Preventive detention: Court admits vile predator is beyond saving
It is good to finally see the justice system handing down a sentence that actually protects the public from a predator who, in my view, will never change. Too often on Substack I’m writing about offenders walking away with a slap on the wrist or about immigrants who commit serious crime yet somehow manage to avoid deportation. But this time, there are no excuses and no second chances. This homegrown predator can stay exactly where he belongs.
Justice David Johnstone’s decision to impose preventive detention on Dean John Howard is the kind of call we need more of from our courts. Here is a man with a long, horrific history of sexual and physical abuse, who has shown no remorse, no insight and no interest in rehabilitation in almost a decade behind bars. Psychological reports confirm he remains a high risk of violent and sexual offending. Even the judge acknowledged that Howard’s pattern of offending has escalated over time.
Preventive detention exists for exactly this kind of offender. It recognises that some people pose an ongoing and unacceptable risk to the community. Finally, instead of pretending that a fixed term and supervised release would magically make this man safe, the court has acknowledged reality. Howard will only ever be released if he can convince the Parole Board that he is no longer a danger, and even then, he’ll be monitored for life. Hopefully, that day will never come.
The bravery of his victim cannot be understated. Her decision to come forward, to speak out, and to allow his name to be published will protect others who might otherwise suffer as she did. Her message is clear - people need to know exactly what he is, a monster.
For once, the system has put the safety of women and the wider community ahead of an offender’s future prospects. It should not be a rare moment. But it is a welcome one.
Pay Elon Musk to throw the key beyond Mars.
About time this happened