OMFG

[TwylaTwobits]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/3758984/Internet-addicted-parents-starve-newborn


A kid is dead and they get two years...oh wait no the dad gets two years, the mother's sentence is suspended cause she is....wait for it..... PREGNANT. They callously left their child to die while they raised a virtual infant. Nice to know the value that South Korea places on a human life.

[RobUK]

Same the world over, though (sadly)...

There's so many cases like this happening in the UK - some people just should not have children (then some court judge prevents some gay or bi couple from adopting 'cos they think their sexuality would make them bad parents - :mad:)

[MarieDelta]

Need to teach these folks the value of family planning.

If you dont want to have kids, there are ways to prevent them.

Also, I think I read a case of this happening a few years ago, difference was it was in the US.

Some folks dont have the brains required to take care of themselves, much less an infant.

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

Jeez, they have a newborn and dumb bitch is pregnant again???? They oughta castrate him and totally hysterectomize Her. And hopefully this up-coming baby will be taken away from them....Makes me sick...:disgust:

[jamieknyc]

As a lawyer, I am not a big fan of criminalizing conduct thast consists of poor judgment rather than anything that invovles any real criminal intent. It is sad that this resulted in a death, but it is the equivalent of advocating castration for some poor parent whose toddler fell into a swimming pool and drowned.

[Canticle]

As a lawyer, I am not a big fan of criminalizing conduct thast consists of poor judgment rather than anything that invovles any real criminal intent. It is sad that this resulted in a death, but it is the equivalent of advocating castration for some poor parent whose toddler fell into a swimming pool and drowned.

I would agree with you, to some extent, Jamie. However, I do not think that one can equate deliberately leaving a child alone and not feeding it, with the chance and accidental drowning of any other child, in a swimming pool or even a pond.

The latter not necessarily caused through neglect, young children having an ability to disappear, even when they are being watched carefully and a drowning, taking only, a very few minutes.

The former was deliberate, though not necessarily caused by any evil intent. As with alcohol or drug addiction these two people, the parents, were suffering from an addiction to the Internet.....of sorts.

The fact that the child was starved of food and beaten, points to there being something very wrong with the parents and I read about this case on Yahoo.

.................................

By suspending the mother's sentence, I do not personally think, that the legal authorities, are concerning themselves with the mother, but more with the welfare of the unborn child.

I fail to see how a violent act, such as castration, would serve any useful purpose, in this, or any other situation. One violent act, can never be considered sensible, or humane.

Perhaps, a more useful suggestion, would be, that the father be encouraged to have a vasectomy and the mother sterilisation, but even this, would be wrong, if forced upon anyone...even such negligent parents.

Indira Ghandi tried to ''forcefully,'' encourage males, to have vasectomies, which in the long term, along with many more of her policies, made her increasingly more unpopular with the people and ended up with her being assassinated.

Rob.....to a certain extent, you are correct. However, I do not think that cases like this, wherever they may happen, are on the increase. I think that we just hear about them, whereas many years ago, such things would not get reported, be it events happening in this country, or abroad. Local news tended to stay...local.

The sentence is a farce....but....in many parts of the world....life is not viewed in the same way, as it maybe, upon our own stamping ground....and there are plenty of sentences, carried out in some western countries, which appal and go against the laws, or morality, of other lands.

[Hephaestion]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/3758984/Internet-addicted-parents-starve-newborn


A kid is dead and they get two years...oh wait no the dad gets two years, the mother's sentence is suspended cause she is....wait for it..... PREGNANT. They callously left their child to die while they raised a virtual infant. Nice to know the value that South Korea places on a human life.

That's probably because they do not taste as good as dog (oooh nasty comment)

[FalconAngel]

As a lawyer, I am not a big fan of criminalizing conduct thast consists of poor judgment rather than anything that invovles any real criminal intent. It is sad that this resulted in a death, but it is the equivalent of advocating castration for some poor parent whose toddler fell into a swimming pool and drowned.

But what you are talking about and what the original story is talking about are two very different things.

The parents didn't turn a way for a minute or two; they allowed the child to be neglected long enough to die in a way that was completely and absolutely preventable.

I don't know if you are a parent, but I am (grandparent as well) and I can tell you for a fact that a child does not die of starvation over the course of a few minutes. Like any living thing, to starve a child takes days or weeks, which is enormously different from a child being unsupervised by a pool for a minute or two.

Even a lawyer should know better.

[rdy2go]

It is disgusting, the lax sentences being passed out these days when it comes to parents neglecting, or abusing their children to the point where these poor little ones die or are hurt. Even in my little corner of the world, there are 3 cases in the system right now where the death of a child has occured. One that is partially resolved saw the mother found guilty of contributing to the little ones death and she got a 6 month suspended sentence, while her boyfriend or husband or pimp whatever the hell he is awaits his trial. The baby in that case was only 7 weeks old. In an interview with this womans lawyer, she (the lawyer)said that justice was properly served. Really? I don't know about you folks but if that is justice properly served we should all be very, very afraid.:2cents:

[TwylaTwobits]

I didn't post my more detailed thoughts when I first posted this. When I first heard of this story months ago on here, I was appalled. The fact they let their own child die, leaving a bottle with the baby for the whole day while they went to a gaming cafe to raise a virtual child was bad enough. Finding out that they gave their child rotten formula, beat the child when it cried from hunger that to me was worse. I am appalled that the only reason the female is missing jail time is the fact she's pregnant and I think that the same thing will happen to this child as well if it is not taken from the woman or she is not taught to actually parent.

I do not believe they should be spayed and neutered like dogs, I believe they should pay more than two years for the mistreatment of a baby that led to death. The harshest thing that could happen to this couple is a life long ban from the net, they seem to care more about the online world than the real world. I wonder if he can get online in jail?

[Canticle]

I didn't post my more detailed thoughts when I first posted this. When I first heard of this story months ago on here, I was appalled. The fact they let their own child die, leaving a bottle with the baby for the whole day while they went to a gaming cafe to raise a virtual child was bad enough. Finding out that they gave their child rotten formula, beat the child when it cried from hunger that to me was worse. I am appalled that the only reason the female is missing jail time is the fact she's pregnant and I think that the same thing will happen to this child as well if it is not taken from the woman or she is not taught to actually parent.

I do not believe they should be spayed and neutered like dogs, I believe they should pay more than two years for the mistreatment of a baby that led to death. The harshest thing that could happen to this couple is a life long ban from the net, they seem to care more about the online world than the real world. I wonder if he can get online in jail?

It is appalling Twyla and I would hope, that for the rest of her pregnancy, the mother of the unborn baby, will be closely supervised and that the child will be taken from her and placed within a loving foster or adoptive family, when it arrives. Certainly, these parents cannot be trusted to care for another child.

Hopefully (and I don't know what is, available to such cases in Korea, it's scant enough in the Western countries), there will be some form of re-education, which these parents can be given and maybe...just maybe they can be rehabilitated. Who knows?

I can't remember if the article mentioned the parents' ages, but if they are very young, I wonder if this could have had some bearing on the situation. It is, indeed, an extremely sad story.

And you are also right, when you say that the punishment should be more severe, but I guess it depends on what the laws of that land say. I know in the UK, when a sentence is handed out, a well behaved prisoner, is likely to only serve one half to three quarters of that allotted time. I don't think that is right. 5, 7, 10 years should mean exactly that long and life should mean life, not about 12 years if the criminal, shows remorse.

[darkeyes]

I wouldn't dream of absolving them from his awful thing. Yet I understand it not because net addiction is an increasingly common thing. Like any other addiction, narcotics, tobacco, alcohol or gambling to name but a few, it can be and is extremely destructive especially in the young. We can't excuse it but we can try and have some compassion in understanding it. How we deal with it is what we should be debating, because I see young netaholics in my job every day.. or rather I don't see them every day. Addiction therapy for the young should be available readily and parents and schools should be given free access to it for children. If we don't I can see more cases such as this calamity and more young lives ruined in other ways.

[darkeyes]

And you are also right, when you say that the punishment should be more severe, but I guess it depends on what the laws of that land say. I know in the UK, when a sentence is handed out, a well behaved prisoner, is likely to only serve one half to three quarters of that allotted time. I don't think that is right. 5, 7, 10 years should mean exactly that long and life should mean life, not about 12 years if the criminal, shows remorse.

Canticle I think you are lovely but on this you and I part comany. At present we have more people in prison than at any time in our historyI am a liberal as you would expect on the subject of penal policy, and I say simply this to you.. take away incentive even in jail and you remove from the Prison Service a very important tool with which to keep order.. you will find very few Prison Officers who would agree with you and our jails would overflowing even more than they are now. Punishment and rehabilitation is what the aim of prison should be, not locking people away and losing the key. Incentive of early release must be retained except for the very worst of prisoners, and even they we should treat as humanely as we can while keeping society safe from them.. the thing is to get early release right and given to the right people not to stop it and create chaos and even more riots in jails than we do now.. and is their something wrong with people showing remorse? If they show none I can see them staying locked up...

..and just to whet your appetite for outrage, my darling.. many prisoners are released after serving as little as a third of their sentence.. I know.. dreadful innit?? tee hee

[Canticle]

I wouldn't dream of absolving them from his awful thing. Yet I understand it not because net addiction is an increasingly common thing. Like any other addiction, narcotics, tobacco, alcohol or gambling to name but a few, it can be and is extremely destructive especially in the young. We can't excuse it but we can try and have some compassion in understanding it. How we deal with it is what we should be debating, because I see young netaholics in my job every day.. or rather I don't see them every day. Addiction therapy for the young should be available readily and parents and schools should be given free access to it for children. If we don't I can see more cases such as this calamity and more young lives ruined in other ways.

I would certainly agree that an addiction to the Internet and all that goes with that particular connection, can be a destructive as any other addiction. When a human being cannot get through the day, without seeking out their Internet contacts, whom they like to deem friends and not in a general sense, but a much deeper one, then it's as dangerous an addiction, as any other.

When I was younger and holidaying with my parents (and I am still of the same view now), a holiday was a break, away from everyone and everything, at home. How sad it is, that some individuals, feel the necessity to take their lap top on holiday, be that holiday at home or abroad, on land, or sea and how sad that these same people do this, so that they can keep the daily, or nightly vigil, of talking with disembodied type or web cam images.

That is an addiction and not only an addiction in it's own right, but one that can be related to other addictions attached to the addicts persona. The on line addiction takes people away from the real world and allows them to imagine things that are not connected, in any way, shape or form, to reality.

Many people tell me, that when they go on line, into a chat room, it is lose the real world, for awhile. That is not something I understand. I live in the real world and don't leave it behind at any time. Sometimes that real world hurts.....but it's real and can be touched and should not be lost grip of. I won't say, ''In my humble opinion,'' because I don't think like that. I just believe that all views and ideas are valid.

I think......and will state...with an opinion which is not humble (and that is humour), that I am sure that it is better to be introduced to the Internet and it's usage, in an educational format. Perhaps, if the computer is seen as more like a pen, than an escapist novel, an addiction to the Internet may be less likely.

This doesn't mean that the Internet cannot be used for fun......but there is 'fun' and then there is 'fun.' I have a son, who sees absolutely no point, to social networking. Like me, he prefers the real world. His only contact in that respect is on a site that many use, to keep in touch with friends and family.

I don't entirely agree with him, but then, I have different reasons for using the Internet. I have always corresponded with people....using a pen....and with some people...I now also use email. A more instant form of communication....but it's not a letter.

I've also had the most amazing and fulfilling one one contact with another human being. Friendship begins on th Internet, but has to become three dimensional and three dimensional, does not necessarily mean. meeting people in the flesh.

The dangers of the internet addiction, playing games in virtual realities, can be seen, with what has happened to a baby, in Korea. How empty the lives of such must people be. It is truly a very sad story and there are only losers, no winners.

[Canticle]

''Canticle I think you are lovely but on this you and I part comany.''

Thank you for the compliment Fran. Alas, parting company, when it comes to views, ideas, outlooks upon life, is par for the course.....but no matter.....that is what happens in the real world. :tong:

''At present we have more people in prison than at any time in our history''

This is quite true and having talked to many men from the local Open Prison (we have three prisons, close by), I am quite sure that there are many people who would be better, serving the community in some form, instead of costing thousands of pounds of the tax payers money, to keep these afore-mentioned people, in prison.

''I am a liberal as you would expect on the subject of penal policy, and I say simply this to you.. take away incentive even in jail and you remove from the Prison Service a very important tool with which to keep order.. you will find very few Prison Officers who would agree with you and our jails would overflowing even more than they are now.''

Fran, as much as I respect your opinion, I must say, that I fail to see how being ''liberal,'' has any bearing on the matter. When did I say that there should be no ''incentive.'' All criminals should have the right....the human right...no matter what they may have done.....to better themselves. It's a bit like the progression of the soul. Even the darkest hearts, can be helped to reach the light and live a useful life, giving and not taking from society.

You will probably guess that it wouldn't bother me if the Prison Service did disagree with me, in any way, shape or form. I tend to believe that many of these people can be a hindrance, not a help, to the rehabilitation of offenders. much in the same way, as I believe the police service, to be, mainly corrupt.

''Punishment and rehabilitation is what the aim of prison should be, not locking people away and losing the key.''

Agreed....to a certain extent. Rehabilitation...most definitely. Punishment...without question and this does not mean, throwing away the key. However, there are some crimes, where a life sentence is given and needed. Life, should mean, life long. This does not mean, that the life sentence, cannot be a productive one, with the prisoner contributing to society, from behind prison walls.

''Incentive of early release must be retained''

I disagree. A sentence should be served....in full. The victims sentence, is lifelong.

''except for the very worst of prisoners, and even they we should treat as humanely as we can while keeping society safe from them..''

Correct, but even that gets screwed up. I have an Open Prison not far from where I live. We have ''trustees,'' helping as volunteers, in charity shops and they are mostly extremely polite and also very conscientious workers, grateful to be trusted and more than willing to prove themselves. I talk to them, as I would to any other volunteer and I never ask them when they are going to be released from prison. I ask them when are they going home.

Unfortunately, things can go wrong and then the trusted men get tarred with the same brush, as those who abuse the privilege of ''trustee,'' status. One guy, with all his contacts, opened up a drug manufacturing factory, close to where he was sent to work. Another, who had killed someone many years before, met a woman at the prison and upon his release....killed her. Recently, a prisoner, described as a psychopath, absconded. An apparently, very dangerous man. Such events do not sit well with the trustees, some of whom, have committed very minor crimes, but are more than willing to serve their sentence.

''the thing is to get early release right and given to the right people not to stop it and create chaos and even more riots in jails than we do now..''

Again......this is open to failure, as the decision to release people, is made by other humans, who sometimes prove themselves to be not quite as expert at their particular job, as one would expect them to be.

''and is their something wrong with people showing remorse? If they show none I can see them staying locked up...''

The world is full of great actors. I know one extremely well. If one wants to fake remorse, it's quite easy to do and people get taken in by the player upon the stage. Those who are outwardly, and very deliberately unremorseful, are usually more obvious. The genuinely remorseful person, does not need to prove it with words, but by their actions.

''..and just to whet your appetite for outrage, my darling.. many prisoners are released after serving as little as a third of their sentence.. I know.. dreadful innit?? tee hee''

Oh, that I know, Fran and Yes, it is dreadful. Like I said, the victim's sentence is lifelong.

[darkeyes]

I actually agree with your views about the police and prison service. It doesnt change anything in how I feel. Cleaning it up is a much needed and overdue development.. but whatever the state of the prison servive, the more riots and trouble created by what you would like to see, the less money and resources exist to make the service what it should be and the greater the cost to the taxpayer. I dont mind paying tax.. Im a great believer in paying my dues as a good socialist should be.. and while I resent paying tax for a shitty prison service it has to be done.. I would much rather and gladly pay my taxes for a prison service worth the name which is honest and there to help prisoners better themselves and be properly rehabilitated to enable them to rejoin society with much less chance of re-offending.

I do agree entirely that thousands of prisoners in the UK who are locked up could be punished in other ways at much less cost to the taxpayer.. but these things are looked on as a soft option, which they are not.

No prison service will ever be perfect.. but we should have as perfect and humane a service as we can possibly create.

[Canticle]

I actually agree with your views about the police and prison service. It doesnt change anything in how I feel. Cleaning it up is a much needed and overdue development.. but whatever the state of the prison servive, the more riots and trouble created by what you would like to see, the less money and resources exist to make the service what it should be and the greater the cost to the taxpayer. I dont mind paying tax.. Im a great believer in paying my dues as a good socialist should be.. and while I resent paying tax for a shitty prison service it has to be done.. I would much rather and gladly pay my taxes for a prison service worth the name which is honest and there to help prisoners better themselves and be properly rehabilitated to enable them to rejoin society with much less chance of re-offending.

I do agree entirely that thousands of prisoners in the UK who are locked up could be punished in other ways at much less cost to the taxpayer.. but these things are looked on as a soft option, which they are not.

No prison service will ever be perfect.. but we should have as perfect and humane a service as we can possibly create.

In theory, I have absolutely no argument with anything you say, in this post, Fran. Had to add the ''in theory,'' though. We can't be seen as agreeing. too often. :)

[darkeyes]

In theory, I have absolutely no argument with anything you say, in this post, Fran. Had to add the ''in theory,'' though. We can't be seen as agreeing. too often. :)

A friend of mine did some time in jail a few years ago. After she had been charged I went along to give support when she met her Advocate (a Scottish Barrister in case you didn't know) who it happened was also a friend of my husband so I knew him slightly. He said that whatever you see of the Police in telly drama, ignore it.. they are much worse than that and only marginally better than the people they are meant to catch. He left the Procurator Fiscal's office (Scottish Crown Prosecution Service) and became a defence Advocate instead because of it. I have heard similar things from lawyers of which I knew a few (not I may add because of any naughtiness on my part although naughtiness has happened with the odd one or two.. tee hee;) I've also had a few personal dealings with a few bastards who were lawyers so not all are very nice. Greasy and smarmy are the words).