The 'Dartmoor' Suspect

[Debra A]

Thanks Chris.
I must say that a sentence of 5 to 6 years was remarkable for 'house breaking'.
The normal sentence would have been 12 to 15 months.
Something not quite right here.

AP, I mentioned this before when talking about LeGrand's 1889 sentencing with you.*

The minimum term for a sentence of penal servitude was 5 years. Pearson was obviously given a penal servitude sentence as he was described as 'returned convict holding a license' so he received the minimum allowed sentence.
The alternative was an imprisonment sentence (with or without hard labour) the maximum sentence for imprisonment being 12 months, or two separate 12 month sentences running concurently.

* Le Grand was originally given a sentence of penal servitude in the Morris blackmail case which was later found by the judge to have been an unlawful sentence. The punishment was changed to one of 2 years imprisonment with hard labour instead, the maximum sentence allowed for the crime he was convicted of.

[Tom_Wescott]

And Tom, Dr. Bastian specialised in these sort of murder cases, and in 1886 he was giving evidence against a man who brutally murdered a young girl in Whitechapel.
The killer was aged 18 at the time.

AP, I thought I was clear in stating that 18 is certainly not too young to commit murder. 10 is not too young to commit murder. But no 18 year old is responsible for the Ripper crimes.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Cap'n Jack]

Wow, Tom, I'll give you a fiver right now for your time tunnel.
Or is just a hunch of yours?
If so, I'd get it straightened out.