Was this right or wrong?

[Silver Fox]

[quote="Globalti, post: 1636583, member: 357
Has society done him a favour by putting him into warm, dry accommodation with company and medical care when needed, even though he has been chemically "coshed"?[/quote]

No doubt there will be alot more to this case but from the circumstances you describe it seems he was incapable of looking after himself and the decision to section him would not have been taken lightly so in response to the above question, I'd say yes.

 

[Mozzy]

Or was it just convenient to section the chap. Was there a possibility he was ever going to hurt anyone? He was probably quite happy in his own wee world.

 

[xxmimixx]

There couldnt be a less appropriate word to refer to the Judicial System, as there is NO 'Just' in Justice!

 

[Silver Fox]

Or was it just convenient to section the chap. Was there a possibility he was ever going to hurt anyone? He was probably quite happy in his own wee world.

He probably was, but even if he wasn't a danger to anyone else there is still a duty of care to the vulnerable which this individual appears to have been.

 

[Mozzy]

He probably was, but even if he wasn't a danger to anyone else there is still a duty of care to the vulnerable which this individual appears to have been.

Not arguing, just asking; in what way vulnerable? Based on information as posted. And .... to what extent should DoC be exercised? There are all kinds of people in life (remember Mr Treebus?) in all honesty, a degree of poaching and living as you wish hardly seems as if a DoC should be exercised as opposed to being owed. We do after all, almost live in a free speech democracy .... almost

 

[Svendo]

Very sad story. Working in mental health I know the stigma and discrimination suffered by people with poor mental health is very real and makes coping with the disability much harder than it needs to be. It also shows how many people are treated as a criminal problem when it is really a health problem. In this case I wonder if the man was poorly served as he'd reached a stable lifestyle without much intervention from authorities, and so didn't get proper treatment in civil and then criminal court. Quite possible he wasn't currently care managed ( or on the review team, which amounts to largely the same thing) and so he'd be on his own in court.

 

[brokenflipflop]

He has been poaching and beating them in court and they have been out for revenge for many many years. There is history going back to the time of his father, who was a gamekeeper. Still doesn't warrant £50,000 though in my book.

His father was a gamekeeper and his son has turned poacher. Interesting turn of events.

Poaching fish in large quantities or just doin' a bit of fishin' occasionally ?

 

[MissTillyFlop]

Poor guy.

It's way too easy to section people when they don't need it and almost impossible to get help when you do need it.

 

[swee'pea99]

Massive injustice.

Why do I have the feeling fly-fishers are basically the aquatic equivalent of golfers? Drive Jaguars and don't like people who don't.

And, worse, are enabled by like-minded magistrates to indulge their prejudices to their victims' cost and at our expense.

It is Victorian.

 

[colly]

On the face of it I would say he has not only been done an injustice he has been robbed of his independence, dignity and freedom. I can only assume there must be much more to this than the bald facts you have given.
Then again some of the decisions and awards our courts arrive at are bizarre to say the least. One might even describe them as schizophrenic.

 

[junglegusset]

Hmmm, the £50,000 does seem a bit steep. I can only imagine that the Judge or magistrate was a keen angler or had fiends in the angling club. Some of these fishing clubs are like the bloody masons. I supposeyou could argue that if he has taken fish out of season then he has potentially damaged the population of fish and a loss of income may have been incurred, to the tune of 50K. Difficult to prove that really. As for the sectioning, well its very difficult to get some sectioned and keep them on one unless there is a genuine fear that they will hurt someone, including themselves. Even the fishing club would struggle to arrange that one. It sounds like he may have been living in poor conditions anyway. AS for being heavily sedated with 'Chemical Coshes' (usuallly this term is used to describe Thorazine, Chlorpromazine or Halaperidol) this is very unusual nowadays in this country, someone would have to be really dangerous for these to be used. More likely the Psychiatrist is trying to get his medication in the right combination at the right levels. Unfortunately There is a lot of trial and error in psychiatric medicine, people often go through rough periods until the right combo is found for their condition.

 

[junglegusset]

I always feel sorry for people who suffer from Schizophrenia, it must be terrifying.

 

[Globalti]

In this case I wonder if the man was poorly served as he'd reached a stable lifestyle without much intervention from authorities, and so didn't get proper treatment in civil and then criminal court. Quite possible he wasn't currently care managed ( or on the review team, which amounts to largely the same thing) and so he'd be on his own in court.

You're right; he was his own worst enemy. He refused any representation and would ramble on, not making much sense, defending himself, telling the magistrates they were ignorant and corrupt and in the pay of the Police and the fishing association.

I can only imagine that the Judge or magistrate was a keen angler or had fiends in the angling club. Some of these fishing clubs are like the bloody masons.

.....It sounds like he may have been living in poor conditions anyway. AS for being heavily sedated with 'Chemical Coshes' (usuallly this term is used to describe Thorazine, Chlorpromazine or Halaperidol) this is very unusual nowadays in this country, someone would have to be really dangerous for these to be used. More likely the Psychiatrist is trying to get his medication in the right combination at the right levels. Unfortunately There is a lot of trial and error in psychiatric medicine, people often go through rough periods until the right combo is found for their condition.

See above on the magistrates, Police etc. He had been in an out of Court over several decades and knew the workings of the county authorities pretty well, he was extremely intelligent and well informed and he was scornful of the sometimes young and inexperienced Police officers and magistrates who dealt with him. He refused to see a solicitor while in prison because he refused to speak with Asians. His drugged condition is as reported by one of the Police officers who had known him and his father for many years, now retired, who visited him in the home.