Petition E
To Lord Glenarthur,
Firstly, we sincerely thank you for sparing time from your busy political affairs in reading this letter.
We dare to write on this occasion to request you to review the case of a prisoner who is now serving a term of imprisonment at the Stanley Prison. We sincerely hope that you will, based on the spirit of humanitarianism, consider giving this prisoner the hope of a new life.
We are the next-of-kin of this prisoner, Lam Wai-Ho, Prisoner No.57370. In 1983, Lam Wai-ho was convicted of murder because he participated in a case of fighting in revenge. As he was less than 18 years old at the time of the offence, the Learned Judge ordered that he be placed in the custody of prison to await the disposal by Her Majesty. He has now been imprisoned for more than 8 years.
In order to maintain law, order and stability, imprisonment is disheartening but necessary to an offender. Therefore, the punishment suffered by Lam Wai-Ho is the price he should pay for breaking the law. In this letter, you are not requested to forgive the seriousness of this offence. We only earnestly urge you to review the sentence passed on Lam Wai-Ho and to decide if it is worth reducing, taking into consideration the meaningful experience he gained through this sad lesson. We would also ask you to consider whether he is qualified to become a member of society and not a prisoner who is always living in despair.
In this period of more than 8 years, through continuous visits and correspondence, we strongly observed that no matter in mind, or words or behaviour, Lam Wai-Ho had undergone noticeable changes. The advance in years, together with training from the surrounding circumstances, have turned him into a steady and mature person.
If there is а suitable time to request you to reconsider the sentence of Lam Wai-Ho, we believe this is the most appropriate moment. It is because he has already kept away from crime, and is a truly repentent person.
According to similar cases in the past, generally prisoners (H.M.P.) will have their sentences commuted by the relevant authorities after serving 5 to 6 years' imprisonment. The commuted sentences were fixed terms of imprisonment ranging from 12 to 20 years. However, in the case of Lam Wai-Ho, he has
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