[tjwmason]

Or if the kid had attacked them with a knife or something and they had killed him in self defense they could have gotten life.
British law is a travesty. Ours isn't far behind.

The child attacking them is an utterly irrelevant nonsense, and for your information killing in self-defence does not warrant any punishment under English law.

What happened here is that the charge of murder (which carries a mandatory life-sentence) was not proved (this was the decision of the jury), and only the lesser crime of manslaughter (which tends to attract sentences in this region).

I agree that the period is far to short in this case (from what I can see), but it was the jury's decision to aquit on murder.

[Vor Lady]

What about Anthony Martin? He was defending his property and probably his life, he was put in prison in England.