No Penalty Due To "Trauma" !!

Daily Advertiser ( 30.9.11 )

Magistrate Peter Dare SC has dismissed charges against a woman who smashed up Wagga's Centerlink office with a cricket bat due to a "mental condition", which in his view stemmed from "one of the most tragic lives".

Constance Lamon Okot, 45, on Wednesday stood in Wagga Local Court accused of destroying 16 computer screens after walking into Centerlink brandishing a cricket bat when the doors opened on the morning of August 29.

But she walked out without penalty after the charges were dismissed under Section 32 of the Mental Health ( Forensic Provisions ) Act.

Mr. Dare said Okot was the victim of an "unspeakable tragedy" in her homeland of Sudan before she relocated to Australia as a "Refugee", was a victim of domestic violence and was "basically a single mother of five or six children".

"I'm satisfied the defendant was suffering from a mental condition that could be treated at a hospital," Mr. Dare said.

Okot was released into the care of a Doctor and ordered to comply with a treatment plan submitted to the court for at least six months.

...............

No doubt Ms Okot was subject to "unspeakable tragedy" in her homeland of Sudan, ( highlighting again the issues surrounding"trauma" ). Validating the Australia First position "more needs to be done in these people's homelands, ( trauma ground zero ).

Let us not forget our Australian brothers and sisters, suffering "unspeakable and traumatic circumstances" in Australian Department of Housing Estates, and many locations around Australia.


Are these "traumatised" Australians availed the same mercy and privilege ? No, they are not, nor is there any desire or political will to improve the very dangerous and traumatic circumstance many Australians live in. Rather the "government" have increased their adversarial attitude towards the disenfanchised people they are elected/employed to assist and consequently disempower these traumatised Australians even further.

The Million Dollar question remains "does anyone ever recover from trauma" ? As one example of this being people sexually and or physically abused in our communities, some who receive years of "treatment" rarely, if ever recover, therefore the 6 month whiz bang treatment plan such as awarded Ms. Okot seems redundant. Australia First would also ask, what happens the next time "traumatised" Ms. Okot "loses it" ?

After all arriving at Centerlink with a cricket bat with intent is a premeditated act, rather than a spur of the moment inability to control oneself emotionally.

Unlike Refugees all Australians receive is much talk and little or no action and their circumstance becomes more dire and "generationally" entrenched... Yet no-body notices and no-body cares !

Same old story: It's amazing what can be achieved when one is the politically favoured "group" of the day !!