If I was to bump into Jordan MacSweeney, who was today sentenced to at least 38 years for the murder of Zara Aleena, I’d probably be bricking it. If there is such a thing as evil, then he is the very definition of it. He’s probably quite a hard case, although he had a perverse preference to go after those who were not as strong as him. But this doesn’t make him a real man. Real mean don’t do what he did. And he showed his true side when he refused to leave his cell for sentencing. He’s a coward, a bottler; as the judge put it, he has “no spine whatsoever.”
Is 38 years in prison really enough for someone who did what he did? Probably not, but at least he will be 73 after the 38 years is up. And the key words are “at least 38 years“. I totally get the calls for him to be hanged, of course I do. I only wish there was a hell for him to go to. But capital punishment would be a nice easy ‘out’ for MacSweeney. Ms Aleena’s family will have to suffer for the rest of their lives. Why should he be set free from a life in prison?
It is clear that since he wouldn’t leave his cell, he has no regret nor contrition. He doesn’t care how others feel. 38 years in prison – and imagine your life 38 years ago, where you were and what you were doing – is a very long time. He might think he’s the hard man now but those four walls will begin to eat away. Even if he is very lucky, the earliest he will see the outside world will be in 2060. Christ, 2024 seems long enough away as it is. But 2060.
No. Let the bastard serve his time. Anyone who has ever set foot in a prison knows just how grim it is, even for a few hours. It’s not like the movies where prisoners make clever escapes and it’s not luxurious, far from it. And the loss of freedom to do anything – well, what’s left to do other than to sit and stew, for 38 years?
If Zara was family, or a friend, would I feel different? Who knows? I can only speak as I feel now, reading the reports of an innocent woman being murdered by an evil coward, and wanting him to suffer for the rest of his life. If I was offered the chance to put a bullet through his brain, would I take it? Possibly, I don’t know. It isn’t going to happen so I speak as I see now. 38 years to be constantly reminded of his evil and cowardice. Let’s see how he feels after that.
