Inhumane sentence

Please allow me to convey my congratulations to music student William McCover, a young man I’d never heard of, let alone met, but whose courage and integrity I consider an example to us all. I have nothing but admiration for him for starting the online petition, calling on Lerwick Sherriff Court to reconsider its judgement in the case against Sam Barlow.

I have lived in Shetland for nearly 40 years and what William has done is putting me, and perhaps other Shetland residents, to shame, as there have been countless cases of what I consider miscarriages of justice in the past that should have been flagged up rather than swept under the carpet.

It goes without saying that a three-year prison sentence will do absolutely nothing to help this young man. If anything, it is bound to compound his problems. What does this say of us as a society, to send such a highly vulnerable individual to prison?

For all I know, our sheriff Philip Mann may be a kind and just man, but in this instance, and with all due respect, I believe he has lost the plot – completely.

I am proud to be a member of the Shetland community, a community that has decided to distance itself from this inhumane sentence, to stand up against this crass misjudgement and to stand behind a young man that needs our support.

Yours sincerely
Rosa Steppanova
Lea Gardens
Tresta