That is fair enough Johnny. Undoubtedly our first concern is for the victims. But might you not be open to persuasion that an even more terrible outcome is when the victim becomes an abuser? That seems to be the cycle. I don't think that is the same as making excuses. If we can make people feel that they have control over their actions - as well as responsibility for them - we may be able to break this cycle.
Some forty years ago, along with three other boys, I was beaten in the middle of the night in my pyjama trousers by a man, who shouted out, "Dirty! Filthy! Boy!" with each stroke. I was eight. In those days, he was able to masquerade as a disciplinarian rather than the paedophile, the more accurate description, which would be applied nowadays. I don't know what became of that wretched man, but I do believe that his childhood was no happier than mine.
I have been pretty fortunate in life since then. Maybe the same was not true for Ian Dunlop, whom I mentioned in my earlier post. In short, I am not making excuses for abusers. Like you, I believe that people, who commit crimes, which hurt the victims terribly, can expect severe retribution. That does not make it an effective response to abuse.
I guess that above all, you want to see the potential victims of paedophiles better protected. That is what we both want. My own view is that retribution without rehabilitation wastes money and diminishes our own humanity. It is what Ian Dunlop did that I hate - not the man himself.