English magistrates determined that a 16-year-old boy was "not guilty" for setting a 12-year old girl's hair on fire in December 2008. It occurred near a Burger King in Cheltenham.
Here are both sides of the argument:
The victim says he "did it deliberately" and threatened to do it again. Her hair did not go up in flames but it did "smoulder" and "smoke."
The boy says he found the lighter and was playing around with it, flicking it near the girl but never intended to actually set her hair on fire or do any other kind of harm. A witness says they were all just having some fun and thinks a stray hair must have caught fire. The boy's solicitor, Ros Jackson, argued that the boy did not have "intent" nor was he in a "reckless state of mind." He also said that the boy suffers from ADHD and did not take his medication on the day of the incident. The boy said in court that he "just does things without thinking about it."
Justices deliberated for about an hour, finding that the boy was not behaving in a reckless manner and ruled in his favor.
*********************************************
I am putting my opinion in the comments section rather than here. Would you like you add your own opinion?
Posts
