Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

Indeed, back to the topic please.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

Yes, i've read what he said and the prayer he said for her.

Ann really loved her cat and many were concerned about what had happened to him, so her management have put out a statement to say that he was quickly removed from the scene and is being well looked after whilst her family decide what to do long term.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

Nuanced, rather than black and white…

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

she may have a will that provides for the cat in the event of her demise

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

They should show the cat her body, animals understand death, if it doesn't see her then the cat will think she has abandoned it

Lovely words from a decent man

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

XThey did say that Aloycius 'was removed from the scene', so I think he must have been there when she was attacked (unless he came in when the carer or somebody opened the door and found out what had happened). I agree with you that animals understand death and that it's best to show them the body so that they can process this.

He is a good man, I have a lot of time for the Rev Richard Coles.

---------- Post added at 18:31 ---------- Previous post was at 18:23 ----------

The Aberdeen University worker who made inappropriate comments about the death of Ann Widdecombe has now been arrested & charged. This is what happens when the luxury of free speech that we are privileged to enjoy is abused.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

Free speech is not a luxury or a privilege. It is a basic right, which we accept is legally qualified for the good order of wider society.

Be careful what you categorise as luxuries Richard. Those are the things the state can most easily argue cannot be afforded and should be removed.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

I meant when comparing the UK to some other countries that don't enjoy our level of free speech.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

There is no real concept of ‘free speech’; anything you say or post can have ‘consequences’. The sometimes mentioned case of ‘shouting FIRE in a crowded theatre’, if it were to result in panic and deaths, you absolutely would be in legal trouble, both here and in the US, and probably in most jurisdictions.

It’s a case of balance, what would the proverbial ‘average person’ thinks is maybe distasteful but fine, if that’s what they believe. The comments made by the person in question about Ann Widdecombe, at least in my opinion, went well beyond that, if true, then they were disgusting and I would not want such a person working with me, or for an institution that my child may be attending, or being funded by my taxes.

I think, rightly, that ‘free speech’ has to be deliberately vague. This person has, I believe, been charged - presumably will end up in Court and a jury will decide if what they said is OK or not.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

I don't really think it should go to a jury to decide whether she is 'ok or not'. It's not 'ok' for her to have said that. It was horrible. But it shouldn't be a criminal offence. The only time I think speech should be criminalised is if it's direct abuse to someone (i.e racially abusing someone) or an incitement to violence.

Saying horrible things about someone upon their death gives a way of what kind of person you are, but I don't see why it should be literally illegal.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

Him.

“Heather” Herbert is a man.

*His* behaviour on social media is classic male pattern aggression. It is demeaning to attribute his behaviour to that of a woman. Violence, and threats of violence, are overwhelmingly a male problem and arrest/charge/conviction statistics are skewed unhelpfully if we pretend that we cannot name things for what they are.

This is a picture of him. His name is Scott.

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...1&d=1784230127

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

Damien, hypothetically we meet up in person, and I tell you to your face that I ‘hope your mother/father/child dies screaming in agony from cancer’? Would you a) just accept it as my opinion; or b) punch me very hard in the face?

I suspect b), which actually makes YOU the criminal here. Yes OK you could probably claim you were provoked and get a reduced fine. But think about it, I have ‘said some words’ that have provoked you to commit a criminal act.

Is that OK?

---------- Post added at 20:34 ---------- Previous post was at 20:32 ----------

A trans-woman, him, her, whatever. Either way a particularly unpleasant human being.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

A “trans-woman”, so called, is a man who thinks he is, or wishes he was, a woman. Nobody is under any obligation to believe him or pretend that he is. In certain circumstances it is actively unhelpful to entertain the delusion. I maintain that in the realm of crime, or any other in which official statistics are important, accuracy is essential.

Obfuscating reality by choosing to say ‘her’ while we all know it’s a ‘him’ is not conducive to the flourishing of society.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

I don't think I could or should get you arrested. I kind of think it's one where I should get no criminal conviction because you were asking to be punched in the face.

Re: Ann Widdecombe has died, murder suspected
 

Yes, we don't have the absolute right to say whatever we feel like without any possible consequences. The offending comments were said before it was known it was a murder, but even if it had of been death by natural causes, it was still an unpleasant thing to say.

Once the death was confirmed as being a murder, the perpetrator refused to apologise.