Want chips with that, mate?
Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 07:16PM Two years ago gone August, a young man died standing up to a bully, he died because he objected to this clown throwing chips at his girlfriend, he died because he was stabbed seven times in thirty seconds, in a vicious raging attack; after which the murderer casually walked down the bus stairs and escaped into the London traffic. I wrote of this attack and killing, and compared the response of the police, judiciary and media to the death of another young man, one Anthony Walker, who died in Liverpool around the same time.
As I commented at the time, Richard received posthumously neither a huge funeral in a Cathedral, nor a huge police dragnet to find and apprehend his killer, it was almost a case of, "well we'll get around to it, and it was only a white man who got killed; besides which he asked for it, standing up to some nutter!"
The operative word in that last sentence is the final one, as we heard today when Richard's killer was found guily of Manslaughter. We heard that he had been released from jail hours previously, despite a warrant being issued for his arrest on another charge (erroneously as it turned out). He had faced charges under the Child Abduction act, but the magistrates had mysteriously released him when the prosecution stated they were unable to continue with the case without a three week amendment. His defence for the killling was that of 'diminished responsibility due to schizophrenia' but the witnesses described him as the 'Smirking killer', but the second of two juries fell for the story that 'he couldn't help it, he was ill!'
So, this sick bastard will be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, and if I read my tea-leaves correctly, he'll be said to have recovered, stable and on medication, ready for release in a couple of years time!
No, he should have swung by his neck until his twisted life was squeezed out of his lungs, in some small retaliation by Society for the shattering loss felt by Miss Kerry Barker, who knelt by her dying boyfriend while his killer walked away!
The police deserve praise for their investigations, but the real questions are still to be answered. Why was this murderous clown allowed to walk free? Why was he not re-arrested? Why was his warrant not listed on the Police National Computer?
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Reader Comments (9)
I really thought that phrase 'on the grounds of diminished responsibility' was no longer used, but it seems that when a jury cannot accept that a murderer enjoyed killing someone, the only explanation must be that he was insane.
What a terrible state of moral ambivalence!
I can see a time coming when ALL black murderers will be excused (for being black) on the grounds that they don'nt know any better.
We should all feel safer for that gem of comfort.
This is a terrible case and I can't understand why he hasn't been convicted of murder, but it's wrong to claim that this proves black murders are treated more seriously than white, or that black killers are treated more leniently. There are many murders of white people that have gained large publicity and many murders of black people that barely get a mention. There are loads of different circumstances that propel some cases into huge stories and others as one day wonders but the idea thet there is some organised political/media conspiracy to slant murder stories according to race is paranoid nonsense.
>>So, this sick bastard will be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, and if I read my tea-leaves correctly, he'll be said to have recovered, stable and on medication, ready for release in a couple of years time!<<
Not necessarily. Just this week a chap died in Dartmoor after serving 55 years at HM Pleasure, Britain's longest serving convict.
He was sentenced at the age of 22 and never saw freedom again.
I was not aware they had even caught the guy. Happened just up the road from me here.
You are right though. He will be out of prison very quickly. The days of sentences above are over Noel. The guy you refer to had the mental age of a child aswell. You've got to be kidding if you think that would happen now.
How many times is this people have been stabbed or hurt on public transport. It's getting unsafe to use it. Something needs to be done to protect the public on public transport, especially at night.
This is an appalling crime.
Just think that had it happened in Northern Ireland the criminal concerned could get early release, become the Minister of State for Education, go to the Whitehouse to meet Mr Bush and claim a 6 figure salary.
There is an irony in there somewhere methinks.
Why was this murderous clown allowed to walk free? Why was he not re-arrested? Why was his warrant not listed on the Police National Computer?
Yes I would like to know the answers to those questions too. I bet we read a statement from someone that 'lessons will be learnt' always, always that phrase. Nobody is ever a failure in this country, but it always happens again. Some poor child will be beaten to death. a psycho will be released because of inefficiency.
This black killer smirks...if I was a member of the victims family he wouldn't smirk for long, I would kill him and claim it was due to diminished responsibility.
"but it's wrong to claim that this proves black murders are treated more seriously than white, or that black killers are treated more leniently"
All the evidence points to that statement being 100% the opposite of the truth, but there's none so blind as those that refuse to see, eh Colm.
What does this mean?
"He had faced charges under the Child Abduction act, but the magistrates had mysteriously released him when the prosecution stated they were unable to continue with the case without a three week amendment"