A life ruined

[Onkel Neal]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/28/california.missing.girl/index.html

A woman who was kidnapped at age 11 and then spent 18 years living in her abductor's backyard began the long process of reuniting with her family on Friday.

Dugard lived for the next 18 years in a shed and other outbuildings behind her abductor's house, where she gave birth to two girls that he fathered; the girls are now aged 11 and 15, police said.

Investigators arrested Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender, on charges of kidnapping and abusing her after police discovered Dugard on Wednesday.

It's really hard for me to imagine how this must have been for this little girl. In a news report on TV, neighbors described the man who imprisoned her as a "weirdo". No doubt. The shame is that weirdos are not scrutinized more closely.

[FIREWALL]

If that poor woman walked into that courtroom and blew him away.

She would get more time than he'll get.

[Onkel Neal]

Yeah, true.

But not if I was on the jury

[AVGWarhawk]

It was more than just one life ruined. Her parents after all these years living with this! Their daughter kidnapped all those years ago. Things in the news every day about kids being taken and found dead later. This is what her parents lived with.

How diabolical this was. His wife was involved as well. Talk about screwed in the head. Shame is the probation officers must and should have right to inspect convicted child molestors premises. Computer included. I guess they do not have that right to check all. Unreal this went on for years and know one said a word or noticed anything.

[SteamWake]

I find this whole story not only disturbing but hard to believe.

I understand she was abducted at age 11 but in this day of 'accessability' internet, cell phones, and on and on how in the hell did she not get word out.

Also "Lived in their back yard" were the neighbors clueless?

I heard an interview with one of the neighbors he said (paraphrasing) "I knew the guy was a weirdo and I saw them in the back yard but I had no idea they had kids there".

[Onkel Neal]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=8431843&page=1

[Platapus]

Kinda makes you wonder how many other creeps are keeping boys and girls like this.

[SteamWake]

Another neighbor, Diane Doty, told the Associated Press she could see the tents and often heard children playing in the backyard, the corner of which abuts her own backyard. She said she even suspected the children lived in the tents, but her husband said she should leave the family alone.

Theres lots of little things like that in the article "Heard kids playing" "Suspected they lived in the tents" "Saw kids & knew he was a perv".

Its a real tragity that could have been avoided.

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Kinda makes you wonder how many other creeps are keeping boys and girls like this.

Way too many.

Recently there was that creep in Austria who kept his daughter in the basement for over two decades. In some Asian and South American areas this kind of stuff is almost common.

Human slavery of any kind is dispicable, but its the worst when it involves children and sex. What really stinks about the whole thing is that all we can do when we catch these perverts is lock them up.

Somehow that doesn't seem like justice to me.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Kinda makes you wonder how many other creeps are keeping boys and girls like this.

A lot more than many people realise, I fear.

Sometimes society should find it in their hearts to thank inquisitive neighbours instead of automatically condemning them.

A phone call to the local police should always be followed through and any resistance to a brief tour of the house should be viewed with deep suspicion.

[Aramike]

A phone call to the local police should always be followed through and any resistance to a brief tour of the house should be viewed with deep suspicion.

I don't agree with that at all. That could easily lead down the path of random government inspections of people's homes.

[donut]

"Human slavery of any kind is despicable, but its the worst when it involves children and sex. What really stinks about the whole thing is that all we can do when we catch these perverts is lock them up.

Somehow that doesn't seem like justice to me." Castration, is not the death penalty, might make these bastards think ! 19 years in a back yard, w/no chance of escape ??? Only wooden fence ????

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Aramike

I don't agree with that at all. That could easily lead down the path of random government inspections of people's homes.

Not random, only those who had prior convictions of child molestation and kidnapping... like this guy.

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by donut

Castration, is not the death penalty, might make these bastards think ! 19 years in a back yard, w/no chance of escape ??? Only wooden fence ????

Now that's a punishment I could go for.

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Not random, only those who had prior convictions of child molestation and kidnapping... like this guy.

I agree with that. Besides, I thought registered sex offenders (of a certain degree) already had to submit to home inspections, but that's probably a state-to-state thing.

I would just have a problem with blanket inspections on anyone.