Why free a serial rapist to rape again, while jailing shoplifters for 7 years – Helen Martin

WHY would a high-risk serial rapist with a 40-year record be released from jail and housed in an area where he would be free to attack and rape an innocent neighbour?

Not surprisingly, his Corstorphine victim has demanded an apology from government bodies who allegedly decide on Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements.

Their priority seemed to be finding David Reid a flat rather than protecting the public. But perhaps it’s the whole justice system that is ludicrous and dangerous. A man with a 40-year sex attack record should never be freed.

He’s been jailed now for only four years and three months but with a potential restriction to keep him in prison for the rest of his life.

Nonsense. A life sentence should be confirmed and it should have begun years ago.

There are some criminals who want to and can be rehabilitated, and some who deserve a second chance, which is fair enough. We are told we don’t have enough prison places, but does that mean repetitive murderers and rapists are entitled to parole?

If cells are in short supply why, given his recent stretch, is the maximum sentence for a shoplifter who nicks anything worth more than £200, up to seven years?

We need a review of sentencing and of what calls itself “public protection”, or at the very least an explanation from the judiciary and the government as to how these penalties are arranged and why monsters are let loose to find themselves more prey.