To think being bullied doesn't justify stabbing someone in the face?

[Topaz25]

So this article popped up in my newsfeed today. Teenager stabs girl in the face and beats another black and blue because they called him HARRY POTTER
www.facebook.com/dailymirror/posts/552566581523132

I was shocked at the amount of comments defending him! I was bullied as a child so I do understand it is devastating but that doesn't justify stabbing someone in the face! He didn't just lash out in the moment, he went home to get a knife to cause maximum damage, he lead the girls to the park, he thought this through. He is a danger to the public. I am also surprised at the sentence, I think stabbing someone in the face while shouting "die, die!" indicates intent to kill and should have been charged accordingly. I do wonder if his supporters would want to live next to him when he gets out or have him round to dinner since he is so misunderstood? I don't agree with bullying but when he attacked two younger girls I feel he effectively became the bully, it was a massive overreaction to the situation and he had other options. AIBU?

He then went back into the flat and re-emerged with a vegetable knife before walking to a local park - knowing the girls would follow him.

And therein lies your answer. Sometimes, just sometimes, the worm turns, and it ain't pretty. Those girls get no sympathy from me.

Sadly the far more common scenario is that the victimised, bullied, harassed, tormented person ends up dead - for the crime of being different, sensitive, vulnerable, and an easy target for cocky little gobshites who like to throw their weight around.

He had been bullied since he was at least 9 years old.. Am not surprised he snapped and I have no sympathy for the evil bitches. Especially if that Facebook link is accurate which I don't doubt it is either.

And he will probably be bullied mercilessly in prison as well.

Of course what he did wasn't right and of course he needs to be punished but they are also to blame. It isn't the same for other victims of violence because many victims of violence don't taunt, and bully someone relentlessly. If you do that there may well be a consequence. Honest to god if this had happened to my Dd I would be horrified but I would equally be disgusted by her bullying behaviour.

Both of my brothers were horribly bullied at high school, physically as well as verbally. They still feel the effects of this now as men in their 40s. Would I have been surprise if they had evetually retaliated? Not in the slightest. Frankly it's a miracle that they didn't.

I actually fell out with a friend whose son had been thumped by a young lad with special needs. He admitted to his mum that he had knowingly taunted the boy for several days but he and his mum were still incredibly aggrieved that the school punished them both.

I do wonder if his supporters would want to live next to him when he gets out or have him round to dinner since he is so misunderstood?

What's to misunderstand? He was tormented until he snapped and gave them what they had coming to them. Quite frankly I'd rather have him as a next door neighbour than either of those evil little shits.

Those girls should just be grateful they didn't end up dead, and have a second chance at living a life without being disgusting little cunts. Although given that they are self-absorbed enough to pose for and release 'selfies' in the media of their injuries I don't hold out much hope.

Quite frankly I'd rather have him as a next door neighbour than either of those evil little shits.

Indeed, yes. We've had one nasty little shit living in our road. We certainly don't want those two.

My My ds turned it inwards, not outwards and made an unplanned snap decision to jump of a bridge. He'd been relentlessly bullied and harassed for years by those older and younger than him as well as his own age.

I only still have him because a passer-by stopped him. Had he succeeded everyone would have said he obviously planned what he did, but he didn't, it was a moment of having had enough and he did something incredibly stupid.

I'll also take him as a neighbour over either of those two or their families.

What he did was over the top, and the use of the knife totally unacceptable, but I have no sympathy whatsoever for those girls, the fact he knew they'd follow him is very telling.

I hope they've learnt that it isn't safe to bully and brutalise others even if mummy thinks it's normal behaviour and they should be allowed to do whatever they want to other people, but I doubt it.

Quite frankly I'd rather have him as a next door neighbour than either of those evil little shits.

Well said. He can come live here. I would love for him to be my sons role model.

"Quite frankly I'd rather have him as a next door neighbour than either of those evil little shits."

That was the impression I got from Facebook stalking the respective people, funnily enough.

Well in my opinion there's a serious problem in our society!!
People don't take bullying seriously enough
reports about bullying are being dismissed or very often ignored
I really could give here so many examples serious enough to take matter even further on
It's not just bullying it's very often a crime which have not being treated serious enough!

friend had been bullied so badly she took her problems higher on and being ignored
Tough bullying didn't stop got worse

So in my opinion till society won't start treating reports about bullies more serious
nothing would change

It's a very sad situation I totally sympathize with that boy I feel sorry for him
I'm sure however that this situation was 100% avoidable
I don't believe for moment that he didn't try to fight his bullies in different way
and had been dismissed or ignored!

There is never any excuse for physical violence yes the bullies needed to be delt with but in the proper fashion. He could have killed both those girls

He could have thumped them both once (still not right) but he went in for the kill

Well I doubt hitting them both once each would have achieved very much. Probably got him beaten up by their boyfriends/friends/brothers.

Fuck all you can do about it.

There is never any excuse for physical violence yes the bullies needed to be delt with but in the proper fashion. He could have killed both those girls

And what is the 'proper fashion' you suggest, I can't think of any 'proper fashion' eg stopped pocket money, serious talking to, not allowed out late, that would have much effect imo.

And if he is thought likely to 'lose it' and stab someone I don't think he will be bullied in prison as he could take revenge on getting out.

I wonder if it would have happened had they not followed him. I have little sympathy for them. being bullied can drive people to suicide ffs.

Perhaps the knife wasn't originally intended for the girls after all Vampyre? I hadn't thought of that.

"There is never any excuse for physical violence yes the bullies needed to be delt with but in the proper fashion. He could have killed both those girls"

Really, I think physical violence can be justified but I don't believe in always turning the other cheek. Not that I'm saying the level of violence here was justified - I don't have all the facts.

*Quite frankly I'd rather have him as a next door neighbour than either of those evil little shits.

Well said. He can come live here. I would love for him to be my sons role model.*

You'll have to share him with us then. I'd rather have him live next door than those shits as well, in fact I'd buy the fucking house for him if I could.

I wonder what the criteria is for pleading under diminished responsibility?
He's clearly acted out of character.

I'm finding it hard to muster up any sympathy for those girls even though they've been attacked.

They went looking for trouble and found it, they kept on looking for it by following him to the park - they are hardly blameless. He deserves to be punished for his actions. I just hope the girls have learnt from this too and quite frankly I would rather live next door to him than them.

I think it's really difficult to know what's gone on exactly and make a judgement. The judge will have had much more information than us when passing his sentence, so I wouldn't like to question his decision.

I also don't think it's a good idea to trust the word of someone on fb blindly. If they had genuinely tried to set him on fire, he should have called the police. On the one hand, she may be telling the truth. On the other hand, his family may be exaggerating the provokation to try and get his sentence reduced.

It sounds like he was bullied at school, and then later seperately tormented by these girls who may have lived nearby him. I can understand why he might have snapped, but I do agree fetching the knife might indicate premeditation.

He needs some serious mental health help, and I hope he is able to get this now. At the moment, I will be honest, I wouldn't want him as my next door neighbour.

I don't think it's completely unfair to make comparisons with school shootings in the US. It's probably a good thing he did not have access to a gun.

He's snapped or had some sort of psychotic break. Totally inexcusable absolutely but for all we know he had been bullied for years.

Many years ago I sat on a jury and found exactly this sort of offender guilty. Pretty much the same charge, attempt S.18 GBH.

Despite being the victim of savage bullying at school, I found guilty because that's what civilisation demands. The underclass already stab, burn and shoot each other over the least slight; extend this cancer and eventually we'll be living like Albanians.

The best revenge on these vermin is to live well, and to track their self-inflected misery on the Web. I've already outlived two of my tormentors; one died of Hep C in prison and the other drank himself to death after Our Lady of Victories* threw him out.

*If you know what that is, it'll give you a clue what happened to me.

The bullied became the bully sadly.