In being completely appalled by this attitude to Oscar Pitorius' trial?

[perfectstorm]

So Paddy Power have decided to run a poster campaign and national media ad campaign on whether Oscar Pitorius is convicted of killing his girlfriend, complete with an image of him as an Oscar award, and the slogan " "It's Oscar Time. Money Back If He Walks." Their blog says, "Global media attention, bar-stool conversation and pillow talk will shift from the Oscars on Sunday night to Oscar on Monday when the Blade Runner straps on his prosthetic limbs for the long walk to the high court."

I don't know if it was an accident or whether he murdered her, but does it actually matter? A young woman is dead, this is a murder trial, and they think it's casual entertainment people can take a flutter on, akin to the sodding Oscars.

Are they run by David Brent?

That's just an abomination. Utterly grotesque. They should lose their licence and crawl back under whatever rock they came from.

Any advertising executive that can do this needs the sack with immediate effect. How can this be allowed. Trading standards UK please do something about this.

Revolting.

Worth a letter to our MP's methinks.

There's a petition here.

The Advertising Standards Council are probably the right people to complain to, but actually given the regulatory concerns within the betting industry right now (over fixed price betting terminals) I suspect the MP route would be more useful, yes.

Thank God her parents are safely in SA and will hopefully never learn of it. Can you imagine, if she was your child?

It's very poor taste by a bookie but, let's be honest, bookies are hardly the last word in sensitive socially responsible behaviour. They reduce everything to odds... that's their business Like it or not, this trial has everything and people are going to be fascinated. Glamorous sports star defendant, glamorous victim, money, power, physical disability and the whole thing hinging on forensics.

What a horrific thing for the poor girls family. I have signed that petition and hope something is done about it. Extremely poor taste.

The whole thing is revolting.

A live televised trial.

This is being treated like entertainment.

It is disgusting. It's not a tv spectacle, it's about a young woman's death.

It reminds me of what I used to read about people enjoying having a day out joining in with a criminal's punishment or watching people get hanged. or for the longer lasting thrill, watching them get drawn and quartered or helping to stone them to death.

I would have thought people might have evolved a little bit. But apparently not.

Fucking hell! Revolting!

They're a bit like those medieval guys who used to bet on if the head would roll or stay on.

I hope it's not happening in SA, at least then maybe her family won't know.

That's unconscionable.

Thank you for the link to the petition.

My thoughts are with Reeva's family.

Utterly tasteless.

I'm guessing that's the point and clearly the marketing campaign has worked as we're all talking about it.

YANBU at all, that advert is hideously insensitive.

I have signed the petition.

Thoughts with Reeva's family - it's bad enough they are having to deal with her death and the trial, with the media circus in top ...and then this sort of thing as well. Poor souls

Well god help us if our moral compass swivels round a betting shop.
Taking money off the poor and desperate in a time if austerity, and looking for ever more predatory opportunities to do so.

But yes, it is vile.

And actually the trial is about justice, whether O P is guilty of murder or manslaughter. Presuming we know the outcome based on a load of sensationalist reporting isn't a great tribute to our respect for 'innocent until proven guilty' or other foundations of any credible justice system.

The trial is about justice and it's already a circus simply because of the personalities involved and the circumstances of the alleged crime. I doubt the actions of a UK bookie are making things any worse for the grieving family. However there is an argument that, unlike in the UK where everything is behind closed doors and the only impression we're allowed to have of events beyond the public gallery is provided by a dodgy portrait artist, that justice should be 'seen to be done'.

The broadcast of the trial is however subject to restrictions (I linked YouTube with the judge's 30 minute delivery of the judgement to another thread).

As RSA does not have juries, the questions on public interest in open justice are quite different to other jurisdictions which do have them.

I've signed the petition, it's just sick isn't it.

Signed. Sickening.

I listened to the news this morning. Admittedly it was radio 1 so I wasn't expecting in depth coverage. but I was staggered that this was not even mentioned.

YANBU

Just hideous behaviour. They need taking to task over this.

Utterly shoddy behaviour...but then the whole situation appears to have been managed shoddily. From badly managed forensics, evidence appearing to be being tried in the court of public opinion prior to being tried in a court of law and now people able to place bets on the outcome - how can there realistically be any sense of justice in the final verdict (what ever it may be)?

I have the utmost and total sympathy with the family of the buetiful girl that was shot.
but will say that the man who did the shooting will be found not guilty and will walk away from the charges.

Disgusting. Have signed. It's appalling for Reeva's memory and family, and also for Pistorius, whether he did it or not and whether he 'walks' or not.

Signed. And shared.

they will love the publicity

Oh god! Are we really saying that no one else laughed at the pun? Flame away but its a funny ad! Obvs in a almost (not quite as bad) Frankie Boyle-esque but still. .... get a grip! !!!

I saw an advert for the televised trial on Sky on my way to work this morning and thought how vile it was to advertise it as a televisual event to sell more Sky packages. This is awful and not a world I want to live in.