Man charged with rape, murder of Jill Meagher

[MrBurns]

I definitely have sympathy for the poor girl and her family. It's just the huge reaction from people that didn't know her. At heart, such people are more concerned with themselves than the girl or her family. It's just screwed up.

Bad things happen to good people, and there's not a damn thing any peace march will do to remedy that. That's how life is.

When 30,000 people turn out there far more to it than you can understand it seems.

 

[Gringotts Bank]

When 30,000 people turn out there far more to it than you can understand it seems.

Well you might be right, but that's how I see it.

 

[MrBurns]

Just heard the Greens in Melbourne, wanted to take out all the CCTV cameras, what a bunch of wreckless idiots.

 

[gav]

Following on from on what Gringotts Bank has said, I thought I'd look up some of the reported figures...

The following is from the Crime Statistics 2011/2012 report on the Victoria Police website:
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?a=internetBridgingPage&Media_ID=72176

"Homicide offences increased by 14.6% from 151 in 2010/11 to 173 in 2011/12. 140 of these offences were substantive, while 33 were attempted, conspiracy or incitement offences. The most common type of homicide offence was murder, with 91 offences.

There were 2,044 rape offences recorded in 2011/2012, an increase of 11.8% on the 1,828 offences
recorded in 2010/2011. As a rate per 100,000 population, rape increased by 10.3%."


91 murders and over 2000 rapes in Victoria in just one year.

 

[Julia]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-30/community-to-march-in-honour-of-meagher/4287762

Thats 30,000 ..............what an impact this has had on everyone.

I definitely have sympathy for the poor girl and her family. It's just the huge reaction from people that didn't know her. At heart, such people are more concerned with themselves than the girl or her family. It's just screwed up.

Bad things happen to good people, and there's not a damn thing any peace march will do to remedy that. That's how life is.

+1, GB. Gav has just provided the stats about murders and violent offences.
What is it about this girl that has prompted all the outpourings?
Why are we not equally distressed about every other person who has similarly violently lost their life?

I'm reminded of the Schapelle Corby case. She, too, was a pretty young woman whom many - despite knowing nothing about her - immediately decided was totally innocent.

The media, as in the current case, swarmed all over it and even all these years later there are still intermittent articles about Schapelle.

Then another instance: dozens of young people go missing every year, many never to be found.
Yet young Daniel Morcambe, who disappeared a few years ago from a bus stop at the Sunshine Coast, has been the subject of quite incredible resources and media attention.
Not to take away at all from the tragedy of a young boy lost, or the trauma endured by his family, but what was it that directed so much attention to this one child and virtually nothing to the many others still missing?

Is it media driven? That would certainly apply in this Melbourne case.

If something similar had happened in my family, the last thing I'd want is the media swarming all over the site, over me and my family. And the public march (what are they actually marching about?) and all the bunches of flowers at the door of a business which had nothing to do with anything other than happening to have the CCTV footage that picked up Jill and the accused.

Mr Burns, you seem to be completely at one with all this stuff. Can you tell us what it's actually all about and what makes this unfortunate young woman so much an instant celebrity, albeit in death?

 

[MrBurns]

+Mr Burns, you seem to be completely at one with all this stuff. Can you tell us what it's actually all about and what makes this unfortunate young woman so much an instant celebrity, albeit in death?

The circumstances of this are such that everyone identifies with it.
We saw the girl in the CCTV footage next minute she’s abducted raped and killed.
What Jill Meagher did is no more than what a lot of women do every weekend.
Yes she was good looking as is Corby as are most women their age so that doesn’t really affect it.
What hits home is that no one is safe, there are creeps out there and too many of them in many cases set free by our weak legal system.
And this happened under everyones noses.
The case of Morcambe was, I think, boosted by his very proactive family.

 

[IFocus]

Following on from on what Gringotts Bank has said, I thought I'd look up some of the reported figures...

The following is from the Crime Statistics 2011/2012 report on the Victoria Police website:
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?a=internetBridgingPage&Media_ID=72176

"Homicide offences increased by 14.6% from 151 in 2010/11 to 173 in 2011/12. 140 of these offences were substantive, while 33 were attempted, conspiracy or incitement offences. The most common type of homicide offence was murder, with 91 offences.

There were 2,044 rape offences recorded in 2011/2012, an increase of 11.8% on the 1,828 offences
recorded in 2010/2011. As a rate per 100,000 population, rape increased by 10.3%."


91 murders and over 2000 rapes in Victoria in just one year.

Thanks Gav interesting numbers

I read an article the other day that put the point of view that serious crime was in fact falling (have seen this mention a few times) and that 90% + (cannot remember the exact number) murders were committed by some one the victim knew.

Its more the media hype that puts its at the front of peoples minds.

Cannot find where I saw it

The murder of Jill Meagher is an extremely rare type but the impact of peoples thinking extremely high I know I certainly found it very emotional.

PS found it http://www.smh.com.au/national/bad-things-happen-to-good-people-but-its-rare-20120928-26q0m.html

But crime statistics do not support those fears, showing the country's homicide rate is at historical lows, and what is alleged to have happened to Ms Meagher is rare.

This is what psychologists call the "availability heuristic", meaning prominent events can be assumed to be more frequent or likely to occur.

"It's really salient in our minds that this has happened to somebody," Dr Helen Paterson, a lecturer in forensic psychology at the University of Sydney, said.

"When something is salient in our minds, we tend to think that things happen more frequently than they actually do happen.

"It is an extremely rare event."

Looks like I was a bit out with the numbers

The most recent figures show there were 279 victims of homicide, a rate of 1.3 persons per 100,000 of the population, in 2009-10, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology's national homicide monitoring program.

The rate for women in that period is .85 per 100,000, compared with 1.66 per 100,000 for men.

And of the 95 women who were homicide victims in that time, most were killed by someone they knew. Twelve of the 95 were killed by a stranger.

In 2009-10 two women were killed in the context of a sexual assault, one of whom was killed by a stranger and the other by someone she knew.

 

[Tink]

I think quite a few have asked the same question Julia. I must admit I was involved at the start of this case, but now that its solved, I am just waiting for justice to be served, I hope the sentence reflects the crime.
I am all for the push for CCTVs after this case.

I am wondering if its to do with her working for the ABC as well, and the coverage was coming from the news room, people were in shock. An average woman, no drugs, no problems.

I think the march was for violence -- not just for her. They want the streets cleaned of this mess and people feeling safe, seems some other people have come forward that they have encountered the same and were the lucky ones. Alot of the irish communities have come out.
Anyway, thats my interpretation.

If they are marching to stop the violence and lets get tough on crime, good on them, people are getting sick of these criminals, back on the streets and re-offending.

 

[Tink]

THE mother of murdered Brunswick woman Jill Meagher has called for more CCTV cameras as the 29-year-old's husband thanked the community for its support.
As more than 30,000 people flooded Sydney Rd, Brunswick, an emotional Edith McKeon made a brave visit to the street where her daughter was last seen alive.

She embraced strangers at the march and took in flowers and cards left as tributes along the busy street, including dozens left outside the Duchess Boutique where the ABC radio employee was last seen alive early on September 22.

Mrs McKeon hugged the owner of the shop, whose in-store CCTV footage proved crucial to the police investigation.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...for-huge-support/story-e6frf7kx-1226484905035

 

[JTLP]

I read an article the other day that put the point of view that serious crime was in fact falling (have seen this mention a few times) and that 90% + (cannot remember the exact number) murders were committed by some one the victim knew.

That's probably because classification and sentencing is such a joke.

On this whole Jill Meagher thing - massive tragedy - wouldn't wish it upon anyone...however a 30k 'peace march' and people weeping in the streets? I think I'm in the Gringotts camp (if i'm interpreting correctly) - so many people go missing/get murdered/abducted each year...why because the person has a career more in the limelight than others is this heralded as a 'big one'? RIP Jill but sheesh for the rest of Melbourne!

 

[MrBurns]

sheesh for the rest of Melbourne!

I doubt you'd be so flippant if this happened around the corner from you and your family, your wife, your kids.

 

[Julia]

I doubt you'd be so flippant if this happened around the corner from you and your family, your wife, your kids.

I don't think he was being flippant, Mr Burns. Just expressing the same sort of bewilderment some of us already have. As for Jill being 'well known', I doubt anyone outside of the Melbourne ABC Radio office had ever heard of her before. She wasn't a public presence, but was in an administrative position.

 

[MrBurns]

I don't think he was being flippant, Mr Burns. Just expressing the same sort of bewilderment some of us already have. As for Jill being 'well known', I doubt anyone outside of the Melbourne ABC Radio office had ever heard of her before. She wasn't a public presence, but was in an administrative position.

bewilderment ??? I think we just better accept that we completely misunderstand each other and move on.

 

[JTLP]

I doubt you'd be so flippant if this happened around the corner from you and your family, your wife, your kids.

Not being flippant at all. It's a MASSIVE tragedy - but to sit back and see the outpouring of support this girl has received when (in their respective families eyes) just as many more important people are abducted/killed each year is perhaps a little...shall we say...over the top?

I know your a very compassionate/heart on your sleeve person Burnsy and I like that - but look at the bigger picture.

I don't think he was being flippant, Mr Burns. Just expressing the same sort of bewilderment some of us already have. As for Jill being 'well known', I doubt anyone outside of the Melbourne ABC Radio office had ever heard of her before. She wasn't a public presence, but was in an administrative position.

Thanks Julia and I didn't even know she was in an admin position. Seems the media hype had whipped me to believe that she was a reporter of some ilk (not that it matters...)

 

[MrBurns]

Not being flippant at all. It's a MASSIVE tragedy - but to sit back and see the outpouring of support this girl has received when (in their respective families eyes) just as many more important people are abducted/killed each year is perhaps a little...shall we say...over the top?

I know your a very compassionate/heart on your sleeve person Burnsy and I like that - but look at the bigger picture.

Thanks Julia and I didn't even know she was in an admin position. Seems the media hype had whipped me to believe that she was a reporter of some ilk (not that it matters...)

Sorry to take you the wrong way but I'll try again, this wasn't just about Jill it was about the thousands of women she represents, 10's of thousands who walk our streets, their security has been stripped away from them.

Yes there's plenty of other murders etc but not in circumstances like this, this was an extraordinary attack on an every day person and it pulled the rug out from underneath any feeling of security a woman feels when going about her every day business.

 

[Knobby22]

Exactly :iagree:

 

[MrBurns]

Thanks Knobby........

And now because she was an ordinary person in an ordinary situation who was not only raped but murdered, she has become a symbol for every other woman that could have suffered her fate. People imagine what her last moments were like as this cretin took her life and it's just heartbreaking.

He, by the way, is in maximum security for his own protection but it's only a matter of time before he gets what's coming to him.....not that it will change what he's done.

 

[Miss Hale]

I don't understand the march really either. Of course we all want our streets to be safe and have no violence, who in their right mind wouldn't? Well only the few crazy people who go about raping and murdering people and they are highly unlikely to change their weirdo ways even if all of Melbourne marched about it. I also don't understand putting flowers in doorways of shops etc. It's the whole Princess Diana thing on a smaller scale. It's sad, it's tragic but it's really none of our business now that he has been caught and the family should be left alone to grieve. People should care more about those closest to them intead of wasting their emotional energy on things that are nothing to do with them.

 

[Julia]

Sorry to take you the wrong way but I'll try again, this wasn't just about Jill it was about the thousands of women she represents, 10's of thousands who walk our streets, their security has been stripped away from them.

Perhaps I'm over-cautious, but I'd never assume my safety in the early hours of the morning in any inner city street. Imo no one's security has been 'stripped away from them'. It was never actually there in the first place.

[Yes there's plenty of other murders etc but not in circumstances like this, this was an extraordinary attack on an every day person and it pulled the rug out from underneath any feeling of security a woman feels when going about her every day business.

Ah, I think I finally get it. It matters to such an extraordinary degree because she was one of us.
She looked like your wife or daughter, so it struck fear into your heart.

So different from the prostitute on her way home from work. Or the junkie out to score wherever she could.
We don't make any fuss when women like these die.
I suppose they are easily dismissed because they are "not like us".

 

[MrBurns]

Perhaps I'm over-cautious, but I'd never assume my safety in the early hours of the morning in any inner city street. Imo no one's security has been 'stripped away from them'. It was never actually there in the first place.


Ah, I think I finally get it. It matters to such an extraordinary degree because she was one of us.
She looked like your wife or daughter, so it struck fear into your heart.

So different from the prostitute on her way home from work. Or the junkie out to score wherever she could.
We don't make any fuss when women like these die.
I suppose they are easily dismissed because they are "not like us".

Prostitutes and junkies move in circles where violence is a way of life, BTW I havent heard of any being murdered lately, but I don't think you understand so lets leave it at that.
Playing that card shows defensiveness borne of lack of understanding.....or lack of genuine empathy.