This family seem like a heard working one that has taken years to build themseves a business so they can have a decent life and then come along some people who won't work, have no talent and take everything that this good family has and destroy their lives in a short space of time. THIS SO SAD!

Jack M, Woodford, London, UK

Lewis: We have a system which is "beyond reasonable doubt". Yes, there have been mistakes. But I ask in return, how many innocent people have been raped, attacked and murdered by released prisoners. Which quantity of deaths would you choose? Because that choice is made every day in every court.

Tom Franklin, London, UK

My thoughts are with this poor family. I hope the gang are caught very quickly. I don't necessarily agree with the death penalty but am very much in favour of longer prison terms and much harsher prison conditions. Even if it means prison ships or building new prisons, life must mean life

Emily, London,

Well it would stop them from doing it to anyone else wouldn't it!

Adam, leics,

Horrific crime commited on a family going about their everyday lives. The death penalty should never have been abolished for crimes of this and similar offences. The mere threat of the death penalty has got to be a deterant. Come on the powers to be, wake up.

John K, Cheshunt, England

An eye for an eye or it should mean LIFE. I come from a very traditional and have been brought up very well with my families morals instilled in me. However, I am still a liberal person, but even i think this country is going down the pan I am emigrating as soon as I have finished University.

Andrew, Liverpool, UK

Statistics in the US show that the death penalty is not a deterrent; homicide is consistently more common in states that have the death penalty than in those that do not. Legal costs also make it more expensive than life sentencing, while there is a real moral issue in allowing the state to murder.

MB, Dublin, Ireland

This is a dreadful tragedy (only 1 mile from where I live, btw) but your hang-em-flog-em rants won't change things. The vulnerability of isolated semi-rural shops like this is created by cars, proximity to fast escape routes, and impregnability of richer pickings, not the lack of a death penalty.

Alastair, Hagley, UK

Although I understand the call for the death penalty after such an incident there are drawbacks. First, the death penalty does nothing to deter murder here in the states; second, in some instances in the US innocent people are put on death row and later exonerated? Hopefully!

Jack, Chicago, USA

Lock them up for 'life', when the police catch these cowards.
sad, how an average person cant live their life earning money without criminals taking there lives for a Petite sum of cash

Nath, Bromsgrove,

It appears that NO recognition of a right to bear arms (or self defense), NO death penalty, and NO legal access to firearms by the proles hasn't solved YOUR problems either, as this article bears witness...has it....?

I'll take our way here in the US, thanks. God Save the UK...from an Anglophile.

AK, Colorado Springs, USA

Debating the death penalty? Rather banal don't you think? Personally I'm hoping for some beheading for witchcraft. Ridiculous.
Where did the perpetrator acquire his gun? What caused his moral corruption? How could it have been prevented? My other thoughts are with the family.

Georgina, Lyon,

Look at the current fuss over a convicted murderer who hung himself....why should a prison officer's time be wasted on suicide watch?
If you don't want to go to prison don't commit a crime!

RD, Kidderminster, England.

with DNA it would be hard to make mistakes as in the past. Bring back the death penalty.

mark, Fairfield, Worcestershire, England

I find the idea of capital punishment totally abhorrent - sadly real life is not as simple as an eye for an eye. Why sink to the level of the perpertrators? They deserve to rot in prison for life. And what on earth makes you think that the death penalty would be a deterrant? Look at the States!

Alice Greenfield, Bournemouth, England

If and when these people are caught they will be subjected to a life of no cares and worries with the do gooding liberals ready to blame society for their evil cold blooded murder. I was never for the death penalty but in cases like this I dont see an alternative considering jail is a holiday camp.

Robert, Aberdeeen, UK

I'm for the death penalty if cctv can completely identify the killer or attempted killer. Otherwise, hard labour from 8am - 8pm with no comforts like tv, refuse to work and you forfeit food. Turn prisons into what they're meant to be and not some cushy hotel.

chris, nuneaton,

I am implacably against the death penalty. It makes us, the "innocent", culpable of knee-jerk homicide. I DO, however, demand that a 'life' sentence for murder will mean 'for life'.
Stop allowing a convicted murderer to go free to roam the streets after only a token sentence.
Life should mean life.

David Michael, London, UK

I am the post office manager of nearby cutnall green po.we have suffered 2 robberies,one armed,although not with guns.I AM TERRIFIED.These people will stop at nothing to gain a free passage to money.This once great country of ours needs to stand up to thugs,layabouts and freeloaders,

david smith, droitwich, uk

'do you think that these thugs would have gone armed and shot this poor man' You don't know do you, you make the rational assumption that they wouldn't but who says they are rational or will get caught?
'When guns are banned' - We don't have several children massacred in school yearly.

CJ, West Sussex,

Having the death penalty will not bring back this young man's life, you're absolutely right about that. But it'll definitely serve as a deterrence for would be murderers. It's never a matter of punishing the murderer, it's a matter of giving a warning to the rest.

Kelvin, London,

It doesn't appear that the right to bear arms, the ready availabilty of guns or the threat of the death penalty in the USA does very much to prevent needless deaths there.....why would that work here?

Chris, york, uk

The problem is GUARANTEEING they are 100% guilty
how many innocent people were executed in the past?
how many in the past 20 years have been released from prison after being proven innocent? some of which were inside for years
If there was the death penalty these innocent people would be DEAD!

Lewis, Manchester,

The death penalty will not bring this young man back, it will just commit another murder. How can you say you value human life when you are so eager to take another. Life sound mean life in these cases, we should as a society be prepared to protect not only our citizens but also our moral values.

paul davis, leeds,

The police had better find them!

Tom, London,

absolutley right Mike and Stephen,
use the death penalty in these very serious cases.

graver, bridgetown, barbados

It's grossly unjust that the people who committed this crime should be allowed to live after conviction. People's standards of behaviour are degenerating to mimic those seen in computer games and Hollywood's violent films, and ordinary people are increasingly threatened. Capital punishment's needed

James, Westcott, UK

My thoughts are with the family, you just don't expect something like this to happen so close to home.
its so upsetting. something must be done about all this crime

Caron, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire

When guns are banned, only crooks and cops have guns - no surprises here, but naive to believe any good will come of such a childish mindset.

gishere, phoenix, usa

More blood on the hands of woolly-minded liberals. If we'd a death penalty do you think that these thugs would have gone armed and shot this poor man? If caught they'll be sentenced to 'life' and a judge will tell them what a terrible crime they've committed & make them serve a minimum of 12 years!

F Wilkinson, Bolton, Lancs

Absolutley no excuse to commit murder for monetary gain,when caught these,which they will be,should be subject to the death penalty.
Fed up with the attitude of do-gooders and crimes of this nature.

Mike B, Lincoln, UK

Time to restore the death penalty!
It is disgusting that law abiding people should be at the mercy of scum like these

Stephen Holmes, Withington, Manchester