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Thread ID: 114756 2010-12-15 23:38:00 At last a piece od sensible Journalism Arnie (6624) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1162091 2010-12-15 23:38:00 Police not to blame: brother
Bannan killed my sister, says brother
JOHN HOLM - The Press
Last updated 05:00 16/12/2010


OPINION: My big sister and her aerobics partner, Norman Fitt, were killed instantly at 8.10pm on August 26, just 10 minutes after I had travelled through the same set of lights on Fitzgerald Ave, Christchurch.

She did not have time to say goodbye to her frail 87-year-old mum, her soulmate and loyal husband for over four decades, two beautiful daughters, her younger sister, two brothers, relatives and hundreds of friends.

I have never had the need to write to the editor before but I, and other members of our family, am absolutely stressed by correspondents who see it as their right to form an opinion about the police's role as this tragic event unfolded, without any knowledge of the background, let alone the facts.

My wish and hope is that by sharing the facts my family, the police and our justice system can have "closure" on this totally avoidable tragedy.

The individual who killed two beautiful people in the prime of their lives had offended against the law previously and been jailed. While under the care of his extended family following his release from jail, he got into an unregistered and unwarranted car while drunk and disqualified. He broke the law on several counts – the worst, killing two people

He drove from Akaroa to Christchurch and was "noticed" shortly after arrival by the police, who within a matter of 400 metres had the driver pulling into the kerbside as requested. When the car was virtually at a standstill, the driver had a "brain explosion", sped off through three green-light intersections at a speed up to 90-100kmh in a 50kmh zone.

Sadly and fatally the fourth intersection had a red light and he had covered a total distance of only 500m since running the police stop and fleeing the police.

The police had not even passed through the first set of green lights, and the time elapsed was less than a minute, when my sister and the driver of the vehicle she was in were killed.

How do I know all of this? It is very simple.

Following the unrelenting publicity following Deidre's and Norman's death, 13 people from both families have met with the police involved to acquaint ourselves of the facts, and having done this, have thanked them for trying to do the job they are employed to do within the "rules of engagement".

So who killed my sister?

Bad parenting killed my sister and to a lesser extent the education system, with the latter not equipped with the tools or resources (or time for that matter) to educate this young man when his parents failed.
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We have to have social rules and when people fail to abide by those rules as a consequence of bad parenting through their formative years, we have to have laws.

The laws have to have teeth, and be upheld, for without this we have anarchy.

The police are an easy target as they are "dammed if they do and dammed if they don't".

To all you police bashers out there, let the police use their best human judgment as they continue to "protect the public", whilst at the same time society demands and reminds those who bring children into the world that they are equally guilty and should also be held accountable.

The public seem to forget that the police have husbands and wives, family and friends, so give them a break.

These two officers had to watch powerlessly as two people got killed right in front of their eyes. Have any of you been through that trauma?

My guess is no.
Arnie (6624)
1162092 2010-12-16 02:12:00 People like these need to be taken out back and shot.

Quite simple.

Why is it that they always seem to live and the innocent die?
ubergeek85 (131)
1162093 2010-12-16 02:15:00 Why is it that they always seem to live and the innocent die?
Because these 'things' apparently have more rights than the victims and society they harm. So much PC, they are not humans when they recklessly endanger other people's lives.....
qazwsxokmijn (102)
1162094 2010-12-16 02:48:00 Shoot the extended family as well who didn't stop him and for keeping an unregistered car where he could get it gary67 (56)
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