Reading about the case of Learco Chindamo who is soon to be released from prison I can quite well understand the reasons for not deporting him. He came to this country at the age of five, he was born and raised here, he does not speak Italian, he is not Italian. I am less agitated by his so-called human rights than I am by the realisation that he is what he is because of us. It wasn’t Italy that made him a murderer, it was Britain. There is nothing to be gained by sending him to Italy. It might seem the modern equivalent of transportation but in those days convicts had no prospect of ever returning from Australia. These days travel is so cheap and our borders so open that he can return perfectly easily, so what’s the point.
The part I don’t understand though, is why is he being released at all? He brutally murdered a headmaster at his school. He has served just twelve years for taking a human life. The Home Office says he is still a danger to society. This is not about why isn’t he being deported, this should be about why is he being released? Murder should demand a very lengthy term in prison, “life” should be the norm and life really should mean life. Philip Lawrence’s murder shocked the nation at the time. But in the intervening years nothing has been done about the problem of juvenile delinquency. Our streets have become the playground for knife-wielding young hoodlums who seem to think they are living out some x-box fantasy in real life. They “blow away” those who get in their way. This problem is going to get a lot worse before politicians wake up to it and do something. When they do, it is going to take a generation to undo the damage already done.