Tomorrow the victim impact statements will take place in the case relating to the senseless killing of Maple Batalia.
It’s a shame that this happened and it’s a shame that every parent of a daughter in this country could not be there to show how this impacts them because they too are victims.
I am a father of daughters and I hope that the sentence in this case reflects society’s disgust for stalking and femicide.
Far to often pleas are accepted to close a file and save the family reliving the murder over and over again.
The problem with that is that sentences are more lenient and therefore other families who have daughters suffer through the very same moment.
I hope tomorrow, when the statements are read and the sentence is calculated, the court sends a message to the community, Maple’s family and yes Maple herself that this will no longer be tolerated and that Maple’s death has meaning.
The sentence should likely be life ( Maple’s family gets life without her) but not a moment less than 21 years with no eligibility for parole.
Maybe then the community will be a little safer and some of these monsters will think twice before committing the most heinous of crimes.
Only time will tell…
Somewhere along the way our – that’s right, OUR – justice system lost sight of its mandate from all citizens to fight our fights and enact our punishments. The only reason why courts and police forces exist is to put defense from criminals in the hands of dispassionate professionals instead of everyone going after their own justice – something we are entitled from birth to do. It is beyond sad that bereaved people now have to plead that police, lawyers and judges will simply do what we hire them to do.
Somewhere along the way our – that's right, OUR – justice system lost sight of its mandate from all citizens to fight our fights and enact our punishments. The only reason why courts and police forces exist is to put defense from criminals in the hands of dispassionate professionals instead of everyone going after their own justice – something we are entitled from birth to do. It is beyond sad that bereaved people now have to plead that police, lawyers and judges will simply do what we hire them to do.