The guy - Gary - who lost his leg in bombing - has served 3 yrs for rape

[ThomCat]

Can't find a nrews report but there must be one. It was the topic of discussion on LBC this morning.

It was a few years ago. He was part of a gang that kidnapped 2 girls and took part in raping these girls, at knifepoint, 45 times I think it was. He was given 7 years and served 3, that info is correcxt.

He's looking at £50,000 compensation and trying to relese a record to raise more money.

Personally I think he should give the money to the 2 girls who are scarred for life emotionally. Whay compensation did they receive for his crime on them?

Certainly changed my view on him.
Makes me feel sick.

He is now going to be discussed on the Jeremy Vine Radio 2 programme re the compensation and his past crime(s).

If you google his name (Garri Holness) a lot of interesting pieces come up in which he is variously described as an accountant, an advertising account executive, a musician and an "outdoor media worker" just in the first few pieces...I suppose burglary could be covered by outdoor media worker, depending on what was burgled.

And it's all about how brave he is and what a hero he is and how he's helping the other victims. It really really leaves a very nasty taste.

Re rape compensation, this is from the Times about the lottery rapist:

Left her disabled. I bet those 2 girls are effectively diabled too.

He could have turned his life around I suppose, didn't realise it was 20 years ago

Message withdrawn

But burglary 3 years ago, oo.....

Like everyone else here, I am not a fan of the man, BUT his odious personality should not have an impact on his compensation, IMO

The list of jobs suggests he makes it up as he goes along to me.

No, perhaps it shouldn't, but that's why I'm saying that personally I think he should give the money to a rape charity or something.

What is the point of sending people to prison, isn't one of the aims reform? It is certainly harder to convince a prisoner to change their ways and stop commiting crime if they feel that they will never be integrated into society and their crimes will never be forgotten.

is there any doubt over his being heroic in his dealings since the bombings?

has he actually been helpful to others?

is there no option for redemption?

Pruni, yes!!!

It's the way he has apparently put his odious self forward as a national hero that rankles, NDP. If he'd kept his head down this wouldn't have happened (probably) - oh, unless one of the girls recognised him, I suppose.

has he put himself forward as a national hero or have we adopted him as one ??

What if he had kept his head down, would other victims of 7/7 have suffered by the absence of his campaigning?

Discussion on Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2, on this topic NOW.

pity he survived the bomb!

This is an extreme case but interesting nevertheless. A guy in the states dues to be executed in december who has been nominated 5 times for the nobel peace prize. here

Does he now deserve to die? Is it posible Garri Holness is reformed?

A few quotes from him about how terrible it is to be a 'victim'......

He said: "I don't know how much I will get, but working on what Martine Wright, another victim, was offered I think it will be about £40,000 for my leg. "She lost both her legs and was offered £110,000 and her ones were removed above the knee whereas mine is below, so I think it will be less. I don't know how they work it out, but frankly it's insulting.

"We will be living with this for the rest of our lives, long after the bombings are a distant memory to everyone else. They are not thinking long term. People will need help for years, if not physically then psychologically.

"I have had to change property, buy a car and get adaptations done to my home. I haven't gone back to work yet and I don't know when that will be.

"I'm thinking about my future, about what I might need when I'm 50, 60 or 70."

He said: "I didn't call this upon myself. I didn't fly to a dangerous place I was told not to go to. We were all just ordinary people on our way to work.

"Everyone knows what happened in London is to do with our foreign policy and going into Iraq. The victims of 9/11 in New York did not have to fight for compensation.

"We should be focusing on our recovery and our families and getting back to our lives, not going up to Downing Street with petitions.

"In this country we have to fight for everything. I don't really want to be doing this. I want to be getting on with my life. It could happen again and I think the public are behind us because they know it could have been them.

"We just want to know we will be comfortable for the rest of our lives."

Four months after the attacks Garri is still dealing with the memories of what happened and reflecting on how it has changed him.

He said: "I am more thoughtful about life and about what I want out of it. I thought I was at the far end of the train carriage away from the bomber, but now I know I was just two feet away from him.

"Everyone else around me didn't make it. The police said to me 'Garri, you shouldn't be here. Someone up there was looking after you'.

"Now I feel I can look out for people. I can be a spokesperson for other victims who are not able to speak out about this."

Hmmmm.

'And I'm not a bad person. I have a good heart.'

W*anker.

I don't think Garri is comparable to the American on death row. The guy on death row has spent decades atoning for his crimes, working to reduce gang violence, IIRC. Garri has done sod all for his victims.

anyone listening to radio 2 - jeremy vine???

interviewee just called the mail a very decent paper!!!

he should of kept a very very low profile if he didn't want this story coming out...

what about his picture of him outside no.10

he is a horrible horrible man

does he deserve no compensation because of his crimes??

maybe he should have it, but maybe he should go a crawl under a big stone...do the other victims want him campaigning on their behalf?

how do we know he does nothing for his victims? Not my intention compare garri to tookie but its interesting that that is the direction we head ion if we say we wish garri had died in a terrorist attack!

Ark, not talking about his victims, talking about the victims of 7/7. I wouldn't want a convicted rapist to do anything for me...would you?