Quote Originally Posted by redken1 View Post
I am not advocating that convicted thieves should go unpunished. The two suspects should have been handed over to the police. It is up to a fair trial in a proper court to determine whether or not a suspect is guilty of an alleged crime and not a lynch mob
IMHO there is no defence for the torture of a fellow human being in a civilised society.
I agree with redken1 on this one, especially as, after 3 days of torture, the lads didn't fess up and say where the bikes were, (which I would if you just waved a soldier ant at me). This might imply that they didn't know. I'm not sure that handing them over to the police would necessarily have resulted in a fair trial though; as rude as we are about the British justice system, our police and courts are more open and transparent and less corrupt, violent and feared than in South America.