I saw this report on TV in my hotel last night. I didn't think it was sensationalistic, for what that's worth.
[WS:] The story is not the point here, but public reactions to it - posted on the BBC website. I often peruse what people post there to gauge public sentiments on different issues. Their value is twofold. First, they represent opinions formulated by the respondents themselves (unlike opinion polls, which measure responses formulated by those who designed the survey). Second, they have the feature that allow readers to "recommend" a particular post, which gives some idea how many readers agree with a particular sentiment.
What I found a bit surprising in the public responses to this rather balanced story was the number strong reactions asking for stiff penalties (including death) for the perpetrators. It is surprising, because EU does not have death penalty, and general public sentiments are against it. This may suggest that public sentiments are swayed by the perceptions of crime - if people do not see crime as a problem, they tend to be against strict punishment/death penalty, but when they face crimes that they see as particularly heinous or threatening, they tend to favor strict punishment/death penalty.
If this interpretation is correct, this would support my view expresses on this forum time and again that criminal justice system often serves in the role of "magical ritual" that gives people a peace of mind in situations that they find threatening, but over which society has very little control or preventive measures.
Wojtek