Ken Bigley Murder Video

[Gibbo]

I have just seen the beheading of Ken Bigley, absolutely disturbing and so unbelievably heart breaking. After he was beheaded, his head was on the floor and I swear he had a hole in his head as though he had been shot, but he looked very much alive before he was beheaded. I was really hoping he had been shot in the head before hand then he wouldn't have to go through all that pain and torture. Does anyone have any comments on this?

[el duerino]

death holds a grizzly fascination for us all. I confess to watching teh first nick berg video and felt very ashamed mainly in myself. I suspect many people would watch it through this morbid obsession. as we encounter more death so we become hardened to it.

[FP]

Just watching how onlookers have to be turned away by police at the scene of a gruesome accident illustrates that what el duerino says is true.

[dorset 1954]

Gibbo, I'm not one of those fluffy "group hug" sort of people. I was a psychiatric nurse for 23 years and have no compassion left. But I really feel for you. You've done nowt wrong ... which you know. Please don't let anyone make you think you should feel any guilt. Guilt is a wholly destructive thing, from which you don't benefit at all. You seem to be an ok, but vulnerable human being, like the rest of us. You take care, mate.

[RevShirls]

Gibbo, I have watched it too. I haven't told anybody I watched it till now - partly because I know many people can not understand (as can be seen from many of the responses here). The reason that I watched it was that I have preached about terrorism and about Ken Bigley's plight recently. I really was shocked when I heard the news of his death as I was trying to hold on to some hope for him. After the news of his death, I had a nightmare about the execution. I kept imagining it in my mind. I wanted to watch the video because I wanted in some way to face the reality of what happened to Ken Bigley - and I really felt I had to see the inhumanity and barbarity of it all. Please don't assume that everyody who looks at this video is sick and perverted.

[cruthinboy]

"A '12yr old girl being raped' is hardly the same as this!" - oh no this was nothing at all really was it?!?!?!? Oneeyedvic - I agree with you, I'd like to think the few friends I have (-; know me well enough not to send me something like that - indeed, they wouldn't be my friends if I thought that's the sort of thing they would do. However, I have known perfectly nice people who are perhaps - dare I say - justless sensitive who seem to be able to watch such things: I remember someone at a gym trying to lend me a video called "Faces of Death" or something which contained You've Been Framed-type clips where parachutists had crashed to earth without their chute opening etc. Similarly, having worked in public libraries, I know the biggest movers off the shelves are the gruesome true crime books - we couldn't order enough of them! The only one of that genre I read was Dillons's the Shankhill Butchers because of my interest in NI - the descriptions of the killings made me feel sick.

[Oneeyedvic]

Yes Gibbo I do condemn you for watching this. You are "fascinated" by the death of a human being - and you think this is natural? Films and books are different - they are fiction (and lets not get into the "video games are just as bad and turn teenagers into killing machines" debate). You have watched something that the country has been dreading. I am afraid I do not hold much sympathy for Ken Bigley (as per my previous threads) however I do feel sorry for him and his family (just as I do for anyone who dies). My point regarding the 12 year old girl was not intended to be inappropriate Casey and I apologise for any offense. That said, I do not see how you can take offense at that but not condone someone for watching a video of a different but equally sick act. My point is that I despair of human nature. It is easy to justify any action (and I am sure paedophiles justify their own actions), but watching a real lhuman being be beheaded is a disgraceful act. If you can justify it in your head then fine - its not something I would class as normal or acceptable behaviour.

[Gibbo]

Sorry, bit of a spelling error before! Thank you to all of you who understand me and my actions, it means a great deal to me and I appreciate it so much, so thank you. As for the rest of you, I am not even going to dignify your replies with a response. You should in no way what so ever feel the need to judge a person based on what they see with their own eyes. As I said, I respect everyone for the decisions they make, and I am in no way saying that anyone should watch something which they are not comfortable with. But DO NOT make out that someone is a bad person for making a decision and having an opinion.

[Casey]

So MrsCheeks do you hold it against Ken Bigley's family for watching the video of his execution also?? What a sad comment you made. And cruthinboy I would read Gibbo's comment again as you misunderstood TOTALLY!! Gibbo was saying it is not the same as a rape as this has been PUBLICISED all over the world, making it somewhat difficult to avaoid to know what has happened!! Oneeyedvic, I condemn you for not respecting peoples actions even when they have said how they feel inside!! A lot of you are being damn right ridiculous!

[Gibbo]

Thank you Casey. Yes cruthinboy you misunderstood ,my comment. I was saying how a rape would not spread all over the world and be as open as what this has been. MrsCheeks-as Casey said! [edited]

[Message to all in this thread: please avoid personal abuse and atacks. This is not the place for it, even in a thread with such strong and emotive opinions running through it. - AB Editor]

[dirtyharriet]

I find it more offensive that this man's horrific torture has been posted on the web for "entertainment". I don't condemn you for watching it but know that I could never do so as I would have those images playing inside my head for the rest of my life. Knowing it happened is too much for me, let alone watching every detail on film. I think the amount of people watching this proves that we haven't really moved on from when people used to go and watch public executions with as much glee as though they were going to a concert.

[FP]

RevShirls. Thank you for your contribution to this. I hope it has helped Gibbo to have a response from such a well respected AB contributor. He should not feel guilty - He has done nothing to feel guilty about.

[cruthinboy]

Well i apologise if I misunderstood the bit about the rape not being the same. I never condemned you for watching it Gibbo - merely suggested that you must have a stronger stomach than me. I also pointed out that I know apparently perefectly nice people who probably actually sought the bloody video out rather than wait to have it sent to them - I think they are just less sensitive to such things. I've always been easily shocked by things like that and when young remember being horrified by a film of a prisoner in the Nigerian Civil war being led to his execution (you just heard the gunshots); similarly I was revolted by pictures of the "necklacings" carried out by supporters of Saint Nelson's ANC in the 80s. On the other hand, I am very insensitive compared to others when it comes to use of language (unPC!), or animal rights for example. I don't think Oneyedvic deserves your forthright condemnation though Gibbo - his comparison with a rape video was pretty fair I think.

[Gibbo]

Yes RevShirls thank you very much for your honest reply, it very much explains the way I felt.

[Gibbo]

cruthinboy apology accepted! I just want people to understand that it does not make me a bad person for watching what happened. As I said earlier, every day I parayed for the release of Ken Bigley. And I never EVER said I 'enjoyed' watching it or found it 'fascinating', as I am sure his family didn't either! I found it disturbing as I said in my original post! It was horrific. And I still disagree with everyting Oneeyedvic said, as he/she is judging me for watching what happened. Which I still say is ridiculous.

[Gibbo]

Sorry, meant to say I 'prayed' for Ken.

[cruthinboy]

I've also said that I'b be more than happy to watch the killers suffer the same fate - indeed I'd be up for a starring role in it ... and I wouldn't wear a rag on my head.

[hectic]

Hi, I don't get why so many of the people that replied to your question are reacting so badly, how many of you all watched on the news when YOUR army was bombing Iraq, how many people were being killed then that were in those buildings and the surrounding ones, bet you all watched that didn't you, technically the same thing and I was actually sent the same email with the link to a website but I chose not to watch but only for the pure fact I would probably have nightmares about it but it is each and every persons right to watch what they like, we have all watched things like this in the past (ok maybe not beheading someone but similar things), I personnaly hope Mr Bigley did get shot in the head before it happened as it would not have caused as much pain but I also believe that he should not have been in Iraq at a time when there is so much conflict going on and a serious risk to life for a citizen of the country that is attacking them!

[Gibbo]

Thank you so much hectic!! That is an answer I've been waiting for. I never meant for this to be a debate about being 'wrong' to watch it. I agree with everything you say :o)

[el duerino]

huh? a few people are stating that they would love to behead the murderers or whatever. Would you really, if you had a helpless man, a murderer nonetheless, kneeling at your feet, take a knife and slice his head off because of his actions? what does that make you?