Jail for Merseyside teenager who killed her mum after violent row

[Redway]

A teenager who smothered her mother to death was jailed for four years and eight months.

Rebecca Durkin, 19, from Southport, was cleared of murder after a jury agreed that she had lost control after being driven to the edge.

But the teenager had already admitted killing Clancy Durkin to death at their home after a row.

Durkin told Liverpool Crown Court during her trial that her single mum, who was a hospital cleaner, was an alcoholic who became violent when drunk.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/jail-merseyside-teenager-who-killed-7632115#.U_Hqkq9935Q.facebook

[arista]

Evil

[T*]

:sad: I live in Southport, this happens unfortunately more than you think, R.I.P :(

[lostalex]

Don't kill your mom!! mmkay.

that is ****ed up though, less than 5 years jail for killing someone! that's crazy. I mean the Uk justice system is crazy, not her (well she's crazy too)

[Toy Soldier]

I can't believe she killed her to death. She could have stopped after just killing her a little bit, but to be in such a rage as to just keep going with more and more kill until all of that killing actually ends a life? It's just shocking.

In all seriousness though: it sounds like the mum had been an abusive drunk for years and the girl snapped. It's not all that surprising.

[Redway]

Don't kill your mom!! mmkay.

that is ****ed up though, less than 5 years jail for killing someone! that's crazy. I mean the Uk justice system is crazy, not her (well she's crazy too)

You just have to do this in every thread, don't you?

[JoshBB]

Don't kill your mom!! mmkay.

that is ****ed up though, less than 5 years jail for killing someone! that's crazy. I mean the Uk justice system is crazy, not her (well she's crazy too)

Should be 30+ years imo

[JoshBB]

I can't believe she killed her to death. She could have stopped after just killing her a little bit, but to be in such a rage as to just keep going with more and more kill until all of that killing actually ends a life? It's just shocking.

In all seriousness though: it sounds like the mum had been an abusive drunk for years and the girl snapped. It's not all that surprising.

ohgodrofl

[Toy Soldier]

Should be 30+ years imo

30+ years for a girl who killed someone without premeditation, when in fear for her own life / safety? ... A bit harsh, IMO. What should she have done - just sat back and let her kill her? I'm not saying she didn't use "unreasonable force"... but, she was in a position where she HAD to fight back, and in the heat of a fight like that things can get out of control. I think her punishment reflects that, personally.

As for the UK vs US justice systems, from what I know of things like this in the US, she would actually have had a decent chance of not getting a custodial sentence at all... as there's (rightly!) much more scope for self defense in US law.

Here in the good old "lenient" UK, I know a guy who got 6 months in prison for GBH, for knocking out a random junkie who was trying to mug him. Completely mental. In my opinion, if some random makes the decision to attack you in the street unprovoked (or to steal) then they're damn well fair game. If they happen to hit their head on a wall and die, tough ****, they shouldn't have been mugging people :shrug:.