How can Mental health be an excuse for getting a lesser sentence.

[Elsa TLC]

Derek Martin had pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility but a jury unanimously found him guilty of murder

BBC News - Murderer took Josh and Chloe Bashford's children to McDonald's - BBC News

Murderer took Josh and Chloe Bashford's children to McDonald's

After killing Josh and Chloe Bashford, Derek Martin met the couple's children and took them out for a meal.

www.bbc.co.uk

Would someone of a sane mind do something like this?

 

[Notch7]

I look forward to BBC doing a Panorama on the Epstein files

 

[Deluks]

Would someone of a sane mind do something like this?

To kill your own family over nothing, no.

 

[Elsa TLC]

I look forward to BBC doing a Panorama on the Epstein files

I get a bit muddled with Jackanory & Panorama...

What one of the two is the story telling?

 

[morqthana]

To kill your own family over nothing, no.

To kill anybody over nothing is also "no", surely?

 

[morqthana]

How can Mental health be an excuse for getting a lesser sentence.​

Which reads like a rhetorical question, and the use of the word "excuse" rather than "reason" implies a pre-judgement of what the "right" answer is.

But then

Would someone of a sane mind do something like this?

which seems to imply that someone of a "sane mind" wouldn't.

"Insanity" is no longer a recognised medical term in the UK, and Martin's defence was "diminished responsibility".

Obviously the CPS weren't having it, as they charged him with murder, and the jury weren't having it either, as they unanimously found him guilty of murder. I've seen nothing about this case other than the BBC report you link to, but on the basis of that I'd say the CPS and the jury were right.

So it appears that yes, someone of "sane mind", can do something like this.

As for how can Mental health be an excuse a reason for getting a lesser sentence we have to accept that some people can have such severe mental health problems that they aren't culpable for their actions, any more than someone with Parkinsons is culpable for spilling a cup of tea they're carrying.

But this wasn't one of those cases.

67 years old, plus what remains of his minimum 29-year term puts him at 93-ish before he can get out. Effectively a whole life term, so goodbye then, Derek Martin.

 

[motorbiking]

Derek Martin had pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility but a jury unanimously found him guilty of murder

BBC News - Murderer took Josh and Chloe Bashford's children to McDonald's - BBC News

Murderer took Josh and Chloe Bashford's children to McDonald's

After killing Josh and Chloe Bashford, Derek Martin met the couple's children and took them out for a meal.

www.bbc.co.uk

Would someone of a sane mind do something like this?

Diminished responsibility, is about not having the capacity to form rational judgment, or exercise self-control, due to a mental impairment.

a schizophrenic with voices in his head, telling him to kill is less in control than some nasty sh*t with psychopathic wiring.

 

[morqthana]

Psychopathy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Deluks]

To kill anybody over nothing is also "no", surely?

Why, who else did he kill?