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A 34-YEAR-OLD man is in critical condition today after being stabbed in Sligo.
The assault took place at around 10am this morning and the man was discovered with serious stab wounds in Rockwood Parade.
He was removed to Sligo Regional Hospital and was later airlifted to UCHG. His condition this afternoon as been described as critical.
The scene of the incident has been preserved for a technical examination.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses who were in the area this morning before 11am or anyone who can assist the investigation to contact Sligo Garda Station on 071-9157000, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
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What the heck is going on. Survival of the fittest has officially been killed off by over appliance of human rights. Humanity had always progressed on that basis up until the last century and now the fittest are being overrun by the trash of this earth. They are multiplying like rabbits supported by free houses money and medical care whilst the ‘fit’ are bending over backwards to pay for it and fading from the world. We’re doomed.
Every time we see one of these stories we see the same comments, harsher sentences, arm the cops etc
The core of the problem is an attitude, similar to our dole lifers problem: Total lack of personal responsibility. They learn early on there is no consequences to their actions. They get suspended sentence or no charges, blame where they grew up etc
We need a reform in the ethos of the system on a fundamental level, alongside structural reform, I suggest, in summary:
1. Decriminalize all victimless crimes. Decriminalize drug use. Bankrupt gangs by allowing a state licensed company to produce and sell (regulating contents, dosage etc) to those over 21 for a flat fee with all profits going into the health service, no marketing.
2. Retain custodial sentences for only violent crimes and corruption in the conduct of public office (which should bring a life sentence with 20 hour a day solitary) Normal custodial sentences also mean work details through the day, chain gangs if necessary, not sitting around playing pool and watching tv. Restorative justice being key here, you burn out someones car you’ve to pay back the full cost, even if they’re insured
3. Have alternative punishments (like fines that work as a % of income/welfare, curfews, house arrest by e-anklet…) for crimes not in category 2 above.
4. Have a rule that if you are old enough to commit the crime, you must serve the punishment.
5. Socio-economic background is to be barred from consideration in sentencing or during trial. It’s for crime prevention sociologists to consider when crafting policy, not something to excuse lapses in personal responsibility.
6. Have a 3 strike limit for crimes in category 2 above. On your third strike you get life without parole with hard labour. The state tells you ”you’ve had 3 chances to change your ways, you’re clearly showing a pattern that will never break, so to protect your future victims, were locking you up”.
7. Mandatory school leaving moved to after the Leaving Cert.
8. Suspended sentences, parole, early release abolished. Disruption inside should be punished, not lack of it rewarded. They should be out working in the community from 9am to 6pm, rec time 6-9 then lights out. The message should be you are here to repay the society you injured, were not here to entertain you or baby you this is punishment.
9. Dusk to dawn curfew for everyone under 16 or anyone not carrying ID to prove they’re beyond that.
Pardon people we now have in for the tv licence, 17 year olds in jail for sex with their gf 2 months younger than them, old people who didn’t want a water meter, get those people OUT so we can start moving the hardcore s**m in. Codify and simplify the new system all precedents under the old system void.
Think of how much better the country would be with those simple changes…
With the exception of no. 7 I completely agree with that. School doesn’t suit everyone as it is more of an academic pursuit. But, if you do decide to leave school at 16 you should have to prove you’ve obtained a relevant apprenticeship in a trade. We do justice very lightly in this country. It’s time we changed it and removed judges’ discretion in sentencing. Standardised sentencing should be implemented.
Thats an excuse I’ve heard before, and tbh I think it’s bull.
He’s not academic is usually code for he’s lazy or stupid and thats not an attitude any parent should have, the attitude should be you can do it, nothing is above you, try harder.
There is a direct link between school leaving age and potential for criminality, nearly everyone in MJ currently left school at 16 and many of them were doing some kind of trade at the time, and dropped out a few months after.
Then they are hanging around the streets and the trouble starts.
For those who disagree with me that you should not tell kids they’re not able for xyz no matter what, we have alternative options, we have the Leaving Cert Applies for people who don’t want to go to university and want to go right into the workforce, that’s there is someone wants it, as long as we make it available in more schools it could work with the above changes.
No. What you say is bull. A friend of mine could not hack school. He’s well able to read and write but had no capacity for poetry, stories, history, etc. He left school at 16 and completed an apprenticeship and is in full time work. He has never broken the law and is one of the nicest and kindest people you could meet. What you are talking about are wasters who leave school and do nothing. That is why I said those who leave school at 16 should have to prove that academia was not for them and that something practicable was.
Spot on!
Brilliant points you make regarding the jailing of non-violent offenders in this country… Why do we take our lead from the Justice systems in Britain and the US when we only need to look to our European and especially Scandinavian neighbours to see how it should be done.
However IMO you go astray with the assumption that ‘punishing’ these people further will be of benefit. Their punishment is the loss of liberty and should not be extended any further, if we want to force them to work as slaves and abolish early release / parole etc. we would be going in the wrong direction. It might sound like a liberal ideal to say but most people can be rehabilitated, look at the Norwegian system where they have the lowest re-offending rates of released prisoners (somewhere between 15-30%) compared to Ireland and the UK (well over 50%)
If they’re ”not academic” (a bad term representative of a totally unscientific set of assumptions but a separate debate) they can do the Leaving Cert Applied. There are options for people who don’t want to go to university, it’s not a case of go to do your trade at 16 or you MUST go to university.
Try to loose this notion that because people tend to go into the trades after the junior cert that that’s the ONLY time they can do that. Theres nothing wrong with doing it later, and waiting means you’ve two more years of structure and discipline, and for those 2 years your odds of making a more stable trouble free life go up considerably.
We all have a friend, everyone knows a guy down the street who xyz etc etc etc theres always plenty of individual examples, but the broader studies and sociological trends are what should guide policy not our own personal experiences.
Nobodys saying leaving school at 16 makes you a criminal, it’s just one of many factors that will make someone more predisposed to becoming one. Individuals can push back against those probabilities the same way someone who grows up in a council estate is v unlikely to ever get to university, but still does. That particular person getting there does not disprove the notion that being from a council estate makes you less likely to go to college, it’s a scientific fact the data is there and undeniable. Conventional wisdom is not fact, we should be guided by what’s been proven to work not what we’ve always been told to believe. It’s important we challenge our assumptions and see if they stand up in the face of the science, and if they don’t, change them.
You can see this in this topic more broadly, what’s the two most common things you hear on these stories?
-Harsher Sentences
-Capital Punishment
We just assume these are the things that will work because they sound tough, but the data says otherwise, the data shows they are no deterrent at all, so we should go with the data, and go with policies that have been proven to work.
@Conor it’s not slave Labour it’s part of the needed attitude adjustment, this is a whole subclass who think society is there to be their p1ss pot, were all there to owe them something, it’s about making them understand when they commit a crime they are harming society and must pay society back. I’m talking about light work, not sending them to work in the mines. Many of the people were talking about have never worked, it would introduce them to the notion of getting up, contributing something to society and THEN getting your rec time later.
The Scandinavian models use restorative justice just like I’m proposing, I mixed in a few proposals that would serve our particular situation well (as well as that in the UK actually) with things that have been tried elsewhere and worked.
In fairness, Ryan, I am not too familiar with the education system today. I did my own Leaving Cert a long time ago. This applied LC you’re talking about was well before my time and I don’t know anyone who has gone through it so I can’t speak to its effectiveness. I do agree with tougher sentencing, but not with capital punishment.
Seriously what the hell is going on in this tiny island?
Where are the knife control laws? None of this would ever happen if knives were outlawed especially concealed knives.
There is scope for a form of national service, not just military service, but National Service,where basic life skills are thought.
Pre apprentice training through constructing community projects such as reopening the now largely abandoned walks and rights of way that used to cross cross the countryside, reconstruct the stiles over the hedges and boundary’s that were removed by farmers back in the 60s.
Boardwalks could be built through wet lands, so people can enjoy the beauty of nature , remove the ivy of old ruins to extend their life . Clean up the rubbish .
Generally make the Country better whilst learning new skills.
If every farm donated 0.5% of land to wild flowers bushes and trees so birds, Bees etc have small “Islands ” of refuge for survival , these could be established and maintained by the national service.
I agree with the above poster that the “War on Drugs” is lost every thing in every country has been tried and failed , sell drugs through Government clinics , take away the perceived glamour and take the business away from the Gangsters in one fell sweep .
there are deep rooted problems in our society that appear to be getting steadily and rapidly worse . I don’t think tougher sentencing will be of any benefit as you just have to look at the States . I agree with @ConorBuckley about the Norwegian prison system and properly funded community development programs would definitely help
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