The beating of that girl in Bangor

[manfromdelmonte]

nothing surprises me anymore what a mob or group of youngsters will get up to
and all captured on the on phones too

heard a story about two fifteen year olds on a bus on the way home from a youth disco recently

[Dougal Maguire]

Facebook tells me this evening that the victim isn't a 'great' sort either and sympathy seems to have dried up for her.. Doesn't make what happened to her any less distasteful and I hope they get time for it.

So despite her being beaten  half to death and without knowing her, the girls character now  gets dragged thru the mud on a public forum cos of something you read on FB?

Well she did have a Police tag on her ankle which would indicate she was no saint

[brokencrossbar1]

These types of assaults have been happening for time immemorial. Social media hasn't created this issue but it has magnified it. I recall vividly being in Antrim court representing a pregnant girl and her brother over a very similar assault of the father of the baby and another girl because they were caught together. This was 16 years ago. The background to these types of cases can be very similar. As children they have been exposed to abuse both physical and sexual from a very early age. Normally single parent homes, living below the poverty level, no or limited education, victims of a care system that doesn't care who's parents were the same. Inter generational poverty that is very difficult to break 

[Minder]

These types of assaults have been happening for time immemorial. Social media hasn't created this issue but it has magnified it. I recall vividly being in Antrim court representing a pregnant girl and her brother over a very similar assault of the father of the baby and another girl because they were caught together. This was 16 years ago. The background to these types of cases can be very similar. As children they have been exposed to abuse both physical and sexual from a very early age. Normally single parent homes, living below the poverty level, no or limited education, victims of a care system that doesn't care who's parents were the same. Inter generational poverty that is very difficult to break

Yeah you hear the usual pitchfork "sc**bag" sentiment but it isn't that straightforward, some of these youngsters had no chance

[Over the Bar]

Facebook tells me this evening that the victim isn't a 'great' sort either and sympathy seems to have dried up for her.. Doesn't make what happened to her any less distasteful and I hope they get time for it.

So despite her being beaten  half to death and without knowing her, the girls character now  gets dragged thru the mud on a public forum cos of something you read on FB?

Well she did have a Police tag on her ankle which would indicate she was no saint

It could also indicate she was a shoplifter, which doesn't mean she in some way deserved life changing facial injuries  as being suggested.

[Taylor]

Off course the kid didnt deserve the beating. Full stop.

However she obviously isnt the angel she was painted in social media when it first happened. Stories of giving out beatings, continually in trouble with the law, running with the crowd that actually gave her the beating have somewhat meant the sympathy has significantly dipped.

All money collected that was to be given to the girl is now being given back. The person who set up the page cant or wont say why she is returning the money.

Most of the parties involved in this case have been in and out of care for years now which gives some perspective on it.

[Boycey]

I'm not making any comment on the wee girl rather reporting that the even more public jury of Facebook has decided has decided that she's a Cnut too and deserved what she got.

A bit like I said on the other thread I despair of people..

[Minder]

Maybe it's just me being ultra cynical and a misery guts but why is it now the done thing when someone gets a booting or some crisis happens the first thing that happens is setting up a Go Fund Me page??

I remember after the Manchester attack last year they were falling over themselves to set them up for some of the "homeless heroes" (one ended up getting jailed for theft), now what sense is there in just handing someone a wad of money, especially someone with obvious problems. Money isn't always the answer.

[Taylor]

Maybe it's just me being ultra cynical and a misery guts but why is it now the done thing when someone gets a booting or some crisis happens the first thing that happens is setting up a Go Fund Me page??

I remember after the Manchester attack last year they were falling over themselves to set them up for some of the "homeless heroes" (one ended up getting jailed for theft), now what sense is there in just handing someone a wad of money, especially someone with obvious problems. Money isn't always the answer.

Gives some people a real kick to put up on social media that they have donated money. How many would donate if no one else knew they were donating?
Self gratifying bullshit

[seafoid]

These types of assaults have been happening for time immemorial. Social media hasn't created this issue but it has magnified it. I recall vividly being in Antrim court representing a pregnant girl and her brother over a very similar assault of the father of the baby and another girl because they were caught together. This was 16 years ago. The background to these types of cases can be very similar. As children they have been exposed to abuse both physical and sexual from a very early age. Normally single parent homes, living below the poverty level, no or limited education, victims of a care system that doesn't care who's parents were the same. Inter generational poverty that is very difficult to break

Your legal insights are really interesting,  BC. Keep them coming.
I think family povert'y over generations is also a trauma thing.  Kids are brutalised from an early age in some famI lies. 
If you look at how the brains of murderers develop it usually takes years and dysfunction is often a great breeding ground.

[Milltown Row2]

These types of assaults have been happening for time immemorial. Social media hasn't created this issue but it has magnified it. I recall vividly being in Antrim court representing a pregnant girl and her brother over a very similar assault of the father of the baby and another girl because they were caught together. This was 16 years ago. The background to these types of cases can be very similar. As children they have been exposed to abuse both physical and sexual from a very early age. Normally single parent homes, living below the poverty level, no or limited education, victims of a care system that doesn't care who's parents were the same. Inter generational poverty that is very difficult to break

Your legal insights are really interesting,  BC. Keep them coming.
I think family povert'y over generations is also a trauma thing.  Kids are brutalised from an early age in some famI lies. 
If you look at how the brains of murderers develop it usually takes years and dysfunction is often a great breeding ground.

Or it could be they just happened to have lost the plot and murdered someone, a lot of the time we look for reasons as to why, there are thousands of people that have been brought up in dysfunctional familes and do pretty well, and there are plenty brought up in good homes that turn out to be right dickheads and turn to crime!

Yes the percentage of ones from below the poverty line getting into crime is a lot higher, but plenty in 'normal' homes and rich ones are dirtbags too

[brokencrossbar1]

These types of assaults have been happening for time immemorial. Social media hasn't created this issue but it has magnified it. I recall vividly being in Antrim court representing a pregnant girl and her brother over a very similar assault of the father of the baby and another girl because they were caught together. This was 16 years ago. The background to these types of cases can be very similar. As children they have been exposed to abuse both physical and sexual from a very early age. Normally single parent homes, living below the poverty level, no or limited education, victims of a care system that doesn't care who's parents were the same. Inter generational poverty that is very difficult to break

Your legal insights are really interesting,  BC. Keep them coming.
I think family povert'y over generations is also a trauma thing.  Kids are brutalised from an early age in some famI lies. 
If you look at how the brains of murderers develop it usually takes years and dysfunction is often a great breeding ground.

Or it could be they just happened to have lost the plot and murdered someone, a lot of the time we look for reasons as to why, there are thousands of people that have been brought up in dysfunctional familes and do pretty well, and there are plenty brought up in good homes that turn out to be right d**kheads and turn to crime!

Yes the percentage of ones from below the poverty line getting into crime is a lot higher, but plenty in 'normal' homes and rich ones are dirtbags too

Of course that is true but that's the exception in regards to crime rather than the rule in my experience. Generally too the ones from 'better' backgrounds go through a stage of getting into trouble and eventually wise up unless they do something really stupid.

[seafoid]

These types of assaults have been happening for time immemorial. Social media hasn't created this issue but it has magnified it. I recall vividly being in Antrim court representing a pregnant girl and her brother over a very similar assault of the father of the baby and another girl because they were caught together. This was 16 years ago. The background to these types of cases can be very similar. As children they have been exposed to abuse both physical and sexual from a very early age. Normally single parent homes, living below the poverty level, no or limited education, victims of a care system that doesn't care who's parents were the same. Inter generational poverty that is very difficult to break

Your legal insights are really interesting,  BC. Keep them coming.
I think family povert'y over generations is also a trauma thing.  Kids are brutalised from an early age in some famI lies. 
If you look at how the brains of murderers develop it usually takes years and dysfunction is often a great breeding ground.

Or it could be they just happened to have lost the plot and murdered someone, a lot of the time we look for reasons as to why, there are thousands of people that have been brought up in dysfunctional familes and do pretty well, and there are plenty brought up in good homes that turn out to be right d**kheads and turn to crime!

Yes the percentage of ones from below the poverty line getting into crime is a lot higher, but plenty in 'normal' homes and rich ones are dirtbags too

Obviously.  Trauma can be in any family. But perfecting a sc**bag  takes years of work. It doesn't happen overnightmn

[trailer]

There's some arseholes on Facebook. From people sharing chain letters, to people who setup Paedophile catching stings, to people who put their entire lives on it, to Gofund me pricks. It's got now that if you're on Facebook you're a penis.

Breaking the cycle of social deprivation is very difficult. Care & prison is not the answer. You need to give these people a purpose, but they also need to help themselves as well.

[Eamonnca1]

Maybe it's just me being ultra cynical and a misery guts but why is it now the done thing when someone gets a booting or some crisis happens the first thing that happens is setting up a Go Fund Me page??

I remember after the Manchester attack last year they were falling over themselves to set them up for some of the "homeless heroes" (one ended up getting jailed for theft), now what sense is there in just handing someone a wad of money, especially someone with obvious problems. Money isn't always the answer.

Gives some people a real kick to put up on social media that they have donated money. How many would donate if no one else knew they were donating?
Self gratifying bullshit

When you see something like that played back in front of you it presses the same emotional buttons as if you were seeing it first hand. Anyone that was beaten up in school reacts very strongly to seeing this sort of thing. Same as Michael Buerke's BBC news report of the Ethiopian famine, we all remember the wave of "we've got to do something-ism."

When we're physically remote from something we still feel the urge to help, but since we're not there on the ground, contributing money is the best we can do. I don't think it's the worst aspect of human nature and I couldn't describe it as "self gratifying bullshit." I just think we have to be a bit more careful about how we try to help, and the answer isn't always obvious. To this day it's controversial as to whether or not Live Aid's money made mattters better or worse for Ethiopia.

When someone sets up a go-fund-me page it usually makes a lot of money, although I'd be interested in knowing what the checks and balances are for making sure the money goes to the right people or does any good. I'm always sceptical about go fund me pages because I don't know if it's some scammer trying to make a quick buck.

Remember the Ulster Says No campaign and the big rally at city hall? Apparently some enterprising fenians put some "Ulster Says No" posters on buckets, walked around collecting money from the crowd, and pocketed the lot of it!