Posted on 12/15/2007 8:15:26 AM PST by Sherman Logan
A FRUIT picking trip to NSW ended in the death of a Scottish backpacker over a row about creationism and evolution. English backpacker Alexander Christian York, 33, was today sentenced to a maximum of five years jail for the manslaughter of Scotsman Rudi Boa in January last year. Mr Boa, 28, died on January 27 after being stabbed by York at the Blowering Holiday Park, near Tumut. ... The Scottish couple and York, neighbours at the caravan park, were becoming friends and spent the night of January 27 drinking at the Star Hotel in Tumut. However, towards the end of the night, an argument between York and the pair about creationism versus evolution escalated into a shouting match at the pub. The couple, both biomedical scientists, had been arguing the case of evolution, while York had taken a more biblical view of history. ...Although the altercation had been defused by the time the Scottish tourists left the hotel, it became inflamed again at the caravan park when all three were quite drunk. According to Ms Brown, York was making dinner when he attacked the couple outside his tent, stabbing Mr Boa with a kitchen knife as the argument escalated. ...Justice Adams said he had given York a sentence at the lower end of the scale, partly because of the accidental nature of the stabbing. “I do not believe that he took aim but rather thrust out,” Justice Adams said. “I think he knew that the knife was in his hand ... but he did not actually turn his mind to the potentially serious consequences of doing this. “The offender is a person of good character and the offence is a complete aberration.” York, unshaven and dressed in prison greens, sat impassively as Justice Adams read out the sentence....
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
If you had to pick between the murderer, the victim's partner, or some other guy with access to lots of information on the case (the judge, here), which would you pick to make a balanced position?
What would you say about this?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1939986/posts
Are you SURE? I can just see NOah reeling into a bar (of his own construction) slamming his mug (or horn, or cup, or whatever) onto the counter and saying, “I’m fitter’n anyone in the place! Anyone here wanna shay I’m not the fittesh? Shurvival my BUTT. I can do WAY more than jus shurvive!”
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LOL! Sure, make a joke out of it. :)
I really thought we would have evolved beyond this.
"That is the Judge speaking." So because a judge says it, it must be valid.
Note I am referring to ONE specific judge. You extended the comment to "a Judge", any Judge. That is the first leap you made.
you have decided solely because he is a judge that he has no ax to grind
-- No. I decided because he is THE judge of this case, not just a random Judge.
I would tend to go along with his decision. -- Note the use of the word "tend", meaning hearing no evidence or objections against his opinion, I would lean towards believing he made the right decision.
you have decided ... that he saw all the evidence in the case,-- Well since he was the Judge in this case it stands to reason that he saw all the evidence doesn't it?
I note also the following:
1) He was convicted of manslaughter, not murder.
2) The article does not mention any dispute over the sentence handed down or the lowered charge (vs. murder).
3) THE Judge refers to this as an "accident", that wording is not mentioned as being in question.
Unless you have any evidence to support anything else I will stand by my statement, which you have misinterpreted.
Yes, I caught the part that the creationist with the knife was actually British on the second reading. Probably living in Australia without a valid work permit, in addition to being drunk!
Well, that would probably get him killed, especially if he tried it in Australia ... but he'd already propagated his genes before the Flood!
No apology needed. I was just trying to make a sort of ironic statement, and I think I failed. You have a great day (I hope you’re not stuck in the ice and stuff). :)
susie
So, explain to me what they were going to use them for. Are you suggesting that he was telling them to go out and stab those who didn’t agree with them?
susie
There was no murderer in this case. The man was convicted of manslaughter, there is a difference.
Nope. Just got back from doing a Christmas concert. Only raining here.
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