Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Inmate Arrested Over Child Killer 'Murder'

Sky News

1:15pm UK, Wednesday February 23, 2011

Jon di Paolo, Sky News Online

A 35-year-old inmate has been arrested on suspicion of murdering child killer Colin Hatch at a maximum-security prison.



Child killer Colin Hatch

Hatch died following an incident at Full Sutton jail near York on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old was jailed for life after being convicted of killing a seven-year-old boy while on parole for a previous child sex attack.

A Humberside Police spokesman said: "Officers from Humberside Police are currently investigating a prisoner death at Full Sutton Prison.

"A 38-year-old male prisoner died in the incident. A 35-year-old male prisoner has been arrested on suspicion of murder."
"Never again must a family have to suffer this experience and never again must Colin Hatch be released back into our community."
Victim's mother Lynn Williams after Hatch was jailed
Jailing Hatch in January 1994, Judge Nina Lowry said he was "highly dangerous" and told him it was not possible to envisage a time when he could be released safely.

Unemployed Hatch, then 21, had smirked when he heard the jury's verdict.

Just over two years earlier, he was jailed for three years for assaulting a boy of eight - and his lawyer warned he could kill when he was released.

Within 11 weeks of being paroled in April 1993, he abducted, sexually assaulted and then choked to death Sean Williams after luring him to his tower block home in Norfolk Close, Finchley, north London.

A postman discovered the youngster's body taped up in bin liners and dumped in a lift.

His conviction prompted a review of parole and probation for those convicted of sex crimes, with Sean's mother and father, Lynn and John Williams, saying others had to take some of the blame for their son's death.

Speaking at the time, Mrs Williams said: "Never again must a child be murdered by a pervert.

"Never again must a family have to suffer this experience and never again must Colin Hatch be released back into our community."

The two-week trial heard fantasies "involving abduction, sexual abuse and the killing of young children" written by Hatch were found in a wardrobe in his mother's bedroom after his arrest.

Hatch had a string of previous convictions from the age of 15 for attacks on six young boys.

At his previous trial for indecently assaulting the eight-year-old boy and choking him until he lost consciousness, psychiatrist Dr Anthony Wilkins recommended that Hatch was a "menace to the public" and should be sent to Broadmoor top security hospital.

But Broadmoor had not considered Hatch dangerous enough at the time, Dr Wilkins said.

Instead he was jailed for three years, as the judge was given no alternative.

Source: Sky News 23/02/11

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Character Study Of Psycopaths

This post focuses in on psycopaths and how they manage to hide amongst us; people like H. Olaf, the murderer of little Mirco Schlitter. He was known by friends and family as a husband and family man with children of his own! Many times psycopaths/pedofiles can blend in well in society and yet maybe not as well over time with their close family and friends. It is important to recognise these predators living amongst us whenever possible and our guest writer, Sarah Tate, has not only her personal experiences to share with us, but has written two books about them, Web of Lies - My Life With A Narcissist and Renaissance - A Journal of Recovery.

"I’m currently reading Dark Souls by Sarah Strudwick, and I’m struck by the blatant and brazen behaviour of her psychopathic ex, as described in the book. There were definite and tangible ‘red flag’ moments for her which she chose, at that time, to ignore for a range of personal reasons (mainly due to her past history of abuse and low self-esteem at the time she was in the relationship).

It struck me how very different our two exes were, yet at the same time so very similar in their thought processes and behaviour patterns. One is ‘in your face’ the other a ‘slow burner’ but both are equally as dangerous.

In my own relationship, there were also a great many red flags, but they were subtle enough for me to overlook at first. It wasn’t until time had passed and they built up that they became more obvious. There were lies and inconsistencies in the stories told to me, particularly relating to his past, but nothing that was so sensational, that it became instantly unbelievable. It was gradual.

There was nothing brash, brazen, or remotely violent about my experience. There was no anger, rarely a raised voice (from him) and at no point did I feel threatened by, or scared of, him.

At the time I knew nothing about passive aggressive behaviour and I’d never heard of gaslighting, so I inevitably believed that many of the problems were my own, and for the most part blamed myself for the persistent misery in which we lived.

When I look back now, I see my marriage to a psychopath like being in a psychological slow cooker. The ingredients for disaster were all there right from the very beginning, but it took time for the heat to really build up and the ensuing chaos to erupt. Even when it did, he remained calm, distant, cold and unassuming. A psychopath doesn’t need to be wielding his fists or a weapon to be dangerous. I feel that is a common misconception.

I knew I was on the ‘burner’ from very early on though. I could feel the heat building in the form of my own disquiet, and his growing distance and ultimate disdain. But the ‘light bulb moment’ only occurred at the very end when the whole world was crumbling around my ears.

The first ‘moment’ (as I describe in Web of Lies) came when he took money set aside to feed the children and booked a five star hotel to entertain his new girlfriend in. When I confronted him about this, he told me he felt entitled to a ‘break’ in a lap of five star luxury, despite the fact he knew we had no money to feed our kids. Upon realizing what he’d done, it occurred to me for the first time that the man had serious psychological issues. I knew no normal parent could do that to their own children, so it had to be that he wasn’t ‘normal’. This was the first time I considered he might be mentally unstable.

The second ‘moment’ came after the split when he seriously suggested we divide the children between us as though they were ornaments or assets of some sort. In that moment, when he made the suggestion, I looked into his eyes and saw there was nothing behind them. There was no ‘light’ there. And that’s when I knew I was dealing with a person without feeling or conscience. A person who could not love, or be loved.

After that, things started to finally fall into place, as I began to arm myself with knowledge and get therapy for the damage created by years on the ‘slow burner’.

As Dr David Holmes recently said to me about my books ;

“It’s so important to realise that these people do not visit the doctors and be diagnosed. They have to be identified and exposed by those close to them, which is hard, and anything that makes it easier will limit the damage done”

This is exactly why sites such as Waking You Up are needed to help men and women in relationships with these people to spot the red flags, and enable them to have their ‘light bulb moments’ before it’s too late. These men and women do not walk around with ‘I am a psychopath’ written across their foreheads. Only by learning how to spot the signs, and sharing our experiences, can we raise awareness of this problem in our society.

In some cases, these ‘light bulb moment’s come when we recognize our own frailties and weak points, and realize that we have become a magnet for a certain type of personality. Only by recognizing this in ourselves can we make the changes required to ensure we never allow another one of these people into our lives.

In other cases (like mine) the devil is literally hidden in the detail, and it can take time on the slow burner before we finally acknowledge and accept what we’re dealing with. As I said, the psychopath does not need to necessarily be a physical threat to pose a formidable danger to our well-being . The slow burners are equally as dangerous.

Wake up."

Monday, February 7, 2011

Safer Internet Day, Tuesday 8 February

7th February 2011

It’s more than a game, it’s your life – that’s the message to youngsters as South Yorkshire Police gives its support to Safer Internet Day.

Most children and young people growing up today experience the Internet in a positive and creative way. With over 500 million active users of Facebook and over 13 million players of online games such as World of Warcraft, the Internet has become a place for learning, playing and socialising.

Unfortunately, the internet can also be used negatively for bullying or threatening behaviour. This is why South Yorkshire Police (SYP) is supporting the '2011 Safer Internet Day’, which will take place on Tuesday 8th February across the country.

The ‘Safer Internet Day’ is organised by INSAFE, who promote safe, responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices to young people and the message this year is ‘it’s more than a game, it’s your life’.

Children and Young People's Officers will be visiting local schools to deliver Internet safety advice to young people to help them stay safe while using the Internet for homework, playing games and staying in touch with friends.

Advice from South Yorkshire Police is:

• Never give out personal details over the Internet such as mobile phone numbers.

• If using chat rooms use a nickname to protect your identity.

• Never arrange to meet anyone you have met online.

• Remember, it is not necessary to put your full details on social networking sites such as Facebook and always alter your privacy settings to allow only your friends to view your profile.

• Most importantly, it is vital to report anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Police also advise parents to try to keep the computer in a communal area, where you can easily monitor what your children are viewing.

Source: South Yorkshire Police 07/02/11