24 November 2006

Not guilty of assault, it's just a psychotic episode

| johnboy
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A bit like crocodile attacks in the Northern Territory it hardly seems worth reporting when the ACT Judiciary decides that a miscreant is just mis-understood.

The ABC has the latest effort whereby Peter John Gibson, of Ainslie has been found not guilty of “assaulting his wife, his sister-in-law and a police officer who arrived on the scene and subdued him with capsicum spray”. Oh, and he also bit a dog.

The reason for the not guilty verdict from Justice Terry Connolly? Peter was found to be suffering a psychotic episode at the time.

Frankly I feel safer already.

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That poor bloody dog. I hope it doesn’t get dandruff.

Maybe Simon’s new jail can have a phsych ward?

If you have to beat up on people make sure you bite the nearest dog thereby opening the door for a psychotic defence to be used once you get to court.

equalitarian9:19 pm 25 Nov 06

If there are extenuating mental health probs, it doesn’t lessen the crime or the effect on the victim(s). Victims’ suffering and the social consequences are the very reason we have laws and penalties.
If the offence is proven, as it happened, by the defendant, the penalty should apply.
If the person is unstable, it should only mean a different scheme of treatment within the penalty – not aquital.
Bashing women is inexcusable, biting the dog?? – the lash in Garema Place.

Obviously in the ACT, if you suffer a mental illness, you can get away with anything. The right of those around you impacted by your sociopathic behaviour means nothing.

I heard that Martin Bryant was misdiagnosed, and that he actually has a form of Autism

Yeah but there must be a cut off point, where you commit such serious violence that even if you are a loony they lock you up. EG – if martin bryant was in the act would they have let him out for being a psychotic?

I was in sydney today, and got off a train, and the bloke in front of me got screamed at by a loony. The loony screamed right in his face, aggressively, and then looked around for more people to scream at. I’m really not interested in putting up with violent aggressive loonies!

Good Idea.

ACT doesn’t have a mental insitution. Mental Health = Get out of Gaol Free I’m afraid.

I think he should be locked up in a mental institution until he fails to suffer any more psychotic episodes.

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