Leicestershire Police Authority duo call for capital punishment
Two members of Leicestershire Police Authority are backing a call to reinstate the death penalty.
Barbara Potter and Sundip Meghani, both Labour councillors in the city, have endorsed a national campaign launched by right-wing blogger Paul Staines.
-
Barbara Potter and Sundip Meghani
Mr Staines hopes to force a vote on the issue in parliament by gathering 100,000 signatures in support of the restoration of capital punishment for people who kill children or police officers.
Coun Potter said: "Bring it on. Give these murderers the option of the noose, the electric chair or lethal injection.
"I think the vast majority would back this campaign. People are disgusted and appalled by those who murder vulnerable people such as children, or those who work to try and protect the public, like the police."
Coun Meghani, who wrote about his support for the campaign on social networking website Twitter, said he backed the reintroduction of capital punishment for people who killed more than once.
He said: "I would have no compunction in using the death penalty on someone who kills multiple times, such as the recent massacre in Norway.
"It's a complicated issue but I'm in favour of capital punishment in some circumstances.
"I think it may be wrong to restrict the death penalty solely to the murderers of children and police, because that gives some lives more value than others. But multiple killers should be eligible for execution."
Coun Potter, who represents Hamilton, and Coun Meghani, who represents Beaumont Leys, are two of three Leicester City Council representatives on Leicestershire Police Authority.
The third, Labour councillor Lynn Senior, said she was against the death penalty in all circumstances.
Police authority chairman Barry Roper said: "It's a difficult one to call. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
"I'd like to hear all arguments on the issue before deciding."
The death penalty was abolished in 1965.
People will be able to start adding their signature to the campaign shortly, when the petition is launched on the Government's new e-petition website.
Under new Government rules, if an e-petition on its website collects 100,000 signatures it will trigger a formal Commons debate and vote in parliament.
Mr Staines, 44, who blogs under the pseudonym Guido Fawkes, is spearheading the campaign.
He said: "The support for the death penalty is much bigger than politicians realise. MPs are out of touch with the public on this issue.
"If we could get enough signatures for a parliamentary debate it would be the first time that capital punishment has been debated in parliament since the Thatcher years."
Labour MPs Keith Vaz (Leicester East) and Jon Ashworth (Leicester South) and Tory North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen all told the Mercury they were against bringing back capital punishment.
Some MPs elsewhere in the country have voiced their support for the campaign.
Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, in West Yorkshire, said: "It's something where, once again, the public are a long way ahead of the politicians. I'd go further and restore it for all murderers."
Priti Patel, Tory MP for Witham, in Essex, said: "It's about time the public had a greater say on the issues that we debate."
A YouGov poll in September 2010 found 51 per cent of respondents supported the death penalty for murder, and 37 per cent opposed it.
Support for the death penalty was higher for specific crimes, such as the murder of a police officer, murder of a child or multiple murders.
A later poll, in November 2010, found 74 per cent of respondents supported the death penalty for murder in some circumstances.
Enderby resident Ray Marston, 62, said he supported the idea.
He said: "People would think twice about killing if they knew they'd lose their own lives as a result, rather than spend time in a cushy jail."
But Ian Langham, 20, of Narborough Road, Leicester, said: "It's got pros and cons.
"Killing murderers would satisfy many people's desire for revenge, but mistakes can happen."
See the petition here
Follow Leicester Mercury political correspondent David MacLean on Twitter
Read the debate for and against Is it the right time to bring back the death penalty?
80 Comments
View all
by KNJen
Monday, August 22 2011, 11:25PM
“Dear lissabeth (and the other names you write under) - please at least get your fact right before you spout your rubbish. 1) there is only one moors murderer, Ian Brady, as his accomplice Myra Hindley is now dead. There was only one Soham killer. Your sheer lack of knowledge and ignorance is the classic argument AGAINST capital punishment. You have made mistakes in your comments, many mistakes. It is mistakes that have sent innocent people to the gallows and have convicted innocent people. The Birmingham Six, The Guildford Four, The Maguire Seven, Colin Stagg, to name but a few, would all have been "hanged" if we still had capital punishment. All of these people were convicted of murder and sent to prison for life. But they were later freed because the convictions were unsafe.
For whatever reason (perhaps you harbour some kind of hatred inside you) you would be more than happy to have seen these innocent people killed by the state just so that others who are guilty can be killed.
I believe you either need help - because you really cannot leave this alone (I have been tracking all of your posts) and you only seem capable of speaking hatred. Or, you're a "troll", in which case, I do wish the LM would remove you !”
by lissabeth
Sunday, August 21 2011, 5:08PM
“come on ,humaniti as a human being show your convictions of your words .lets let the ripper ,moors murderers,soham killer(s)etc etc have a nice time in a nice enviroment .they can even talk to people .something the fathers/mothers /relatives cannot do to their murdered children .one murder =1 rope =one neck.or let them come and live with you and your family .simples !”
by CapuchinSeven
Saturday, August 20 2011, 5:05PM
“For every 1000 guilty people you put to death, sooner or later a innocent person will be executed. How many guilty people make up that that one person? What if that one person is you, how many guilty people make it okay then?
Only child or police killers? Where does the line stop, how long before they start to add more to that list.
Stop letting fear panic you into giving them more power.”
by RupertPullin
Thursday, August 11 2011, 12:06AM
“Dangerous people with dangerous views, they are morally and ethically misguided. I suggest they take a self funded sabatical and go and work with people on death row to inform their views. And ask themselves if they could do the executions. Bit of a worry that they are in positions of responsibility.”
by djmuz
Thursday, August 04 2011, 5:46PM
“Hamilton_Paul, fair enough but if you ignore the consent aspect you might as well say people that borrow things with permission are thieves. Inflicting death as a punishment is very different to not preventing those that choose it (assuming it is the person's wish - the issue of facility to make the decision is too far removed from this discussion to enter into here).”
by humanati
Thursday, August 04 2011, 5:42PM
“Never trust a woman with no lips or a smiling sociopath.”
by humanati
Thursday, August 04 2011, 5:40PM
“Oh & a recent YouGov poll showed that 89% of people realise polls run by YouGov are blatant propaganda :o)”
by humanati
Thursday, August 04 2011, 5:37PM
“The left-right paradigm is a lie.
They are both owned & controlled by the same banksters & corporations.
It is designed to look like democracy & ensure continuity of agenda for the real rulers who, in case you haven't noticed, have made you, your children & your unborn grandchildren into debt slaves with the help of their rent boy politicians & controlled media.
Sheesh, I can't believe there are still so many who buy into the propaganda.
Think for yourselves & stop being manipulated into begging to have your human rights taken away.
This has nothing to with police or children, it's about government having the right to KILL YOU.”
by Toddy2010
Thursday, August 04 2011, 5:15PM
“The role of the government between assisted suicide and prisoner execution is one is a passive role, it allows it to happen and the other is actively ending a life. In assisted suicide it's the individual who decides the fate of their life, not the government.
I wouldn't agree with calling china communist these days, despite what they may call themselves.
As for left/right wing, people should stop pigeon-holeing others into 'if you believe in X you're left wing' 'if you believe in Y you're right wing'. As it stands both left and right wing countries have or have had capital punishment, religious states also have capital punishment. A broad range of nations can differ in politics but still have or not have capital punishment.”
by Hamilton_Paul
Thursday, August 04 2011, 4:34PM
“Djmuz- trying to start a debate you can call that stiring if you wish.
If you do not believe in state killing whatever then you can not believe in allowing the state to kill in assisted suicide. That is why I would never use the words "allowing the state to kill" as I am 50/50 on that issue and if that is one day allowed then we will be allowing within a set of laws the state to kill.
Also interesting the use of the word fascist occuring. Isn't the country with the highest amount of state killings Communists (China)? Looking at the issues Barbara Potter supports I would say she is more Left Wing than Right Wing.”