Concerns for safety of Melbourne women following spate of violent attacks
Extract from story by Digital Staff Sunrise Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Courtney Herron, 25, was bashed and killed at Parkville Royal Park in May. Henry Hammond is charged with her murder.
Courtney Herron, 25, was bashed and killed at Parkville Royal Park in May. Henry Hammond is charged with her murder.
In January, 21-year-old Aya Maasarwe was raped, murdered and set on fire near a Bundoora tram stop. Her attacker, 21-year-old Codey Herrmann, is awaiting sentence.
Budding comedian Eurydice Dixon, 22, was raped and murdered while walking home through Princes Park in June last year. Jaymes Todd is appealing against his life sentence.
“What we’re seeing is an unusual course of events,” MacKillop Family Services CEO Dr. Robyn Miller told Sunrise.
Dr Miller previously helped the Victorian government frame policy around family violence and has been working in the field for three decades.
“Statistically, these random attacks from strangers are quite rare. What’s more common are attacks by intimate partners, family members, and acquaintances.”A growing number of experts are questioning the belief that gender inequality is the root cause of violence against women. They argue that poverty, mental health, and substance abuse are also important factors.
End extract
The past statistics to the effect that random attacks from strangers have no relevance today because society is changing, and that change has been rapid. Gangs attacking shop keepers, women being raped in parks, and murders on lonely highways along with other violent acts are becoming the norm and this will be reflected in future statistics 5-years from now.
In response to this emerging threat to society is this Bill for an Act that would have allowed the above-murdered women the option of making an application to be permitted a regulated weapon such as pepper spray, or a taser. Random attacks mean that they occur in random locations. Therefore, not-for-profit security firms placing people with the right skill sets and resources in random public places that add an invisible layer of protection in society is a sensible strategy for the protection of our communities.
In January, 21-year-old Aya Maasarwe was raped, murdered and set on fire near a Bundoora tram stop. Her attacker, 21-year-old Codey Herrmann, is awaiting sentence.
Budding comedian Eurydice Dixon, 22, was raped and murdered while walking home through Princes Park in June last year. Jaymes Todd is appealing against his life sentence.
“What we’re seeing is an unusual course of events,” MacKillop Family Services CEO Dr. Robyn Miller told Sunrise.
Dr Miller previously helped the Victorian government frame policy around family violence and has been working in the field for three decades.
“Statistically, these random attacks from strangers are quite rare. What’s more common are attacks by intimate partners, family members, and acquaintances.”A growing number of experts are questioning the belief that gender inequality is the root cause of violence against women. They argue that poverty, mental health, and substance abuse are also important factors.
End extract
The past statistics to the effect that random attacks from strangers have no relevance today because society is changing, and that change has been rapid. Gangs attacking shop keepers, women being raped in parks, and murders on lonely highways along with other violent acts are becoming the norm and this will be reflected in future statistics 5-years from now.
In response to this emerging threat to society is this Bill for an Act that would have allowed the above murdered women the option of making application to be permitted a regulated weapon such as pepper spray, or a taser. Random attacks means that they occur in random locations . Therefore, not-for-profit security firms placing people with the right skill sets and resources in random public places that adds an invisible layer of protection in society is sensible strategy for the protection of our communities.
Quote from the victim, “Its life and death behind the counter here”…
The following is a summary from information sourced from a 9 News story:
A Doveton grandfather has risked his life to fight off six thieves raiding his family bottle shop. Bottles are thrown and smashed glass is strewn outside the store. One youth returns holding the sign as a shield. Several of his friends return, one armed with what appears to be a fence paling, and storm the store to free the gang member who is being detained for the police. The attendant, still armed with a bat, along with the other men barricade the door as one youth outside throws the wooden stake at a front window.
What is witch-hunt legislation?
The Witchcraft Act was a law passed by the Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Authorities viewed witchcraft and magic as illusory, treating it as a serious offense. The last person executed for witchcraft in Great Britain was in 1727. The keyword above is “illusory”.
Today it is legislation that contains no criminal intent as an element of an offense that targets anyone associated with a firearm real or otherwise that results in a criminal charge.
A good example of a “Witch-Hunt legislation” is the following situation:
Teenagers in New South Wales engaging in the sport of gel-blasters (i.e. a toy gun that propels soft gel harmless to people) are the targets of a criminal offense to be in possession of these toys. Some will say that the justification for this criminal law is that gel-blasters look like real guns.
However, it is reasonable to say that over time real guns now look like toys noting the use of plastics and Hollywood like add-ons including futurist stocks, scopes, and other devices. It has become difficult to tell a real gun from a toy gun, and the trend is that real guns will become more sci-fi looking in appearance.
if criminal intent is not an element of an offence than it is reasonable to say that it is “illusory” to presume that just because a person may be in possession of a firearm (real or otherwise) that they have criminal intent.
Another example of possession of a firearm (real or otherwise) that has no criminal intent is the fear of being raped. A woman is being stalked by a known rapist that is illusive to the resource-poor police. Being a person that grew up during the era when possession of a firearm in and of itself was not evil, she acquires a 22 rifle from the black market that she keeps hidden in her bedroom because she is familiar with this weapon and knows how to safely use it if need be?
One night the known rapist break in through her back door, and she retrieves the rifle and as he breaks down her bedroom door she stand across the room from him and points the rifle at him shouting, “I’ll shoot if you take one more step towards me.” ‘
On seeing the armed woman the known rapist retreats into the street and crashes his car running a red light.
The police arrest the woman for possession of an illegal firearm and they arrest the man for breaking into her house. Under present laws who will the law punish most in the above scenario, the known rapist or the woman?
Regrettable the woman will receive the hardest penalty as the man’s actions fall short of attempted rape because he did not take that one more step.