Judge rapped over boy's race case

[Styles]

They say the judge is out of touch, I personally think its them! Its crazy a 10 year old being taken to court! This should be dealt with at the school as bullying and the boy should be told its wrong etc! The Judge is right, im in my twenties and dont think hes out of touch. Just useing common sense for once!

 

Judge rapped over boy's race case

 

A judge who said a legal case against a 10-year-old boy over alleged racism was "political correctness gone mad" has been criticised by a teaching union.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said Judge Jonathan Finestein was "out of date" in his attitude.

 

The boy from Irlam, Greater Manchester, appeared at Salford Youth Court accused of racially abusing a fellow pupil.

 

But Judge Finestein adjourned the case, saying the boys would have got "a good clouting" in his day.

 

On adjourning the case until 20 April, he asked prosecutors to reconsider whether the case was in the public interest.

 

However Judith Elderkin, NUT National Executive member, said the judge should have taken the allegation of racism more seriously.

 

She added that she thought he was "out of date" with the way issues are dealt with in schools today.

 

The boy is accused of abusing an 11-year-old pupil in a school playground between 1 July 2005 and 30 January 2006.

 

He is accused of calling the pupil names including "P***, ni**** and Bin Laden".

 

During the preliminary hearing the court was told the boys are now friends and play football with each other.

 

'Reverse decision'

 

But Judge Finestein said he thought the decision to prosecute the youngster was "crazy" and urged the Crown Prosecution Service to reconsider its decision.

 

The judge said when he was at school he was repeatedly called "fat", but in those days the headmaster would have just given the children a "good clouting" and sent them on their way.

 

"Have we really got to the stage where we are prosecuting 10-year-old boys because of political correctness?" he said in court.

 

"Nobody is more against racist abuse than me but these are boys in a playground; this is nonsense.

 

"I think somebody should consider reversing the decision to prosecute."

 

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said the force took all crimes seriously and was totally opposed to any racism.

[Pooks]

Political correctness gone mad again. These are kids. They have to be taught how to deal with these situations, not prosecuted for them.

 

I think that it should be the NUT (appropriately named) that ought to be given a ticking off for not having the capability to discipline the teachers that failed to bring this to a stop long before the six months that it continued.

 

Nutters.

[JustMe]

This world has gone mad. Sure the kid needed to be given a good talking to by the school's head teacher but thats all. In fact I wonder if even a talking to was needed. Kids do call each other names without there being any malice in the words used......just think of anyone wearing glasses to school...."four eyes" and the like. And are insults towards the Burra kids at Scalloway school quite common?.

 

Judges in the UK do some strange things but this time I believe the judge was 100% right.

[niceday]

I agree that it was absolutely nonsensical for the police and the criminal justice system to have been involved in this case. Social developmental institutions such as families, schools and communities must deal with these issues themselves. The criminal justice system has been proven time and again to be ineffectual in dealing with the troubles of young people.

 

Not sure I would agree that it is 'political correctness' gone mad though - racism is a serious problem in this country (the BNP may well do frighteningly well in the local elections in England) which needs to be tackled. However, this should be done within the school with the involvement of the families.