Legal Herald - THE LAW AND YOU

It sounds like a scene from a teen horror flick, but it’s the real life story of a 21 year old college student who was just following her dreams.

Kristine Johnson, like many young Americans, was aspiring to be a Hollywood actress. So when the offer came up to audition for a role as the next Bond girl in the new “007” movie, she dropped everything and drove to Beverly Hills to pursue this golden opportunity.

But there was no movie. There was no audition. Instead, she was lured into the arms of a killer. Her body was found bruised, beaten and strangled to death. And for years, no one could make sense of this horrific tragedy.

However, authorities have recently pointed the finger at Victor Paleologus. He is currently accused of the killing and will be standing trial in a few months. Although there is no direct evidence such as DNA that clearly links Paleologus to Johnson’s death, there is enough circumstantial evidence to indirectly implicate that he was in fact responsible. More than 5 women say Paleologus also approached them to audition for the Bond movie. They will be testifying in court to support the prosecution’s case. Will this be enough to convince the jury of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

Maybe.

And if it is, Mr P could be up for the death penalty.

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Posted By: Legally Brunette - Category: World Issues

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Children Who Kill Children

July 12th 2006 08:58

from www.morguefile.com

Remember the days when working out how to spend 25 cents at the local lolly shop every week was life’s biggest dilemma? When waking up at 6am to watch The Smurfs seemed logical and going to sleep early would make tomorrow come faster? Remember how playing with your friends was the greatest thing in the world? Boy, have things changed.

Evan Savoie was recently convicted of killing his 12 year old after-school playfriend, Craig Sorger. The two were at Savoie’s house with a 3rd friend, Jake Eakin, who was also involved in the murder. They were supposed to be climbing trees, playing games, doing what all kids do. But instead, young Sorger was stabbed to death by a piece of wood.

Savoie is now 15 years of age but was 12 at the time of committing the crime. Although a minor, he was tried as an adult and was sentenced to 26 years in prison. His lawyers are appealing the sentence based on the fact that he is a minor and quite frankly, this really bothers me.

Why do us adults tend to think that children are simply not as capable of committing crimes as adults are? Why do we always seem to rely on this idea that children just don’t comprehend certain concepts so they can’t be held responsible for their actions?

When I was 12, I didn’t know all the rights from the wrongs. I didn’t understand a lot of things and I didn’t even try. But one thing I did know, was that taking away a human life was a despicable crime that no one must ever commit. This is a basic concept that arguably even most 5 year olds can comprehend.

Of course it all depends on the particular circumstances of the case and the idea that this young fellow may deserve a second shot at life. But I still shake my head in disgust. Maybe if he were younger, I would change my tune.

But 12?

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Posted By: Legally Brunette - Category: World Issues

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FIFA World Cup Sparks Human Rights Concerns

June 8th 2006 09:22

from www.wikipedia.com

FIFA fanatics around the world are counting down the hours til the start of the 2006 World Cup in Germany tomorrow. It is without a doubt the event of the year. Millions, maybe even billions of people will be plastered to their television screens for the next 4 weeks cheering on their favourite teams, running around with their shirts over their heads when a goal is scored and swearing crazily when the damn guy misses. But did you know that amidst all this excitement, there are two serious human rights issues that the German government is dealing with?

The first major concern is that there will be an increase in the trafficking of women throughout the games. International organisations such as Amnesty International fear that an estimated 30 000 women and girls will be sexually exploited and forced into prostitution. The reasoning is that there will be such large numbers of people heading to Germany during this time, a high demand will be placed on all services including those from Germany’s red light districts. Amnesty and other organisation throughout Europe are calling upon the German government to do everything they can to monitor the sex industry and prevent the trafficking of women for the purposes of sexual exploitation. This is a grave violation of human rights as it affects a woman’s right to human dignity, physical and mental integrity and other fundamental freedoms regarding a person’s right to life.

The second major concern is that of racial violence. Recent attacks on three males of Ethiopian, Turkish and Korean origin within the nation have sparked concerns for all visitors to the country who are of African or Asian appearance. According to a local German newspaper, Neo-Nazis are planning violent attacks on such racial groups. Again, should these horrific acts take place, they would be a severe violation of fundamental human rights as it would involve discrimination on the basis of a person’s ethnicity or religion. However, German leaders have responded to these concerns announcing there will be no tolerance of any form of xenophobia. A campaign for racial tolerance is being launched in schools throughout the country. FIFA is also doing its part by launching a “Say No To Racism” campaign during the games. Banners will be put up before all matches at the 12 stadiums to remind everyone that the World Cup is a celebration of cultural diversity as much as it is a celebration of sport.

Let’s hope that everyone remembers that.

Oh, and just one more thing. GO AUSTRALIA!

The image used in this post is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License v 2.5. For full terms please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/

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Posted By: Legally Brunette - Category: World Issues

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Bush Wants To Ban Gay Marriage

June 6th 2006 07:24

from www.wikipedia.com

President Bush has backed a resolution that same sex marriages be banned in the United States. He plans on doing this by means of a proposed constitutional amendment. Apparently, the idea was put into his head by Senator Allard, a Republican of Colorado. So what does this mean for the estimated 10% of Americans who are homosexuals and intend on marrying a person of the same sex?
[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Legally Brunette - Category: World Issues

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CULTURAL RITE or VIOLATION OF RIGHTS?

May 15th 2006 08:30

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). It’s one of those things you hear about but don’t really think about if it doesn’t affect you. The reality is that an estimated 140 million of the world’s women and girls have undergone the procedure and currently it is believed that 6000 females are being genitally mutilated every year. So what is it exactly and why is it causing such an uproar in the international legal community?