A 16-year-old Northside boy will face the ACT Childrens Court this morning (Wednesday, February 22) charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal causing death.
Police will allege the youth killed at least three dogs by setting them on fire and then dismembering them. The remains of three dogs were located by police in a vacant grass area yesterday afternoon.
A search warrant was conducted yesterday at the youth’s home where a number of evidentiary items were located. The youth was arrested at the conclusion of the search warrant and taken to the ACT Watch House where he was charged.
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What’s Your opinion?
Alleged dog mutilating teen to face court this morning
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colourful sydney racing identity said :
Absolutely. Well done.
poetix said :
While i wholeheartedly agree – i think the fact that he is so young, and actually thought this was funny – is why people , including myself assumed he was a little ill. Kids don’t usually steal dogs and do that to them, the perticlar way the animals died was shocking and in a regular everyday persons mind you would assume the person was crazy – not many people can fathom doing that kind of thing. And personally i kinda hope he is ill, it means he can be helped/ or cured or even controlled – if he’s just pure nasty then we ave alot more to worry about. When i mentioned that the boy might be ill, it was never in my mind to put out that all people with mental illness are violent, they aren’t in fact your run of the mill schizophrenics are awesome people who make me laugh.
Nailed it.
poetix said :
Very well said.
I don’t know anything about this particular individual (and will probably not read details of the case) but would like to approach this in a slightly different way. People like Mental Health Worker (and others) who blithely assume that someone this cruel has a mental illness actually encourage the stereotype that the mentally ill are violent and to be shunned. It also contributes to people who have a mental illness hiding the fact, which isn’t good for them in terms of recovery.
Self-harm is by far the most common injury inflicted by people in this situation, and it is actually quite offensive to see how quickly people diagnose violent people as mentally ill. Anyone who has a relative in this situation, or who suffers from a mental illness themselves, should challenge this type of crude generalisation. Some people enjoy being violent, that’s all. That does not mean they are mad or unable to control themselves.
A Canberra teen accused of burning and dismembering dogs in the city’s north has faced fresh charges of animal cruelty.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named, is now charged with four counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/more-charges-against-accused-dogkiller-20120309-1uo9c.html#ixzz1oZsUE04t
Gerry-Built said :
And if this kid, despite the best efforts of the “no one is responsible for their own actions” brigade, turns out to be bad, not mad?
Two social workers are walking down the street when they come across a guy lying in the gutter, his head having been bashed in with a baseball bat, and his body having multiple stab wounds on it.
One turns to the other and says; “We must find the person who did this! They need help!!!”
Ben_Dover said :
I was not aware of this… References please???
Ben_Dover said :
I certainly haven’t written off this boy’s actions, but neither have I written off his right to life… By all means have an emotional reaction, but don’t be surprised when a highly emotionally charged response is argued against by a voice of more reason… Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but not at everyone else’s expense (I argued the point, not dismissed it). My point, clearly; is simply that the punishment should take into account that this kid is likely to have a mental health issue that is treatable, and that perhaps this avenue should be examined before we send out the lynch mobs…?
southernyassfella said :
Yep,
Postalgeek said :
OK, so maybe said “single mum” or “well-meaning, loving parents” could switch the idiot box off and pay attention to what’s going on in their household?
This kind of stuff doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Bad kids come from bad parents.
Gerry-Built said :
Interesting, first you decide that we have diagnosed this vermin correctly, when as some of us have clearly said that you can be bad without being mad. Obviously, as it fits with your preconceptions, you have no argument with that.
Then, you decide that; while it’s ok to write this vermin’s actions off as “serious mental health issues” (unspecified,) the rest of us are not allowed to have an emotional reaction to the atrocities committed, and express it in strong terms.
Funny that, isn’t the suppression of natural emotions one of the main causes of mental ill health? So why are you trying to inflict them on us?
Clearly this kid has some pretty serious mental health issues, which have manifested themselves in the most grotesque and abhorrent of methods, with him killing animals for pleasure/excitement: with clear plans to take it to the next step. The fact that almost every poster ‘gets’ that this is shocking makes it more unbelievable that so many are calling for mob justice, when it is clearly time to get this kid some serious help(and appropriate detention). Most mental health issues seem to result from imbalances in the chemistry of the brain, so appropriate medication can almost always control the spectrum of weird mental disorders. To be calling for him to be executed, set alight or castrated says volumes about your mental health, not his. It is hardly ‘justice’ you are after; you need to keep your emotions in check…
JazzyJess said :
Oh my GOD! I’ve just realised the son of a friend not only has duct tape and a hacksaw, but chisels, fretsaws and even woodworking power tools! He’s been collecting them since he was 12! Come to think of it, he’s even got a mask and earplugs. Large amounts of wood HAVE gone missing from local wood suppliers. I believe that I’m onto something and shall report his transgressions to the authorities.
Thanks for bringing this up. I’d have never noticed it otherwise.
fabforty said :
Maybe, but if we’re going to ride the wave of conjecture, let’s consider other alternatives, such as a single mum trying to raise a kid, working all the time and unable to keep tabs on unhappy junior, or well-meaning, loving parents of a hard-wired evil kid. It’s naive to think that parents know all their kids’ dark secrets.
Depending on circumstances, I feel for any parent who discovers the capacity of their child for monstrous acts. And the worst thing is that they have to suffer alone, their grief deemed invalid or inconsequential in the eyes of the community. Words of hate instead of comfort. It would be an hellish place to suddenly find yourself.
There but for the grace of God…
I draw some comfort that this young person is likely to be contained, under scrutiny and receiving the mental health treatment he so clearly needs. What is truly disturbing, is that Mental Health Worker, who seems to view this behaviour as little more than youthful hi-jinks, is not.
God help us all if his moniker is anything other than a random computer-generated username.