tonyav - "Hopefully long-term to permanent psychiatric incarceration will be the result - because that is what is appropriate.
andy, do you mean appropriate in your opinion ?."
It is my opinion, but I think it will be the same as the opinion of the powers-that-be - such actions are not the behaviour of a rational mind, but I would suggest the behaviour of a psychotic disturbed group of people.
For them the notion of punishment is not appropriate in my view.
Punishment is only relavent to someone who understands that they have behaved in a manner which society as a whole deems unacceptable, and in order to fully understand that, a punishment proscribed in law is fitting.
On the evidence thus far, the people involved in this case appear to be sociopaths - they have no concept of right and wrong, and no sense of empathy with their victims, so punishment would serve no real purpose, because punishment requires an acknowldgement of wrongdoing, which trhe sociopath is incapable of experiencing for themselves.
Therefore, psychiatric incarceration would appear to be the way forward here, but I am no expert, and as you suggest, this is purely my opinion.