This month's ridiculous news

I've just read some disturbing news articles.

The Metro 'Pensioner killed burglar' Georgia DiebeliusTuesday 10 Apr 2018 7:26 am

The Metro 'Man who trashed burglar's shrine' Joe RobertsSaturday 14 Apr 2018 8:57 pm

The Metro 'Stabbed burglar to have 100,000 pound funeral' Tanveer MannSaturday 14 Apr 2018 9:07 am

Daily Mail 'Hero pensioner fears never being able to go home' 

By SARAH WHITE and JAMES FIELDING FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 23:59 AEST, 9 April 2018 | UPDATED: 05:15 AEST, 10 April 2018


You may have noticed that these are all British news headlines and they're all to do with the same thing. 

The gist of it is that one Henry Vincent (37y/o) broke into the home of Richard Osborn-Brooks (78y/o) and his wife with the intent of robbing them. He was armed with a screwdriver and had an accomplice. Osborn-Brooks wife had ailments and her husband was concerned for her well being. 

In the end, Vincent was killed by a single stab wound in self defence. 

Vincent's accomplice dragged him out to a van but then left him for dead. The van was later found burnt out, and Billy Jeeves (28 y/o)  - was nowhere to be found. 

Nothing hard to understand about that, is there?

What's hard to comprehend is that Mr and Mrs Osborn-Brooks may not be able to go back to their home as they have been threatened by the traveller community. 

What's a traveller? I've been out of Europe so long that I thought they genuinely meant that the robber was travelling though the area. 

The conversation: 'Traveller people forced to 'prove' ethnicity under new planning rules'

September 28, 2015 3.32pm AEST

Used as an umbrella term, “Traveller” encompasses an array of people and groups, among them Romani Gypsies, Roma and Irish Travellers living in the UK.

Right. Now, Roma/Gypsies have generally either had an evil stigma attached to them or a fond stereotype of free spirited enigmas. Same as any people, there are good and bad apples. 

What's happening here though, where apparently friends and family of the burglar are threatening the victim, saying that they're going to get revenge for this guy's death. They're putting up large memorials on the victim's home, and if one article is to be believed, they're going to pony up for an expensive funeral parade to go past the victim's home. 

Which beggars the question... if everyone had this money, and thought the world of this guy.. if he was genuinely down on his luck... why didn't they help him? 

According to one of the deceased's friends.. Mr. Vincent had preferred the life of crime, choosing easy, weaker targets and refusing to train or get qualifications/a legitimate job. 

As per the Daily Mail article:

The traveller who knew Vincent told MailOnline: 'I know that Henry Vincent would have killed the pensioner first if he could have got away with it, but they will act like he's the victim in all of this.

'This poor man and his wife won't be safe going back into their own home. Anything could happen.'

The dead burglar was a known cocaine user and heavy drinker, the traveller, who did not want to be named, added.

The married father said: 'There is nothing that they won't do to get their own back on this pensioner for taking Henry from them, even though he broke into the pensioner's house armed with a screwdriver.

'They won't get over a death of one of their own and they won't rest until they get their revenge against anyone who takes a cherished loved one.

'And when I say revenge, I mean they'll go armed with whatever they've got – guns, knives, anything that they can lay their hands on.' 

I can understand grieving families wanting to leave some flowers but if it was someone I cared for? I wouldn't put them at the scene of his crime. I'd hold a small memorial at home, and try to make peace with the victim. A lot of the notes left at the scene are mostly saying some variant of 'strangers can say what they like, WE know who you were and you were good' etc. 

And maybe he was good to his family. Maybe he was a nice bloke if he wasn't trying to rob you. 

That's the point we have to keep coming back to, is that he was in someone else's home, with intent, and armed. Good people that can be thought the world of, generally don't do that as a rule of thumb. 

Decent people don't do that in general, as it's against the law. 

If the victim has simply walked up to the aggressor and killed him, then yes! Outrage! That's terrible!

When you break it down in black and white though.. the victim was forced into a situation where it could very well be his and his wife's life or this strangers. Would Vincent have died that night if he had chosen not to break into someone's home? 

Now when someone else who takes down the enormous, mocking tribute on the victim's home.. he's also threatened? What is this?

According to the Metro article: 

The source said: ‘They plan to take the procession right past the house. It’s supposed to be a message to locals and the guy who killed him that gypsies are not to be messed with.’ ‘Vincent’s spent his life ripping off the elderly yet his funeral’s designed to make you think he was some kind of gypsy god. ‘They’re planning to spend £50,000 just on flowers. There will be limousines and ornate horse-drawn carriages.’

What is this? Seriously?