The police have announced that they will not be laying charges over the killing of Folole Muliaga. This is disappointing, but given their treatment of the Muliaga family, hardly surprising. From the outset, the police displayed little interest in the case (despite a murder or at least manslaughter charge being sustainable), and seemed to regard the investigation as a distraction from "real" police work (like raping women, or beating prisoners in their cells). We've seen this attitude before, over electoral crime; it didn't look good then, it doesn't look good now, and it does nothing to restore public faith in the police.
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18 comments:
Have you got some form of evidence that woudl show that the crown is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of murder? Who do you think should be charged. Shoudl we ignore she was seriously overweight, unwell and the family stuffed about calling the ambulance or may not have told mercury about her condition.
Your post makes your appear as a hysterial idiot. If you really think that the police think that their real job is raping women why dont you join the police to try and change it? of course that might involve doing a days work which is probably a feeling you havent experienced. Does thsi mean that if you or someone you know are a victim of a crime, since you lack such confidence in the police you wont be involving them?
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 01:21:00 PM
Had you considered that this might please the family because it means they won't face charges of failing to provide the necessaries of life?
Posted by Graeme Edgeler : 6/12/2007 01:25:00 PM
I/S: don't be ridiculous. to sustain a manslaughter (let alone a murder) charge against a company officer or contractor, causation would need to be proven between the power being cut off and the death. the fact is there was no link. if there was a link, the the health authorities would be at fault (power cuts can happen any time and no one that dependent on power should be sent home). if the other possible charge is denying the essentials of life - but that would be the sons who would be charged, which would serve no good at all. this is a good decision by the police.
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 01:27:00 PM
Graeme: they're pleased that the contractor is not being charged [audio]; they don't think the police investigated Mercury at all and are waiting to see what the Coroner hears.
Unlike them, I do not believe in the Nuremberg Defence. If doing your job involves killing people, it seems obvious to me that you should refuse to do it, and that you are morally culpable if you do not.
Posted by Idiot/Savant : 6/12/2007 01:47:00 PM
I/S says again: "I do not believe in the Nuremberg Defence. If doing your job involves killing people, it seems obvious to me that you should refuse to do it, and that you are morally culpable if you do not."
But the cutting off of the power didn't cause the death!
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 01:52:00 PM
Nobody is going to be charged over Folole Muliaga's death. Good. Now perhaps family spokesperson Brendon Sheehan can shut up about the Government not doing enough if he is not going to confirm whether the Muliaga family was receiving their full entitlements through Working for Families and Work and Income.
if they don't get their entitlements, and they cant afford to live, well, whose fault is that?
Now poor people who cant pay their power bill "must" be told to go to WINZ even when they have not bothered to apply for eligible assistance to start with.
Posted by Swimming : 6/12/2007 02:00:00 PM
Yet more hysteria, Idiot.
All the evidence that has come out suggests that Mrs Muliaga was morbidly obese, was gravely ill because of it, and that the breathing apparatus was not designed to support life. She refused her medication, in favour of traditional Samoan remedies. Her family had several hours in which to seek medical attention after the power was cut off, and chose not to.
Just because you loathe the idea of anybody making money, anywhere, you want to lead the lynch mob against a power company, whose only fault, it seems, is insensitive PR subsequent to Mrs Muliaga's death.
It is astonishing on the one hand that you criticise the police for interviewing the witnesses to the supposed murder charges that you want the Police to lay, yet haven't provided any evidence whatsoever that Mercury was culpable for Mrs Muliaga's death.
Posted by Insolent Prick : 6/12/2007 02:15:00 PM
I don't think watching the Police provide state sanction to the kind of lynch mob mentality you've been promoting would do much for public faith in them either. There is as yet a grand total of 0 evidence that Mercury or Mighty River are even in a remote sense culpable for this death. Your ardent belief that it must be so isn't something the Crown can build a case on.
Posted by Psycho Milt : 6/12/2007 02:23:00 PM
Having the power cut could well have been fatal in Folole case.
Being morbidly obese and gravely ill makes stress ( such as that caused by your power being cut off ) life threatening.
Most people do not miss out on benefits and entitlements because they cant be bothered ............ its because they dont know of them or Winz has refused them.
There are systems in existance to stop disconnections for sick and dependant people .......... the system broke down in this case.
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 02:40:00 PM
if people dont know about working for families or WINZ benefits, with all that advertising,they have their head under a rock.
If Brendon Sheehan cared so much for his "family" he would ensure they get their entitlements.
Posted by Swimming : 6/12/2007 02:54:00 PM
You've made no case either to show why it would impact public faith in the police.
Appears that public opinion has been shifting since the initial hysteria. I don't think HC's and Sheehan's grandstanding have helped/
Insider
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 03:23:00 PM
This comment has been removed by the author. Posted by Graeme Edgeler : 6/12/2007 03:25:00 PM
They don't think the Police investigated Mercury at all and I don't think the Police investigated the family at all.
Are you also morally culpable if you accept the obligation to care for your wife and, knowing her breathing apparatus requires electricity to function, fail to provide that electricity?
Posted by Graeme Edgeler : 6/12/2007 03:38:00 PM
"If Brendon Sheehan cared so much for his "family" he would ensure they get their entitlements." The only thing Brendon cares about is his career. If he was a lawyer he would chase ambulances.
This whole epsode has been very good for Brendon political career. He is being talked about at the highest levels of the Labour Party....H1 & H2 love him....looks like he will be standing in Philip Field's electorate next year, and he is likely to be high up on the list for a first timer.
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 03:51:00 PM
nznative said "Having the power cut could well have been fatal in Folole case.
Being morbidly obese and gravely ill makes stress ( such as that caused by your power being cut off ) life threatening."
Indeed.... but it doesnt make the power company or contactor any more culpable for the death than if you have a minor/moderate car crash and then the other party dies of heart attack half an hour later... Causational? Possibly/probably, but not criminal.
Until the cause of death is publicly released, its all guesswork. Presumably, the police are in possesion of more facts than have been made public?
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 04:23:00 PM
I normally agree with you on many things, I/S, but this time I do need to side with your naysayers.
We do not know why Mrs Muliaga died. So, please, stop speculating, stop playing politics.
Posted by Anonymous : 6/12/2007 04:33:00 PM
This post is the most absurd ranting. In fact the author of this blog is certifiably loony with this rubbish. Not content with a previous thread labelling Mercury as "Murder Energy" he has now dreamed up this load of rubbish.
Predictably all the Morons in Parliament (MMP = More mORons in Parliament) were wanking on, SuE Bradford and Flavell of the Maori Party in the House yesterday.
Posted by Anonymous : 6/13/2007 11:21:00 AM
and it does nothing to restore public faith in the police.
What bullshit, the publics faith in the police will be restored as most people are smart enough to know that the whole thing is a socialist jackup. As is your stupid post.
Posted by Anonymous : 6/13/2007 11:23:00 AM
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