Thursday, July 09, 2009

Not pulling on my head or heart strings

Occasionally, when watching something like Nigel Latta's Into The Darklands, or reading an Alan Duff book, it is possible to feel some sympathy for a killer. Taffy Hotene, for instance, suffered severe abuse and alienation from his family, from very young and for many years.

I have yet to experience the faintest twinge for this character. In fact the effect is inverse to the amount of past 'hardship' he parades.

4 comments:

wino said...

It stikes me as such a strange plea - manslaughter as she provoked him! Insanity is really the only logical option surely. The whole trial sickens me - to suggest anything the poor girl did warranted that treatment is bizarre. He's a good case for the death penalty IMO

brian_smaller said...

Agreed. Even if he comes out after 20-30 years inside he will be the same person; a self-obsessed narcissist. He will always be a danger to other people - especially the kindly lonely women who seem to be attracted to people like him while they are incarcerated.

Michael Wynd said...

I believe that his lawyer tried to persuade him to not given evidence on his own behalf. As his evidence has caused a such negative reaction across the blogshpere one can only wonder what the jury feels. It seems to me that he convicts himself the more he keeps talking. Unlike Mr. Bain who knew well to never take the stand.

Robin Johnson's Economics Web Page said...

Now that the jury's verdict is out, it appears that Micheal's comment hit the nail on the head.