You can’t legislate morality - and with the current ‘trend’ to be governmental atheists - this is what you get - people who have no moral boundaries what-so-ever who prey on the weaker and disadvantaged.
And of course they are just given a few years - because he didn’t die. Let out just in time to be adult thugs.
IF it were “so appalling, such a difficult case, blahblahwoofwoof”, then why did he not make the punishment, oh, I don’t know, a tad more severe? The ONLY way this stops is if it is known far and wide that you do bad stuff, your ass is had. And had BAD.
Stocks. Perfect punishment. Make them out of steel though so no one can break them out easily. Fifteen months in them would be fine. This is what society degrades to when punishment becomes anything but. Maybe the ratbastards will get a little bit of like treatment while in the pokey.