It seems there can be no excuse for this vile man but I object to two things... the media and police comments now use words like COWARD - for God's sake let's return to news coverage to facts and detail. Not opinion.
And about NO COMMENT in police interviews. My different statement - I can make no comment having no access to evidence and not wishing to prejudice any possible future trial

And I refer to my previous answer

100%. You can delete my Clifford thread if you wish sir. Not much point in having two. Sorry. Great minds and all that.

BBC rolling coverage:

"Judge Mr Justice Bennathan says Clifford "lacks courage" by refusing to attend his sentencing"

"BBC racing commentator John Hunt, who was the husband and father of the victims, says Clifford is "callous, cowardly and vindicitive", adding Hell will "roll out the red carpet" for him "

I have no idea why the media and police blame influencers and ex kickboxer on psychopaths.

Clifford is evil to the core like all killers, some people are just evil for no reason.

Hunt's speech excellent and correct. The crime awful and inexplicable. The killer deserves every day of captivity.

But media reporting legal conclusions must NOT express personal feelings - just facts. And Judges should likewise state facts and NOT personal views.

Likewise we should try to find out all sides before making our opinions. What was his justification? I cannot imagine it justifies his murders but, for example, a man who killed Hitler would have had a good excuse. As would I, if I shot dead a man about to kill my mother - or anyone else's mother.

And as human beings, even if or when we decide everything is against such a person's acts, we ought to be able to be decent and kind towards him, as a few religious leaders have urged - correctly.

Jo wrote:
BBC rolling coverage:

"Judge Mr Justice Bennathan says Clifford "lacks courage" by refusing to attend his sentencing"

"BBC racing commentator John Hunt, who was the husband and father of the victims, says Clifford is "callous, cowardly and vindicitive", adding Hell will "roll out the red carpet" for him "


Clifford should have been dragged by the short and curlies and be forced to attend court.

Going to court is no fun but once a coward always a coward.

You're entitled to your opinion GM but such language implies lack of intelligence.

JK2006 wrote:


But media reporting legal conclusions must NOT express personal feelings - just facts. And Judges should likewise state facts and NOT personal views.



Yes this tendency to tell us what to think and predict our responses is irritating. It is not as if there is a great deal of thought going on anyway.

The infantilisation of our culture blindly continues.

From train operators telling us to "mind the gap", to adults watching "Gladiators" on a Saturday evening, TV companies warning us we may be offended by a line of dialogue a fictional character will express 52 minutes in, boo-hoo...

We will all be sitting around in nappies soon being spoon-fed.

And media no longer bothers to "VERIFY" as a stupid recent BBC show calls itself. For some time we are assured that one of the ships in the North Sea tragedy was carrying 17 crates of poison. Then it was revealed - it wasn't. DOH. But panic=ratings and circulation and clicks - who cares about truth?

JK2006 wrote:
You're entitled to your opinion GM but such language implies lack of intelligence.

I am direct and blunt JK, always have and have been.

Nothing wrong with blunt GM as long as it follows thought.