Youth stabbed to death in Zante by taxi driver

[dave50]

He was shining laser a pen into taxi driver's eyes, which is extremely dangerous so what did he expect? Also why is it when some youth is killed/mudered they always turn out to be "a lovely lad who never hurt anyone, everyone liked him".
Nobody ever says "well actually he was a right little s**t, he was always in trouble".

[redcrx]

i doubt he expected to get killed for it. Kids do dumb things, drunk teenagers do very stupid things.
But two sides to every story, the cabbie was apparently known for a violent temper and if just one kid had shone the laser light, why go after, and try to kill, all of them?
Im sure people do say negative things about people who have died, but would a loving parent when dealing with the sudden death or murder of their child??

[anotheoldgit]

/// He was shining laser a pen into taxi driver's eyes, which is extremely dangerous so what did he expect? ///

He should certainly not have expected to be killed.

The Taxi drivers were not driving at the time, and the youngsters who were on a lads holiday, so rightly or wrongly had had a little too much to drink.

This being so they had most likely had bought these laser pens and were larking about and had accidentally aimed the laser at the taxi drivers.

This lad of 18 had suffered a horrible illness all his young life, so much so that he had once been selected to escort David Beckham as an England mascot.

So I think your comments are completely out of order, and in this instance I think you will find he wasn't a right little s**t as you rudely suggest.

May he rest in peace.

[lylabellablueyes]

Whatever he did, he doesn't deserved to be stabbed!

[Sqad]

dave....you are so right.....if a youth is charged with murder and apprehended. within 24 hours. mother appears on TV extolling the virtues of her darling son who wouldn't hurt a fly.....loved by all and had a brilliant career ahead of him.

No this lad, alcohol fuelled. using a laser pencil should not have died for such a crime, but alas, we do not know the details of the stabbing...self defense ? accidental? and this will only come to light at the investigation.

[anotheoldgit]

Sqad

This lad did not murder anyone, he was murdered so it's wrong for you to say:

/// if a youth is charged with murder and apprehended. within 24 hours. mother appears on TV extolling the virtues of her darling son who wouldn't hurt a fly.....loved by all and had a brilliant career ahead of him. ///

Besides would you not also praise the virtues of your dead son, or daughter no matter what they had done (within reason that is)

incidently the Taxi Driver has been charged with the boy's murder.

[Sqad]

AOG....I realise that the boy was not the murderer.....I was setting " a scene"

<<<Besides would you not also praise the virtues of your dead son, or daughter no matter what they had done (within reason that is)>>>

Yes if a) he was not the guilty party and b) if he had any virtues...... virtues that is that would be generally agreed upon.......not every youth has "virtues" whatever the Psychologists would let you believe.

[andy-hughes]

dave50 - I think you would reflect that your initial wording was perhaps unfortunate.

i would suggest that you wished to point out that pointing a laser pen into someone's eyes should not expect to be met with no reaction, although, as is apparfent, the response was violent in the extreme, and has led to this tragic death and additional injuries.

It is human nature, for the sake of grieving relatives and friends, to paint the deceased in the best light possible. If - and we have no knowledge either way - this lad was simply a drunken hooligan, he was still loved and will be missed by his family - it helps no-one to heap riddicule and negative observations on him at a time when people are devastated by his loss.

[Sqad]

andy........of course the family are grieving, but dave is using this example to illustrate a common situation, in a wider sense.....that is the victim or accused is described in glowing terms.

dave is suggesting that these "glowing terms" are not always accurate and appropriate.

[bednobs]

they may not always be accurate but they are always appropriate to grieving families

[emmie]

shouldn't one wait for the full details to come out before making these remarks. Where was this reported, because since the story came out, i have seen nothing since. The family must be devasted, whether he was a little **** or not, you don't expect to go away on holiday and come home in a pine box.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....eek-taxi-drivers.html

/// The teen was remembered as a ‘gentle’ young man by former teachers and friends.///

/// One, Sandie Jones, wrote: ‘I remember teaching Robert at Bishopswood School... Not fair, why the gentlest of people are taken first, Tadley missing an angel tonight.’///

Sqad, can't you find a place in your heart for this tragic boy, after you have read the report?

[boxtops]

He didn't deserve to be murdered, but I would query AOG's suggestion that the laser in the eyes was an accident. There are incidents now where idiots are shining laser lights in pilots' eyes as they come into land, into drivers' eyes off motorway bridges - aiming them at pets' eyes - all sorts of idiocy. IMO, these laser pens should be banned, they can so easily blind people.

[rich47]

As ever em, a sensible balanced view

[Sqad]

AOG.....of course i can, but that was not the point of dave's post.....it was to illustrate a wider vision of media reporting....as i mentioned in my post above.

[boxtops]

Here's one version of a press report about this http://www.telegraph....er-laser-pen-row.html

[DrFilth]

dave >> Nobody ever says "well actually he was a right little s**t, he was always in trouble <<

one did say just that very recently and i think you will find it was mentioned on this site

[emmie]

Rich47 hello, and how are the other boys that were injured, as i said we should wait to see.

[andy-hughes]

Sqad - my response was to the way that dave50 worded his original post - maybe the '... so what did he expect? ...' could be misunderstood.

As far as his point about the media reporting - he has a point, I simply pointed out why the media report as they do - no paper would wish to heap scorn on a dead person - unless they are perceived as being deserving of it - and again, that approach would not in most cases be echoed by the relatives of the subject in question.

[Sqad]

andy...;-)....may be.

In my assessment of dave's post.....10 % was of the Greek incident and 90% of the wider issue.

Almost all the answers (except yours) have focused on the10%( the incident) and by the way I have just made up those percentages..;-)

[emmie]

This is in no way reflects on the young man in question, but i spent some time in Zakynthos, Zante, a few years ago, on the recommendation of a greek friend, and the first night stayed in Laganas, and the very next day moved on, others parts of the island are lovely, but it is a well known spot for youngsters, lots of bars, drinking, late night partying, and i found it wasn't to my taste. I feel sad for the boy and his family.