Another helpless victim of Australia’s gun laws. Law abiding Australians’
are not allowed to own or have in their possession any form of defensive
implement. Self defence is not a valid legal rason to own or possess guns,
pepper spray or anything that might have made the difference to this woman.

Precisely the group in society that benefit the most from having the tools
and the determination to use them. How many more will be maimed or killed
so that ‘evil’ guns must be kept away in case we might use them.

Another disgusted and angry Aussie.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,1824295%255E661,00.html

Robber teen says killer was laughing
By WAYNE HOWELL, Supreme Court reporter
07apr01

A TEENAGER fatally bashed and stabbed a 79-year-old grandmother and laughed
while another boy stamped on her neck, a court heard yesterday.

“Peter” lay down on the ground and laughed as he watched “Andrew” stamp on
the bruised and bloodied head of Jean Downing at her Frankston home in
September 1999, a Supreme Court jury was told.
The gruesome claim was made by 15-year-old “John” to police.
John, who is now 17, has pleaded not guilty to Mrs Downing’s murder.
He claims two other boys bashed and stabbed her while he looked for her car
keys and stole
her car.
Soon after the killing, John told police the other two boys were Andrew and
Peter.
But in November last year – after police found that Andrew and Peter could
not have done it – John said he had lied.
He then named two other boys – two of his friends – as the killers.
The prosecution has told the jury that police believe John assaulted Mrs
Downing alone but that even if he was with two other boys, he is still
guilty of murder by agreeing to her bashing.
John’s barrister, Graham Thomas, has told the jury his client never thought
the two other boys would kill Mrs Downing.
Yesterday the jury watched John tell police in his first interview how while
Andrew “had his foot wedged like this in her (Mrs Downing’s) throat and
under her chin” Peter was laughing.
“I mean he was laughing and he was just laying back on the ground,” John
said.
John denied hitting Mrs Downing.
“She wasn’t that bad when I looked through her bag to get the keys.
I mean she had a bit of
a blood nose and that was about it,” John
told police.
He said Mrs Downing greeted the three boys when they came to her door in
Murawa St just before 10pm on September 28, 1999.
He said he saw Peter and Andrew attack Mrs Downing with garden stakes.
John told police Peter and Andrew were “just kicking the crap out of her and
it was so bad to see that”.
He said that as the three of them were driving off Peter and Andrew were
“really happy”.
Because of their ages John, Peter and Andrew cannot be identified and these
are fictitious names.
John’s trial was to continue next week.

Graham Brown
Australia
Graham002@
____________________________________________________________
I would remind you that extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice. And
let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no
virtue!

Barry Goldwater US politician. Speech, San Francisco, 17 July 1964