Reckless Intent
Nellie (79) suffered serious head injuries and died - while defending herself against violent muggers who stole her handbag.
The handbag contained £200 in cash - but the reason Nellie put up such a fight was that she also carried around a small box which contained the ashes of her husband - who died 17 years ago.
Two youths have been arrested - aged 14 and 17 - and are being questioned on suspicion of murder.
The immediate thought that went through my head when I heard the news was - that could have been my Mum - on her way to church or the shops - only to be set upon by two thugs.
Now if the two people in custody are the ones responsible for the crime - to my mind they should not be allowed to get away with a plea of - 'we didn't mean to kill the 79 year-old grandmother, honestly. It was an accident'.
The problem is that violent criminals often use this defence and - literally - get away with murder because the law normally requires the prosecution to show 'intent' on the part of the accused.
So if they're practised liars and have a 'good' lawyer - they exploit the fact that the victim is no longer around and say something along the lines of - 'I didn't stab him, he just ran on to the knife. It was an accident. Honest'.
In which case I say the law is an ass - and that the issue of intent in such crimes needs to be looked at again - and interpreted more intelligently.
For anyone to attack and rob a 79 year-old grandmother is outrageous - but it is also completely reckless and dangerous.
So reckless and dangerous in fact - that such criminals should be held accountable for their actions - they either knew or should have known that such behaviour could result in the serious injury - or even the death of their victim.
None of this will be of any comfort to Nellie and her family - of course.
But it may do some good for the future if the underlying issues are discussed more openly and with the public - by the lawmakers and politicians.
A brief headline in the news won't change anything - but engaging with the public will bring about change - and that's what politics is supposed to be about.
Making life better and safer for people like Nellie Geraghty.
