Once again, we see a tragic demonstration that leniency to the evil is cruelty to the innocent. Usman Khan stabbed five people, killing two of them, on London Bridge last week. Jason Collie reports for the Evening Standard that Khan had been convicted of terrorism offenses in 2012. He "originally received an indeterminate sentence for public protection but this was quashed at the Court of Appeal in April 2013 and he was given a determinate 16-year jail term." "He was released from prison in December 2018 on licence ...."
Speaking before chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency committee Cobra on Friday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had "long argued" that it is a "mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early and it is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists, that I think the public will want to see".
A mistake indeed. Innocent people die and suffer grave injuries for those mistakes. Remember that next time you hear someone waxing eloquent about "sentencing reform."
And let's hope that PM Johnson wins big next week.
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