The Hogan family again

[flossish]

I know its been done before but its been in the news a lot today and the whole thing is just so tragic. I look at the father who looks a broken shell of a man with a lifetime of torture over his actions. The I look at the mother who needs to feel like she is acting on behalf of her children, both of them in different ways. I understand that she needs to take the action she wishes to take to punish him for what he did. There just doesn't seem an answer really.

The Greek hospital says something like "he may be well enough to return to the UK quite soon" - should that mean that legally he is now free?

I know that he will have to live with what he did for the rest of his life, but I can understand completely the wife's bitterness and fury; especially as the Greek court apparently disregarded completely the evidence from those witnesses who testified this week...

Did you see the film of the little girl on the hosiptal trolley in the news tonight, and the expression on her face?

No I didn't. I just heard the mother talking about the witness statements.

WW, I think I heard in one of the news reports that John Hogan would not face charges in this country. There would be no grounds for proceedings against him since it all happened outwith the jurisdiction of any British criminal court.

I have, though, also heard something hinting at the possibility that Natasha Visser (formerly Hogan) might take civil legal action against him. That would be a different matter although there would be no question of any penalty other than financial should she win.

I remain puzzled by the apparent secrecy - up to now - over her re-marriage to her new partner. I would be surprised if their relationship did not, in some form, predate the events in Greece but even if it did, what difference could it have made to the question of John Hogan's guilt or innocence?

Feel extremely that he has apparently made rapid recovery since being detained in mental hospital in January and is now well enough to come home. Especially as new witness evidence suggests that he was trying to throw the children off the balcony rather than jump with them. I wish his ex-wife all the luck in the world pursuing a case against him. It was a despicable, detestable, cowardly thing that he did and I can't believe that anyone would even try to suggest that his wife leaving him in any way explained it.

it seems he did it out of pure spite.

I don't think there is anything new about the evidence saying he threw the children off first before jumping. I remember this from the trial.

As for an improvement in his mental health, it was his mental state at the time of the incident which was in question, not his mental health in January. That plus the fact that the trial is over and he was found not guilty could, perhaps account for his improvement.

I'm not defending the guy. I'm just pointing out, or trying to, that none of us knows the truth of it. The Greek court heard the evidence and reached a conclusion.

lalalonglegs, I hope you are not implying that I am trying to "suggest that his wife leaving him in any way explained it". I'm not. Quite the reverse.

"the fact that the trial is over and he was found not guilty could, perhaps account for his improvement". Exactly. Funny how getting away with it makes an evil child-killer feel all better now, isn't it?

One to chalk up next to Ernest Saunders' miraculous recovery from Alzheimer's disease.

"Evil child-killer" would be your opinion, edam, not fact. You weren't there, I presume and you weren't in court, either, I also presume. He might be that and he might not. The Greek court thought not on the basis of the evidence it heard. You think so on ...?

I try to restrict my judgement to matters on which I have some knowledge. John Hogan's mental state and motives fall outside of that.

but the degree of mental illness that would warrant killing your children would be unlikely to improve so well over the course of a few months. That i find worrying.

When they say "he may be well enough to return to the UK quite soon" they may mean well enough to be transferred to a psychiatric unit here.

People with mental illnesses can do utterly deranged things and be much better a few months later. In the absense of any reason to believe otherwise I would accept the verdict of the Greek court - the judge and jury and much better information on which to make a decision about his mental state at the time of the tragedy.

MsH - not at all, I'm referring to the newspaper commentaries at the time that all seemed to suggest his wife's decision to leave him in some way explained his actions. However, I do feel more cynical than you do about his mental state and apparent recovery.

I would also question whether the Greek court had all the facts - the trial seemed extremely quick and the former Mrs Hogan has complained that several witnesses were not able to give evidence.

Message withdrawn

so did i!too much perez hilton methinks

Cod, i cant believe it wasnt just me

"evil child killer" amen.

The man had threatened to burn down the house with his wife and children in it before all this happened, so imo his actions certainly weren't just spur of the moment - he is a sick bastard who killed his child out of spite and now thinks he deserves the chance to be a proper father to the daughter he tried to murder as well? - no wonder his wife is moving to Australia.

No I did too, That family proagramme on MTV about Hulk Hogans family. I immediately thought it was about them.

me too Cod.
They have a tv show y'know

'Hogan Rules' isnt it?

Crocodile Dundee?

No the guy who wrestled them and was a tv presenter. Killed by a stingray iirc. Wasn't he a Hogan?

Message withdrawn

You mean steve irwin princessmel.

sounds like hogan doesnt it????!!!

I feel a bit bad as its nothing to do with op. sorry op.
tragic case...Not sure what to think.

Oh Irwin!!! Nothing like Hogan. I'm confusing all the crocodile-ness.