A Yorkshire man found guilty of setting fire to a gay teen on his 18th birthday—resulting in the boy’s death—will only serve 21 months in prison, reports the Sun.
Steven Simpson, who had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and epilepsy, was celebrating his 18th birthday party last June when Jordan Sheard, 20, arrived with some mates and began teasing Simpson.
Sheard stripped Simpson to his underwear and wrote homophobic slurs on his body, which was then covered in suntan lotion.
The bully then held a lighter to Simpson’s groin, causing the disabled teen to catch fire. By the time a neighbor was able to put the flames out, Simpson had burns on 60% of his body. (A paramedic reported seeing lipstick all over Steven’s face—with the words “gay boy” on his head. )
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He died the following day.
Sheard, meanwhile, fled the party as soon as Simpson caught fire—and initially tried to tell police the victim set fire to himself.
He finally admitted he started the blaze but said it was just horseplay gone wrong. Judge Roger Keen accepted Sheard’s guilty manslaughter plea and sentenced him to 3 1/2 years. But Sheard will be released on parole after just 21 months.
“Any objective observer, given the fluid that had been poured all over him, would have considered that was a dangerous act,” said Keen at sentencing.
A dangerous act? Drinking while pregnant is a dangerous act. This was the dictionary definition of a hate crime, and the judge let him off far too easy. We can only imagine the pain Simpson’s family is feeling at being so cruelly devastated—twice.
255juan
This is noting new really. If you follow what happens in the UK regarding crime countless offenders are let go or given a suspend sentence. This is no different.
the other Greg
@255juan: Right – anytime I feel embarrassed about the crazy American legal & prison system, I try to remind myself of idiotic sentences like this in the UK and Canada, and Breivik in Norway sentenced to 21 (!) years for killing over 70 (!!!) people and b*tching about what kind of pen he’s allowed to have in prison for writing back to his Nazi pen pals.
2eo
@the other Greg: Our justice system is an absolute joke. In fact I would go so far as to say we in the UK don’t even deserve the use of the word “Justice” anymore.
We have the Metropolitan Police in London sitting on the knowledge of the largest paedophile ring in the world and they won’t do anything because the upper staff are almost to a man in on the ring.
fagburn
Why on earth are you quoting an account from The Sun, Queerty?????
Cam
It’s a shame that the British system still seems to cater to the perpetrator more than the victim. Perhaps crime would go down there if they took little things like…oh I don’t know, torture and murder more seriously.
Stache1
Wow. Barely a slap on the wrist. It’s a clear hate crime. He should be doing at least 10 years.
Kieran
Something tells me if this happened to a member of the British “royals”, Jordan Sheard would be doing life in solitary confinement in a dark, dank dungeon.
randallreynolds
So I guess Autistic Gay kids are expendable, right? Disgusting…
hephaestion
HELL NO!!! This will not stand!! Jordan Sheard needs to have the EXACT same thing done to HIM that he did to Steven Simpson! I am taking this to the Queen herself to make sure this bastard Sheard NEVER gets out of jail!!
This is the worst miscarriage of justice since the OJ Simpson case.
THIS SLAP ON THE WRIST WILL NOT STAND.
We need to start picketing the British embassy.
fagburn
Of course this is horrendous and tragic, but maybe the jury had a better idea of what actually happened after being presented with all the evidence and hearing from testimonies of witnesses, than you might if you only read a short garbled account on Queerty?
Still BRING BACK HANGING!!!!
MuscleModelBlog.com
What a terrible thing. Reading this put knots in my stomach. I never knew that the UK’s legal system was so out of touch with reality. How sad.
Jason
are you kidding me 21 month in Prison what if he killed a str8 teen guy he get more but see it was a gay teen he just get 21 month what this world come tooo the uk gov need to look more on this he should got more then 21 month hephaestion is right he got SLAP ON THE WRIST for what he did
Bob LaBlah
Is this the same country famous for putting people on “the rack” and the infamous Tower of London? My, my. The lows that the once mighty and powerful have fallen to is astounding.
255juan
@Jason, If he killed a straight teen it would of been the same outcome.
Jason
@225juan if he killed a start teen in state or a gay teen he would got life in Prison or death that the problem when u let the chruch of London run the gov the Qween and her son and his son who would be king are just fig.head it the chruch that run the gov not them but i can’t get over the 21 month but he would goted more he would goted life but it ok if you kill a gay person all you get is 21 months and told to a good boy and don’t do that agine a slap on the wrist it not right cant we all get along we have the same blood we all put are pant on one lege at a time
vklortho
Anything less than LWOP is going too easy on this murderous scum.
hyhybt
I cannot agree with the judge’s claim that anyone would know that to be dangerous. Why on earth would anyone think sunscreen was flammable? The possibility certainly never crossed my mind until reading this. And without its being flammable, while this would still be a hate crime, there’d have been no death or even physical injury.
Which isn’t to excuse any of it, and anyone who reads this and claims I am is therefore lying. I just don’t think there was intent to do more than to harass and embarrass, which while bad enough on its own is a far cry from murder.