Carl Keatley and Jordan Carroll
Carl Keatley and Jordan Carroll

Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant has said “life must mean life” after the sentencing of two people for the murder of Michael Eccles.

Sixteen-year-old Jordan Carroll, of Windmill Close, will serve a minimum of 11 years in prison, while Carl Keatley, of Greencroft, must serve a minumum of 13 years.

But Mr Fabricant has insisted that for justice to be correctly served, the minimum sentences must not be applied.

The Lichfield MP explained:

“Life must mean life. I can well understand the distress of Michael’s family when the judge said that Carl Keatley must serve a minimum sentence of 13 years and Jordan Carroll, 11 years. If these ignorant and cowardly thugs walk free after the minimum sentences have been served, justice will not have been done.

“Both Keatley and Carroll, as well as others, must be made to understand that that society will not accept crimes of this nature. They have been given a life sentence as a punishment, to protect the public, and as a deterrent to others. Anything less than a life, will fail as a deterrent and will be unjust to the memory of Michael Eccles.”

During their trial, the court heard how Mr Eccles was walking back from the shops when the pair kicked and punched Mr Eccles in a vicious attack which left him with fatal injuries.

A jury took less than a day to convict their pair in at Birmingham Crown Court in August.

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.

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Phil (Birmingham)
14 years ago

Unprovoked acts of this nature should warrant 30 year minimum prison sentences. Stamping and kicking someone to death, leaving families in turmoil for 11 and 13 year prison sentences is just not justified and does not protect the public enough as far as I am concerned. I think that most people would be happy that their taxes pay to keep people like these out of society ensuring they lose privileges law abiding citizens have.
These criminals could be out in their minimum sentence on good behavior. Why are prisoners let out early for good behavior? Prison terms should always be fixed to a minimum and increased for any additional bad behavior. The UK “justice” system is backwards and is on the side of criminal’s more than good honest people.

Rebecca
14 years ago

Advice and interpretation on “Life Imprisonment” is available at: http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/adviceandsupport/prison_life/lifesentencedprisoners/

Unconcerned Citizen
14 years ago

Rebeccas link is interesting – it seems ideally people won’t be released if not deemed safe.
It seems like a bit of a gamble.
Execution of murderers, rapists and paedophiles is a surefire cost effective way of keeping our streets safer.
I don’t see why this shouldn’t extend to other persistently reckless individuals such as joy riders, drunk drivers and drug dealers if they persistently re-offend.
We have to accept that some people are psychopaths and quite frankly, they don’t give a damn.

Resources could then be redirected towards attempts to rehabilitate criminals of a less dangerous nature.

Phil (Birmingham)
14 years ago

My point is that the law is wrong in my opinion. It does not matter if the person is 16 or 60 in many peoples eyes, if they have done the same crime then the sentence should be the same and showing no remorse should go against you with extra penalties, unlike the current system that basically can change the sentence in the criminals favour. These two criminals murdered a man in cold blood, kicking and stamping on him, and later showed no remorse, any 16 old would know the potential consequences of their actions. The judicial system is too tolerant on people who do some of the most inexcusable disgusting crimes.

Unconcerned Citizen
14 years ago

I completely agree with Phil – unfortunatly the justice system is so appaling that i wouldn’t be happy for them to be hanging people either. I was talking ideals.
I think most people agree that our justice system needs an overhaul.