that nobody in such a small community noticed what sounds like an obvious problem teen! You'd think he'd stick out like a sore thumb.

I have a friend whose eldest son was diagnosed with ODD at the age of 12. He was sent to a special boarding school for it, and kept under the care of a psychiatrist. He's now 16 and his behaviour has changed utterly for the better, so there is hope if its caught young enough. It clearly wasn't caught at all here.

 

[Mrs Marple]

Can someone tell me who Prof Wilson is??

 

[TaylorCallum]

Can someone tell me who Prof Wilson is??

He's one of the UK's most renowned criminologists. A few weeks ago he said that he didn't have enough evidence to suggest that Aaron was a psychopath or that he would become a serial killer. He hadn't studied the case in depth though or met Aaron so his opinion may have changed.

EDIT: I think he might have been wrong on this one though.

 

[Tortoise]

Can someone tell me who Prof Wilson is??

David Wilson (criminologist) - Wikipedia

 

[Edinlass]

Thanks @TaylorCallum as other users have pointed out it couldn’t have been easy for you today. I bet you were utterly gobsmacked at him turning and smiling. What a world we live in.

 

[TaylorCallum]

Thanks @TaylorCallum as other users have pointed out it couldn’t have been easy for you today. I bet you were utterly gobsmacked at him turning and smiling. What a world we live in.

Thank you! I was. He was literally like a foot away from me and my heart was breaking for poor Georgina and I just thought "He is utterly deranged." It really is a cruel world at times.

 

[Ardoch]

It is puzzling that nobody in such a small community noticed what sounds like an obvious problem teen! You'd think he'd stick out like a sore thumb.

I have a friend whose eldest son was diagnosed with ODD at the age of 12. He was sent to a special boarding school for it, and kept under the care of a psychiatrist. He's now 16 and his behaviour has changed utterly for the better, so there is hope if its caught young enough. It clearly wasn't caught at all here.

Maybe any actions or lack of emotion/s from him fell into a grey area of parental denial or at least not admitting verbally to any authority and playing down anything and hoping that he would "grow out of it"

Would be interesting to know what was on his school records.

 

[Tortoise]

Thank you! I was. He was literally like a foot away from me and my heart was breaking for poor Georgina and I just thought "He is utterly deranged." It really is a cruel world at times.

Do you know if any of his family were at court?

 

[TaylorCallum]

Do you know if any of his family were at court?

I don't think they were but I could be wrong. I know what his mum looks like and I never saw her there but I suppose other family members could have been there? However, I would have assumed they would have taken his family into the courtroom first before the general public, just like they did with Alesha's and no one went in first apart from them. There were no mention of them either from anyone and I didn't see anyone sitting by themselves or in a small group.

 

[Cappuccino]

I worded that wrong, I'm trying to multitask. Can you please link me to the law you were referring to earlier?

There is no single law to link to. Juveniles have to be sentenced under the Children and Young Person's Act 1933, which stipulates that rehabilitation is given a higher priority than punishment in deciding the sentence. The judge then has to adapt the guidelines for sentencing an adult for the same crime to meet the requirements of the law on sentencing children. If the judge fails to get that legal balancing act right the Court of Appeal will overturn his sentence.

The judge was in an impossible position here because there's no earthly sentence any court can hand down which doesn't feel inadequate to the horror of this crime. All he could reasonably do is get the sentencing right in law and spare Alesha's family the further trauma of watching the defendant drag it out in the Appeals Court. IMO he got the balancing act right, you obviously disagree but I don't think any sentence would have satisfied you.

 

[charlotte123456]

It is puzzling that nobody in such a small community noticed what sounds like an obvious problem teen! You'd think he'd stick out like a sore thumb.

I have a friend whose eldest son was diagnosed with ODD at the age of 12. He was sent to a special boarding school for it, and kept under the care of a psychiatrist. He's now 16 and his behaviour has changed utterly for the better, so there is hope if its caught young enough. It clearly wasn't caught at all here.

This is interesting. I was abused by a family member aged 9 (he was 18). It turns out he was “sent away” to boarding school (a “special” school) in the years before he abused me.

I told my parents a year after the abuse took place (imagine hiding that for a full year - living in terror) and they did nothing. Said they felt sorry for him because his mother was strict and sent him away when young.

His brother told another family member years later that he was “born evil”. His brother still doesn’t know what he did to me.

I have confronted him about it in adulthood, but never reported it via proper channels. He is now a father. I’m frightened that he had already done things before that have been covered up.

Makes you wonder how many psychopaths are walking amongst us....

 

[Edinlass]

I do think the judge is aware that the likelihood of him ever being released are slim due to his total lack of empathy toward what he has done. 27 years is actually quite a good amount of years, and at least any appeals are out of the window due to his admission of guilt. So yes given that he has no remorse and speaks about what he done so candidly professionals would pose him a risk to the public, maybe he doesn’t want out. I think prison is the best place for him. Death would be too easy. I wouldn’t like to have to deal with him in any capacity though, even serving his food must be a task.

 

[Edinlass]

This is interesting. I was abused by a family member aged 9 (he was 18). It turns out he was “sent away” to boarding school (a “special” school) in the years before he abused me.

I told my parents a year after the abuse took place (imagine hiding that for a full year - living in terror) and they did nothing. Said they felt sorry for him because his mother was strict and sent him away when young.

His brother told another family member years later that he was “born evil”. His brother still doesn’t know what he did to me.

I have confronted him about it in adulthood, but never reported it via proper channels. He is now a father. I’m frightened that he had already done things before that have been covered up.

Makes you wonder how many psychopaths are walking amongst us....

You are so brave to speak about it, I admire you. And it’s victims like yourself that I feel for when people say ‘oh, maybe the abuse led him here’ you seem like a pretty well rounded individual and you would agree that no amount of abuse makes a monster. It’s man-made, it’s a choice.

 

[Ardoch]

This is interesting. I was abused by a family member aged 9 (he was 18). It turns out he was “sent away” to boarding school (a “special” school) in the years before he abused me.

I told my parents a year after the abuse took place (imagine hiding that for a full year - living in terror) and they did nothing. Said they felt sorry for him because his mother was strict and sent him away when young.

His brother told another family member years later that he was “born evil”. His brother still doesn’t know what he did to me.

I have confronted him about it in adulthood, but never reported it via proper channels. He is now a father. I’m frightened that he had already done things before that have been covered up.

Makes you wonder how many psychopaths are walking amongst us....

I'm so sorry to hear that charlotte123456
It certainly does make you wonder. They're almost like chameleons who blend and change according to their demands. I've only read a bit and it's very confusing. Watching some of AC's previous social media posts and he comes across as very understanding and sympathetic in his replies.
I can understand that they have no empathy but what triggers a killing ?

 

[Edinlass]

I just think it’s a choice. He had thoughts of raping from as much as a year prior, that’s pretty damning. And actually there were plenty rumours going around Bute about him so I don’t think it was a total shock to locals IMO

 

[charlotte123456]

You are so brave to speak about it, I admire you. And it’s victims like yourself that I feel for when people say ‘oh, maybe the abuse led him here’ you seem like a pretty well rounded individual and you would agree that no amount of abuse makes a monster. It’s man-made, it’s a choice.

Absolutely. In my experience, it’s a choice. It has also made me a much better parent. I’m always one step ahead in terms of protecting my children.

Not enough to be abused, but to then have your abuser protected because your parents don’t want “trouble in the family”...beggars belief! My sister knew what he had done to her little sister and still went out drinking and partying with him!?? We are a normal, middle class family (to the outside) by the way!

I do tend to have trouble socially though because I like to call a spade a spade. I hate lies, even white lies, and call people out all the time. Fake politeness gets on my nerves.

 

[Kiranerys]

I just think it’s a choice. He had thoughts of raping from as much as a year prior, that’s pretty damning. And actually there was a rumour going about Bute of him saying that ‘he would rape someone’s sister’. I remember this early on. If not allowed I will remove.

Not to mention the rumours much closer to home!

 

[TaylorCallum]

This is interesting. I was abused by a family member aged 9 (he was 18). It turns out he was “sent away” to boarding school (a “special” school) in the years before he abused me.

I told my parents a year after the abuse took place (imagine hiding that for a full year - living in terror) and they did nothing. Said they felt sorry for him because his mother was strict and sent him away when young.

His brother told another family member years later that he was “born evil”. His brother still doesn’t know what he did to me.

I have confronted him about it in adulthood, but never reported it via proper channels. He is now a father. I’m frightened that he had already done things before that have been covered up.

Makes you wonder how many psychopaths are walking amongst us....

Really sorry to hear this. I hope you're doing okay - or at least the best you can be - now. Thank you for sharing with us, I know it must be hard.

I agree, it really does make you wonder though. How many people are hiding in plain sight and what goes on behind closed doors. It's awful.