More defence

[webofevil]

Further to the second story here, the accused has been been given life (minimum 30 years) for murdering Kate Beagley, despite a second impressive bid for “worst defence ever”:

With only a month to go before his trial, Taylor came up with a new story. He now claimed that Kate had stabbed herself to death.

Bizarrely he claimed he himself had brought the knife that night because he felt suicidal but when it fell out of his sleeve and onto the floor Kate picked it up and started “prodding” herself in the neck.

When Taylor entered the witness box Peter Clarke QC, prosecuting, coolly unpicked his nonsensical story. Under cross-examination Taylor became flustered and argumentative.

Mr Clarke rolled up a piece of paper to make a “knife” six inches long and asked Taylor to use it to show the court just how Kate had killed herself. Taylor refused, claiming he was “not in the right emotional state”, but Judge Giles Forrester told him he was a witness and must answer the question. The defendant reluctantly agreed and gently prodded himself in the neck with the paper “knife”. Among the 31 injuries she received were blows which severed her carotid artery and her jugular vein, but Taylor insisted she was standing throughout.

Mr Clarke then asked him why, as a fitness instructor with martial arts training, Taylor had not stepped in to disarm Kate and save her life. Taylor said it was an “awkward situation” and he did not know how to intervene safely. He accused Mr Clarke of being “outlandish”. “"What is outlandish about suggesting that you try to save her life?” asked Mr Clarke. Taylor sidestepped the question and added: “I didn’t know this girl. I just didn’t know what to do.” [BBC]

His story seems to have been unduly influenced by Chris Morris.

Comments

[chiller.livejournal.com]

Presumably the kids in Jersey abused themselves (woo!), killed themselves and then buried themselves.

People, eh? They just can't be left.

[chiller.livejournal.com]

I also love the article's opening line:
While murder on a first date is extremely rare [...]

Most people wait until after the marriage to work up a real head of murderous loathing and resentment.

[amuchmoreexotic.livejournal.com]

According to this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7276754.stm), their date was in the pub where monkeyssk8 used to work!

[webofevil.livejournal.com]

Waaaait a minute… So this case (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7254628.stm) happened in Croydon, and monkeyssk8 has a tenuous connection (http://webofevil.livejournal.com/360342.html?thread=1091222#t1091222) with it… And now it turns out she has a connection with this one too? Hmm. Is monkeyssk8 actually running the website (whose existence I have had to assume) where these guys concoct their awful defences? Is she the mastermind behind all this?