30 months in prison for teens who beat priest

[kweerwolf]

The two Springfield teens who admitted beating a Catholic priest in Douglas Park on Dec. 21 were sentenced to 30 months in prison Tuesday.

Jamie E. Gibson, 17, and Ryan Boyle, 16, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery on May 23. Boyle, although only 15 when he committed the crime, was prosecuted as an adult. He will serve his sentence in a state Department of Corrections juvenile facility until he turns 17.

<snip>

A Crime Stoppers tip led authorities to Gibson and Boyle. Gibson told police he and Boyle had cut through the park and stopped near a bench to smoke a cigarette. An older man, later identified as Costa, walked up to them, started talking and eventually offered Gibson $50 for sex acts, police said Gibson told them.

Gibson told police the man had rubbed up against him and touched his leg, causing him to step back. When the man did the same thing again, Gibson punched him, knocking him to the ground. Gibson and Boyle then started kicking him in the head, police reports said.

http://www.sj-r.com/Sections/News/Stories/61460.asp

Hmmm ... Let's see? I'm not sure who I sympathize with in this story - the two budding gay-bashers or the priest out soliciting a little rough trade from kids young enough to be his grandchildren.

[danalytical]

1. I would've punched him too

If I was 15 yrs old and a gay PRIEST offered money to me like I was a prostitute I probably would have decked him too. I don't blame the kids for that, but to continue beating him seems over the top. The man is a pedophile, is HE getting jail time too?

[mitchtv]

6. Pedophile?

doesn't fit the criteria. Chickenhawk maybe. You seem to endorse violence, is it because he is a priest? Jail time?wake up

[William769]

2. I am not into gay-bashing.

But I wouldn't call this gay-bashing. I'd call it stupid-bashing. In my opinion the priest got what was coming to him & this is coming from a gay man.

[mitchtv]

5. glad you can excuse violence so easily

the priest did not "get what was coming to him", stupid as he was. I hope you don't someday do something stupid, and have someone decide they can wail on you for stupidity. A "no thanks asshole" would be enough.

[danalytical]

7. Let me get this straight

You think that hitting a pedophile is worse, than BEING a pedophile? Is that what you are inferring? Because I understand violence is bad, but to fault a 15 yr old kid for acting on his feelings when a PRIEST mistakes him for a prostitute and "rubs" against his leg repeatedly while offering money for "services", that's just plain backwards.

Maybe the kids should go to counciling, and maybe they do deserve some time in jail, but isn't it more disturbing that a local priest was tryig to solicit $ex from a 15 yr old kid? You call that a "mistake"? Seriously, I don't think that this qualifies as gay bashing. It's not like these kids went looking for gays to beat up. We don't know the full details, so all this is speculation anyways. Maybe they did go look for a people to beat up, but thats not how the article tells it, so I'm using that information.

[mitchtv]

9. you are mistakenly using the word Pedophile

to further your argument Pedophiles as I understand itare attracted to prepubescent children. No less illegal , but not true. Did I say "mistake"? No. Do I necessarily believe 2 straight teens using the gay panic defense? Not necessarily.that beating was almost fatal. I've seen too much of this. thaose teens were at the park after closing and at least 1 had a record, Sorry I just don't think anyone deserves to be beaten within an inch of their lives, and I can't believe the punks.

[Beaver Tail]

3. And of course

No chargers of Sexual Assult against the priest

[Dr.Phool]

4. Another tragedy caused by Boston.

[davidinalameda]

8. there are no victims in this story

the kids were thugs and the priest was trolling for hustlers, or at least some dick and he thought the kids were prime to be paid for him to suck their dick

pardon my french

I just hope the diocese fires his ass so he's away from kids in the future

I doubt this is the first time he's tried to get in the pants of some kids and I figure he's been successful in the past

[kweerwolf]

10. Here are some more details from the original story I found interesting

Costa, formerly pastor of parishes in Sherman and Athens and chancellor of the Catholic Diocese in Springfield, returned to Springfield last week after more than five months at an out-of-state convalescent center for priests, nuns and members of religious orders. Costa has resigned his positions and has been removed from any ministry or diocesan duties, though he continues to be paid as a priest.

The diocese has said Costa resigned because of "previous instances of inappropriate and risky behavior" that were discovered after he was beaten. Douglas Park has a local reputation as a site for homosexual activities.

The "out-of-state convalescent center" is probably the one in Arizona where the church sends its problem priests for substance abuse and sexual problems. Sounds like the incident brought out some previous incidents the priest was involved in and he was thus removed from his ministry. I'm hoping that means the church is learning its lesson and not just sweeping dirt under the carpet when it comes to priest who are sexual predators.

[dsc]

11. I was all ready to say that trying the kid as an adult and giving that

sentence was out of line but then I read this.

Both Gibson and Boyle have extensive criminal histories.

Tharp said Boyle was found delinquent in 2002 on charges of criminal damage to property charge and burglary, was put on probation and then violated it. He spent a year in a juvenile facility and was paroled in October, she said.

Gibson had juvenile adjudications for retail theft, battery and burglary, she said. He twice violated terms of probation and dropped out of his drug treatment program. He was sentenced to prison and once violated his parole but was discharged from parole less than a month before the park beating.

Tharp said some of Gibson's offenses "were of an outright sexual nature," including one in which he touched the buttocks of a female teacher with his groin and another in which he asked another student a sexual question, then beat him to the ground and kicked him.

"Sounds familiar," Tharp said. "No matter what the provocation was, there was nothing that would justify the beating" Costa received, she said.

end of quote

These boys have been given numerous chances and this priest nearly died. 30 months isn't out of line at all.

[danalytical]

12. That puts things into perspective

They said the kids were 15 or at least one of them was when this crime took place. Its hard to imagine 15 yr olds that screwed up, but I guess they were all asking for a little trouble that night.

[Ian David]

13. After reading this thread, it looks like all three got what they deserved

If the kids had been decent (instead of the punks they were) then what they should have done was detain the priest with the minimum necessary force (citizen's arrest) and detain him until authorities arrived.

Punching his lights out was so un-cool.

Still, it's unfortunate that this priest doesn't go to jail, and still gets a paycheck from The Poop.