Author Topic: Bahamas orders man lashed with cat-o'-nine-tails  (Read 3321 times)

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Amianthus

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Bahamas orders man lashed with cat-o'-nine-tails
« on: October 12, 2006, 09:51:13 AM »
Oct 11, 7:53 AM (ET)

By John Marquis

NASSAU, Bahamas, Oct 10 (Reuters Life!) - A man convicted of trying to rape an 83-year-old woman was sentenced to eight lashes with a cat-o'-nine-tails, a punishment used by the British Navy in the 18th century and reinstated in the Bahamas 15 years ago.

Altulus Newbold, 34, was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of burglary, attempted rape and causing harm. Justice Jon Isaacs ordered that he receive four lashes of the whip at the start of his sentence and four upon his release, but suspended the punishment for three weeks pending a possible appeal.

The cat, a whip made of knotted cords, leaves flesh wounds and is used on the offender's back by a prison guard. It was outlawed in the Bahamas many years ago, but reinstated in the former British colony in 1991 in the face of rising crime.

Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson supported the use of the cat and said it was retained only for the most "egregious" cases.

"I think the public is pleased to see the determination of our courts to see punishment meted out swiftly," she said.

Newbold was accused of breaking into a woman's home on Cat Island in July 2004 and trying to have sexual intercourse with her. The woman told the court that she grabbed Newbold's genitals and "mashed" them. He bit her to make her let go and then fled the scene.

Newbold apologized after the verdicts were handed down.

A spokesman for the attorney general's office said the cat was last used in 2000 on a child rapist. That was the first time it had been used since 1994.

Former Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Thompson said the cat was always considered an effective form of punishment.

"A long-serving prison governor told me that prisoners who received the cat never returned to prison. He considered it the ultimate deterrent," Thompson said.

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hnumpah

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Re: Bahamas orders man lashed with cat-o'-nine-tails
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2006, 02:08:23 PM »
As I understand from another article I saw about this, the woman he is accused of trying to rape was 83 years old.

I'm all for it.

When I was in Saudi Arabia, lashes were used in addition to cutting off hands, or heads. Seemed pretty effective; there was a very low rate of violent crime.
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Amianthus

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Re: Bahamas orders man lashed with cat-o'-nine-tails
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2006, 02:15:17 PM »
As I understand from another article I saw about this, the woman he is accused of trying to rape was 83 years old.

Actually, it was in the article I posted as well.

When I was in Saudi Arabia, lashes were used in addition to cutting off hands, or heads. Seemed pretty effective; there was a very low rate of violent crime.

It's amazing what actual punishment will do to deter crime. Even the "maximum security" prisons in the US are more like "country club prisons" compared to most other countries.
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Plane

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Re: Bahamas orders man lashed with cat-o'-nine-tails
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2006, 02:23:08 PM »
Could corporeal punishments substitute for part or all of a long sentance?


A lot of guys might choose to have a beating that they could heal from in a month rather than a jail term that would take a more significant bite out of their lives.



hnumpah

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Re: Bahamas orders man lashed with cat-o'-nine-tails
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2006, 03:01:42 PM »
Quote
As I understand from another article I saw about this, the woman he is accused of trying to rape was 83 years old.


Actually, it was in the article I posted as well.

Ah, so it was - sorry, I missed it.

Quote
It's amazing what actual punishment will do to deter crime. Even the "maximum security" prisons in the US are more like "country club prisons" compared to most other countries.

You got that right.

When I was in Turkey in the mid 70's, the provincial(?) prison was an old Roman fort that had been around 2000 years or so. It was right on the coast of the Black Sea in Sinop. The prison provided one blanket for each prisoner, and a bucket of water and a slops bucket for each cell; anything else the prisoners got, including food, had to be brought in by family or friends, or a recognized relief agency (like our chaplain service, for American GI's in the prison). The average life expectancy in the prison was less than five years; there had never been an escape. Unruly prisoners were put in cells in the lower levels for a day; the tide came in, the tide went out, and the crabs cleaned up the remains.

About that time, the city of Sinop was building a new municipal building and jail downtown. It took up an entire city block, and they dug the basement several stories deep. When I asked one of the shopowners why it was so deep, he explained that that was where the new jail cells would be, and they were so deep so you would not be able to hear the screams from the street.

In Saudi Arabia, lashes, amputations and beheadings are performed in the town square, usually on friday afternoon, in front of large crowds. Foreigners are welcome to attend; in fact, a lot of times the crowds will push them right up front to get a good look. Many of the Middle Eastern countries are pretty severe when it comes to punishment, but usually they are more discreet.

Bottom line is, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime - especially not overseas.
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