Rampage blamed on game obsession
“Reid [the offender] was hardwired for violence and anti-social behaviour and programmed by his recreational pursuits” [involving the game Grand Theft Auto].
The Dominion Post Saturday, 31 May 2008
Like a character from Grand Theft Auto, the game he played compulsively, Tim Reid went on a rampage, stole a police car, and left a policeman unconscious and bleeding on the roadside.
Yesterday, his lawyer Chris Nicholls said Reid was remorseful for what happened to Sergeant Kevin Wellington in New Plymouth on December 29 last year, but he was a product of his upbringing.
He committed violent offences and compulsively played Grand Theft Auto.
Mr Nicholls said a video game that showed violence toward police was a public safety concern, with the game promoting the behaviour.
Tim Henare James Junior Reid, 25, of Mt Victoria, Wellington pleaded guilty to aggravated wounding, escaping custody, reckless driving, dangerous driving, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and two charges of failing to stop, breach of supervision orders and being an unlicensed driver.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4566395a23955.html
Mr Nicholls said Reid began smoking cannabis at five, was sexually and physically abused, and now abused drugs and alcohol. He had met his co-offender in the cells at Lower Hutt District Court, and when they were both bailed they began a road trip to New Plymouth.
Sergeant Wellington clocked their car doing 143kmh and gave chase, but Reid kept going till he crashed. Reid ran off but returned as Mr Wellington tried to talk to his co-offender. Reid pushed the officer to the ground and began hitting him. As Reid was getting into the patrol car his co-offender came up behind Mr Wellington and knocked him out. The officer was hit several more times while he was on the ground.
Reid and the other man then sped off in the patrol car, and after another chase ran through a roadblock. Even with tyres blown by road spikes they kept going till the tyres peeled off the rims.
Both were arrested when the car stopped.
Wellington District Court judge Denys Barry jailed Reid for five years and ordered him to complete a minimum non-parole period lasting two thirds of the sentence. He also disqualified him from driving for two years.
He said Reid was hardwired for violence and anti-social behaviour and programmed by his recreational pursuits.
Judge Barry said the police sergeant’s resilience and courage was in stark contrast to the cowardice of Reid’s action. Mr Wellington had healed and gone back to work, but could no longer patrol by himself.
Reid has previous convictions for aggravated wounding, robbery and assault.
Judge Barry’s concerns were backed by Family First national director Bob McCoskrie, who said violent video games were of far greater concern than violent television programmes or films. “Rather than observing the law breaker you take on the role of the lawbreaker …we think it desensitises certain people.”
Yeah, like we had a utopian society before the invention of the Atari 2600. Just like in the fifties they wanted to blame a kids behavior to rock and roll, now it’s video games. The truth is it’s not GTA 4, it’s how the kid was raised. And to hear people who can’t even funtion their own cell phones bash a medium that’s still new and revolutionary only shows their own ignorance and closed-mindedness of new technologies and how they shape the world. I would like for these same people to actually sit down with the game and find out for themselves how it’s like instead of taking it from the mouth of people who’ve never even seen a screenshot of the game. I’m a serious GTA addict, I’ve played every game that’s came out including the PS1(that’s Playstation one for those of you who don’t know gamer lingo), and I have yet to kill somebody. But that’s not based on the game, that’s based on how my mom raised me. When I hear stories it really makes me sick. Do you honestly believe that every kid is a socialpath who honestly can’t tell the difference between pixelated fantasy and reality? Please! Why don’t all you clueless people just give the video game card a rest because you’ll only sound like you’re right to those who are equally as clueless as you are about a new form of media and home entertainment. Alcohol, Television, Rock n Roll, Video Games…What’s the next scapegoat they’re gonna use to divert the fact that they are just not responsible enough to raise a healthy child into the world? Whatever it is it’s gonna be something the last generation never had or understood and will be scared of it. Simple as that.
Okay, I’ve played all the GTA games and let me tell you, they are so fun, because we all know you can’t kill, steal cars etc… in real life.
Plus, What kind of excuse is that “violent games effect young adults” thats just plain stupid, Its like you compare us young children as Dumb retards who can’t tell the difference between Reality and fantasy. I have grown up in the most violent family ever and thats not nice, but I don’t have one ounce of violence in me.
GTA 4 cannot effect a child or young adult because wouldn’t we all be running the streets killing people and stealing cars?