The beating death of Aaron Webster

[peapod]

6 years for beating someone to death, just because he was gay...I wonder how these young men came to this end? so filled with hate that they would murder an innocent person for his sexuality. A man dead, and peoples lives ruined and destroyed...





Six-year sentence for Webster attacker
Last Updated Feb 8 2005 10:38 AM PST
CBC News
VANCOUVER – A man convicted of manslaughter in the beating death of a Vancouver gay man in Stanley Park has been sentenced to six years in prison.


Aaron Webster
The Crown had been seeking a sentence of between six and nine years for 22-year-old Ryan Cran.

The defence asked for a term of two to four years, saying the Burnaby man was not the principal attacker when 41-year-old Aaron Webster was beaten by a gang of young men.

Webster's body was found more than three years ago in an area of Stanley Park frequented by gay men, prompting allegations of gay-bashing.


B.C. Supreme Court Justice
Mary Humphries
But in sentencing Cran on Tuesday, Madam Justice Mary Humphries said she heard no evidence that Webster's beating death was a hate crime.

She said its brutality likely was an expression of some kind of hatred, but that there was no evidence that it was directed at Webster as a gay man.

She found that Cran had less responsibility in the beating death than two youths who were convicted earlier.

She said the court had to ultimately bring down a sentence that was appropriate for the offence – and reflected society's desire for justice, deterrence and retribution, but not vengeance.

here is a link if you want to read the whole thing.
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_webster-sentence20050208

 

[peapod]

6 years for beating someone to death, just because he was gay...I wonder how these young men came to this end? so filled with hate that they would murder an innocent person for his sexuality. A man dead, and peoples lives ruined and destroyed...





Six-year sentence for Webster attacker
Last Updated Feb 8 2005 10:38 AM PST
CBC News
VANCOUVER – A man convicted of manslaughter in the beating death of a Vancouver gay man in Stanley Park has been sentenced to six years in prison.


Aaron Webster
The Crown had been seeking a sentence of between six and nine years for 22-year-old Ryan Cran.

The defence asked for a term of two to four years, saying the Burnaby man was not the principal attacker when 41-year-old Aaron Webster was beaten by a gang of young men.

Webster's body was found more than three years ago in an area of Stanley Park frequented by gay men, prompting allegations of gay-bashing.


B.C. Supreme Court Justice
Mary Humphries
But in sentencing Cran on Tuesday, Madam Justice Mary Humphries said she heard no evidence that Webster's beating death was a hate crime.

She said its brutality likely was an expression of some kind of hatred, but that there was no evidence that it was directed at Webster as a gay man.

She found that Cran had less responsibility in the beating death than two youths who were convicted earlier.

She said the court had to ultimately bring down a sentence that was appropriate for the offence – and reflected society's desire for justice, deterrence and retribution, but not vengeance.

here is a link if you want to read the whole thing.
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_webster-sentence20050208

 

[peapod]

6 years for beating someone to death, just because he was gay...I wonder how these young men came to this end? so filled with hate that they would murder an innocent person for his sexuality. A man dead, and peoples lives ruined and destroyed...





Six-year sentence for Webster attacker
Last Updated Feb 8 2005 10:38 AM PST
CBC News
VANCOUVER – A man convicted of manslaughter in the beating death of a Vancouver gay man in Stanley Park has been sentenced to six years in prison.


Aaron Webster
The Crown had been seeking a sentence of between six and nine years for 22-year-old Ryan Cran.

The defence asked for a term of two to four years, saying the Burnaby man was not the principal attacker when 41-year-old Aaron Webster was beaten by a gang of young men.

Webster's body was found more than three years ago in an area of Stanley Park frequented by gay men, prompting allegations of gay-bashing.


B.C. Supreme Court Justice
Mary Humphries
But in sentencing Cran on Tuesday, Madam Justice Mary Humphries said she heard no evidence that Webster's beating death was a hate crime.

She said its brutality likely was an expression of some kind of hatred, but that there was no evidence that it was directed at Webster as a gay man.

She found that Cran had less responsibility in the beating death than two youths who were convicted earlier.

She said the court had to ultimately bring down a sentence that was appropriate for the offence – and reflected society's desire for justice, deterrence and retribution, but not vengeance.

here is a link if you want to read the whole thing.
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_webster-sentence20050208

 

[SirKevin]

Even if you want to argue that this wasn't a crime committed based on this man sexual orientation - which the homophobes will argue - why are you letting the guy off on eseentially a technicality?

I don't care if a gay guy, a straight guy, a white guy, a black guy, a man, a woman, a person with blond, brown, black, pink or purple hair, I don't care if it's Stephen Harper, Mike Harris or Dalton McGuinty - is beaten to death, why are we looking for excuses ("it wasn't a hate crime") to NOT put the killer(s) in jail for as long as possible?

 

[SirKevin]

Even if you want to argue that this wasn't a crime committed based on this man sexual orientation - which the homophobes will argue - why are you letting the guy off on eseentially a technicality?

I don't care if a gay guy, a straight guy, a white guy, a black guy, a man, a woman, a person with blond, brown, black, pink or purple hair, I don't care if it's Stephen Harper, Mike Harris or Dalton McGuinty - is beaten to death, why are we looking for excuses ("it wasn't a hate crime") to NOT put the killer(s) in jail for as long as possible?

 

[SirKevin]

Even if you want to argue that this wasn't a crime committed based on this man sexual orientation - which the homophobes will argue - why are you letting the guy off on eseentially a technicality?

I don't care if a gay guy, a straight guy, a white guy, a black guy, a man, a woman, a person with blond, brown, black, pink or purple hair, I don't care if it's Stephen Harper, Mike Harris or Dalton McGuinty - is beaten to death, why are we looking for excuses ("it wasn't a hate crime") to NOT put the killer(s) in jail for as long as possible?

 

[peapod]

My question if it was not a hate crime against a gay, than why in a place where everyone knows is where gay people meet??? He chose his location because they were looking for a specfic kind of person. This location is well known to everyone in the lower mainland. I don't believe it was random anymore than I believe it was a concidence that scott pederson was just fishing in the area where his wife's body was found...

 

[peapod]

My question if it was not a hate crime against a gay, than why in a place where everyone knows is where gay people meet??? He chose his location because they were looking for a specfic kind of person. This location is well known to everyone in the lower mainland. I don't believe it was random anymore than I believe it was a concidence that scott pederson was just fishing in the area where his wife's body was found...

 

[peapod]

My question if it was not a hate crime against a gay, than why in a place where everyone knows is where gay people meet??? He chose his location because they were looking for a specfic kind of person. This location is well known to everyone in the lower mainland. I don't believe it was random anymore than I believe it was a concidence that scott pederson was just fishing in the area where his wife's body was found...

 

[SirKevin]

I too think it's horribly obvious that this was a hate crime - but just for the sake of avoiding taking the debate to the public forum, can't we just agree to call it a hate crime for the sake of locking up the killers for as long as possible??

Like I said, calling it anything but a hate crime [in a legal sense] is basically letting the murderers out of jail as soon as possible...the people who argue that this shouldn't be treated as a hate crime are essentially rewarding the perpetrators.

 

[SirKevin]

I too think it's horribly obvious that this was a hate crime - but just for the sake of avoiding taking the debate to the public forum, can't we just agree to call it a hate crime for the sake of locking up the killers for as long as possible??

Like I said, calling it anything but a hate crime [in a legal sense] is basically letting the murderers out of jail as soon as possible...the people who argue that this shouldn't be treated as a hate crime are essentially rewarding the perpetrators.

 

[SirKevin]

I too think it's horribly obvious that this was a hate crime - but just for the sake of avoiding taking the debate to the public forum, can't we just agree to call it a hate crime for the sake of locking up the killers for as long as possible??

Like I said, calling it anything but a hate crime [in a legal sense] is basically letting the murderers out of jail as soon as possible...the people who argue that this shouldn't be treated as a hate crime are essentially rewarding the perpetrators.