Life For Father Who Smothers Children
9 03 2007I think if someone suffers from manic depression they should not be having children in their care. Maybe they shouldn’t even parent in the first place. Perhaps there really does need to be some kind of psychiatric evaluation for prospective parents, to see how how far people can be pushed before they go over the edge and kill their kids.
Of course nobody ever sees it coming, because children are always believed to be safe with their parents. There seems to be a long litany of stories to prove that isn’t necessarily the case. But imagine going out on the town and coming back to find your children are no more… at the hands of their other parent.
And the motive for murdering the children? Perry Samuel thought his partner might be having – and hiding – an affair.
Gerrard Elias QC, prosecuting, said:
“Samuel had become depressed following a separation in 2006 and complained about her association with another man. He said she was spending more time socialising and away from home, particularly clubbing, while he stayed at home looking after the children. He said she once complained she was sick of living with a dithering old man.”
He added: “The motive for the attack must be this as no other is forthcoming.”
Do I detect a slight note of approbation there? Like it may not have happened if she’d spent less time clubbing? Probably I’m imagining it. No one could possibly imply such. Could they?
Whatever. Life isn’t going to bring back the children who should never have died in this way, at the hands of a parent they trusted. But at least it’s a punishment.
It’s arguable who really has the life sentence, the murderer or the mother left to live with the effects of his actions. If she really did say she was “sick of living with a dithering old man,” she’ll probably be wishing that she’d followed through and left him.
A very sorry affair indeed.
Father admits smothering children
Press Association
You know what? I posted a comment on Digg about something kinda related to what you said, but much harsher. Sterilize the bad parents, said an official in S.C.
I made the first comment and that sparked a nice little flame war throughout the posting. I got a lot of diggs for what I said, but a lot of people said I was harsh in agreeing. And I like what one person said about having a license to procreate. Seems silly and draconian, but he has a point. It could tie into the psych evaluation you’re proposing.
Chris- I agree wholeheartedly with you. Just today, on the news there was a story of a 19 year old mother who killed her 18 month old, AND her 5 month old (by rolling over him…whether by vehicle or her body, it wasn’t said).
Suffice to say, this girl should not have had children in the first place.
Chris - I looked at the post on Digg… have to go back and read through it, but I dug it anyway from what you said.
I agreed with you too. I may not be a parent, but I am shocked at how little some people seem to care for the children they have. They seem to be expendable, just because they’re “easy to have.” And judging by some of the reactions on that thread, I can see why.
Parents should have some kind of license - or something. Every day it seems I read of some parent doing something unbelievably neglectful to their children… and I shake my head. Yet it is the childfree who are the crazy monsters.