Sunday 13 March 2011

Only In Croydon...

A 14-year-old boy stabbed another child in the chest on a bus full of terrified schoolchildren, a court heard.

The 17-year-old victim suffered a punctured lung when he was knifed twice on the 466 bus in Purley on January 14.
I was expecting this to be a gang thing, but it seems not:
Witnesses said an argument broke out on the morning bus after someone threw some paper, and ended with the 14-year-old stabbing the older boy with a kitchen knife.
That’s Croyden for you…
His attacker, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, at Croydon Crown Court yesterday.
Not attempted murder? What was the CPS thinking?
The boy pleaded not guilty to possession of an offensive weapon, to the confusion of the judge, who pointed out he must have been carrying the knife to commit the stabbing.
/facepalm

Naturally, it’s not his fault:
The court heard the young attacker had been in care or on the risk register since he was born, and may be suffering from mental health problems.
Who can tell? Stabbing strangers over a squabble on a bus is, after all, pretty normal for Croydon.
Defence solicitor Ailimare Arunachalam said the boy had been physically abused by his father in the past, and attempted to argue for a lesser charge to be put.

But Judge McKinnon said he could not "entertain" such a submission because of the seriousness of the offence.
Maybe the judges are getting fed up at last?

5 comments:

Captain Haddock said...

"Ailimare Arunachalam" .. pretty much says it all really ..

Though I bet the victim wondered whether the bus might stop at the "Purley Gates" .. ;)

NickM said...

It should be attempted murder. I mean stabbing someone in the chest is having a pretty good go isn't it?

And you know what will happen don't you? An ever greater crackdown in the war on cutlery when it should be a war on scrotes.

I do IT work frequently involving hardware. This means tools. I used to keep my Gerber multi-tool on my belt in it's little pouch what it came with. Not any more.

Gordo said...

Perpetrator cannot be named for legal reasons or described for political ones.

Leg-iron said...

Always it's the 'oh, I had a hard life so you;ll have to excuse me turning into Mr. Stabby now and then'.

Well this guy was the child of a single parent, was in a motorcycle gang at 14 and has just had to stop providing free meals for the homeless and the poor because he can't afford it any more.

Something those defence lawyers could maybe point their clients towards...

JuliaM said...

"Though I bet the victim wondered whether the bus might stop at the "Purley Gates" .. ;)"

:D

"It should be attempted murder. I mean stabbing someone in the chest is having a pretty good go isn't it? "

Twice!

"Something those defence lawyers could maybe point their clients towards..."

And affect the money flow? Those Porsches won't buy themselves...