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.
These marks were made with 10 or 12 light lashes with a "cat o nine tails'. These will heal with no scars. Severe lashing inflicts scars that do not disappear. Savage lashing kills.
I wish we could get it implemented here and used more readily such as say 4 or 5 lashes instead of the year or 2 in jail (thats supposed to have been 5-10 years) for thieves and such and say 10 or 12 for some of the more sever crimes and say 100 or so for murderers and such instead of the death penalty, should reach the same end but in a lot more detureing way.
Yeah, I'd love to see that implemented here as well, but you know groups like the ACLU would step in and say it's cruel and unusual punishment. But know, if they didn't do the crime then they wouldn't have to pay the price!! I also think that prisons should not have cable T.V., weight rooms, etc. Give each con a cell (or pair them up), let them in the court yard for just an hour or 2 a day, then back into the cell. Make prison what it should be, hell on earth. Maybe we wouldn't have so many repeat offenders. Ryan
Where I just happen to be today, the cane is still used. It is applied by trained and calibrated guards. Pretty effective, so I'm told. Not too much recidivism. The problem remains with calibration of the swats. Do you apply with as much whack as you can muster, or lightly to leave no scars? I am positive that there is a way to drive the cat (or cane) by machine so it can be adjusted appropriately. Yeah, we might oughta do that.
I would figure lay into it and be sure it leaves nice reminders of what they can look forward to if they repeat their deeds, adjust the number rather than the severity of the strikes to acomidate the crime.
