Attacker Smoked Cannabis: suicide and psychotic violence in the UK and Ireland
"Those whose minds are steeped in cannabis are capable of quite extraordinary criminality."
Daily Mail | 22nd March 2023
The ceaselessly updated website ‘Attacker Smoked Cannabis’ records scores of hideous violent crimes in which allegedly peaceful marijuana has been a feature.
But – in a country far too used to such crime – such events are these days only reported locally.
Daily Mail | 9th May 2023
In a ‘ferocious’ attack, Marques Walker, 17, stabbed Jermaine Cools, 14, seven times as he lay defenceless on the ground outside a chicken shop in Croydon, London, on November 18, 2021.
Walker pleaded guilty to Jermaine’s murder and possessing a knife earlier this year, and was jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years this afternoon…
The court also heard that Walker was under the influence of cannabis, which the Judge noted he was ‘dependent’ [sic].
Filed under murder.
The Sun | 24th April 203
Coroner Joanne said: “I am satisfied following all investigations that there is no other reason to explain why such a young person has had an acute myocardial infarction. I find it was due to chronic cannabis use.”
“The correction conclusion [sic] is that this was a drug-related death. Cannabis use is not safe.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/22137614/vomiting-cannabis-use-death/
Filed under suicide.
Daily Mail | 30th March 2023
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Giving evidence, Cashman said he left school when he was 13 or 14, finding work delivering newspapers and washing cars before getting a job on fairgrounds in Wales.
By the age of 16 or 17 he was smoking cannabis on a daily basis, he said, making selling it a natural progression.
Filed under murder.
Daily Mail | 17th March 2023
Drug addict Jake Drummond, 33, who would smoke 10 or 15 cannabis spliffs a day, fatally shook and hit 15-month-old Jacob Lennon early on August 27 2019, leaving him with a face like a ‘panda’, the Old Bailey heard.
Filed under murder.
My London | 23rd January 2023
In November, Cook pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. Doctors said it took 14 months for his psychotic symptoms to be brought under control. He admitted smoking a cannabis joint earlier that day which he believes caused his outburst, but doctors said the drug exacerbated but did not induce his psychotic episode.
https://www.mylondon.news/news/north-london-news/schizophrenic-screamed-i-am-god-26048707
Irish Times | 13th January 2023
Michael O’Higgins SC, who acted for Ms Anderson, said the plea decision was taken “after lengthy consideration and appraisal of this case”. He said there were “ongoing difficulties on the defence side” arising from a report by consultant psychiatrist Professor Harry Kennedy and the decision to plead guilty to manslaughter was informed by those difficulties. The court has previously heard that Professor Kennedy disagreed with Dr Brenda Wright, a consultant psychiatrist called by the defence, who said that Ms Anderson was suffering from bipolar affective disorder and as a result of her mental disorder she was unable to refrain from stabbing Mr Kelly.
Professor Kennedy, the court heard during cross examination of Dr Wright, had written a report in which he said that Ms Anderson’s behaviour was better explained by cannabis intoxication. Intoxication cannot be used as a defence under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006…
Ms Anderson of Brownsbarn Wood, Kingswood, Dublin 22, stabbed Mr Kelly five times as he tried to start his car outside her home at about 7am on the morning of February 25, 2020.
Daily Mail | 21st December 2022
The court heard Bendall had a meeting that day with a court-appointed drugs supervisor, who felt he was not under the influence of drink and drugs.
Bendall told the supervisor he was abstaining.
By 7.40pm, the defendant was out and phone records ‘make clear he was buying and smoking cannabis.’
Irish Examiner | 13th December 2022
The judge said Biber had started taking cannabis at 17 and attended addiction counselling for four years afterwards. At 24, Biber started taking cocaine and other stimulants that cause him to experience psychosis and auditory hallucinations for one to two days at a time.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41027093.html
Daily Mirror | 10th November 2022
A dad has been jailed after “trying to throw his own daughter out of an upstairs window” while high on cannabis and phencyclidine – known as monkey dust.
James Owens, 29, was in a drug-induced state when he turned up at his ex’s home wearing just boxer shorts and a high-vis jacket on February 4 of this year.
He turned on his ex’s new partner, punching him and hit him with a pole, before he was ushered away.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dad-high-weed-monkey-dust-28460079
Filed under ‘Violence, abuse and attempted murder’.
Yorkshire Examiner | 7th November 2022
Apropos of nothing, here is one story that could stand for the thousands that I do not add to the catalogue, because, although it can be strongly inferred, if not guaranteed, it is not stated as a fact that the attackers smoked cannabis.
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/teens-ransacked-mans-house-after-25454487
Mail on Sunday | 30th October 2022
When Freda Walker opened her back door to let her cat out one night last January, she let Hell into her home. It came in the form of Vasile Culea. He seems to have sneaked in while she was not looking[…]
All I can say about that is that the grotesque fury and savagery of his behaviour is horribly like that of many criminals whose merciless actions are listed on the website ‘Attacker Smoked Cannabis’. This is compiled from hundreds of local media reports by Ross Grainger. Yes, our society has always had murderers and thieves in it, but something far more cruel is now in our midst. Who will put this right?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11368907/PETER-HITCHENS-murderers.html
BBC News | 28th September 2022
Two teenagers who befriended a vulnerable man before stabbing him to death in his own home have been jailed.
Jack Hindley and Samuel Jones, both 17, killed 35-year-old Edward Reeve in Christchurch, Dorset, on 31 December.
Winchester Crown Court heard the pair “berated” Mr Reeve in front of their friends before stabbing him eight times and fist-bumping in celebration.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-63047354
*****
Bournemouth Echo
“Whilst there the two defendants were smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol. The group moved up to the music.
“[O]ne girl described how the defendants came into the music room and moved a chest of drawers in front of the door, preventing him from coming back in.
“They began to punch the walls, causing damage to the plaster. The girls began screaming at them to stop which they did, Mr Reeve came back asking why are they trashing the house.”
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/20253684.edward-reeve-murder-trial-live-updates-case-opening/
BBC Sport | 23rd September
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/63006026
This story is interesting for the news itself, but also for this line midway through: ‘In the UK cannabis is a class B drug and possession carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine.’
I think that every time this fact is noted, it should be followed by something along the lines of ‘but in the last fifty years nobody has ever gone to prison solely for cannabis possession, and the fines issued, far from being “unlimited”, are usually around one hundred pounds, and quite often less. Moreover, while there are several million cannabis smokers in the country, the number of people who receive even these lax punishments in any given year is in the low tens of thousands.’
Irish Independent | 17th May 2022
An alcohol- and drug-fuelled night led to the horrific beating to death of “an innocent and defenceless” two-year-old girl.
Karen Harrington (38) was jailed for life after a Central Criminal Court jury found her guilty by unanimous verdict of the shocking killing of Santina Cawley (2)…
Earlier that evening, after several hours of drinking and smoking cannabis, Harrington had gone home in tears after being called “a prostitute” by Mr Cawley who also accused her of being with “foreigners”.
Cannabis Health News | 28th July 2022
For a change, and a laugh, enjoy this amazing story, particularly this part:
The 28-year-old, who has held a prescription for cannabis to manage his mental health issues [my emphasis] for a number of years, visited the popular amusement park on 30 June, with some friends who had travelled from the US.
Dorset Echo | 22nd June 2022
“There’s two issues here one, would it make life any easier from the point of view of the crime aspect? No. Unequivocally.
“So it won’t change a thing, it will just make it worse.
“If we are looking at it from a public health perspective, look, this has been tried.
“Portugal had a 30-fold increase in its psychosis hospitalisations between 2010 and 2015.
“Scotland itself mentioned a 74 per cent increase in the same thing it was reported in the papers in January.
“Professors of psychiatry are calling for cannabis to be a class A drug again.
“The US we know that every four minutes somebody is hospitalised for psychosis from cannabis.”
https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/20225325.dorset-pcc-sidwick-tells-mps-not-decriminalise-cannabis/
Birmingham Mail | 9th July 2022
Two parents have been jailed after five children under 12 were found living in horrendous “squalor” in their home – with cannabis left in their reach. Lee Carnell, 32, and his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Lamb, 33, admitted a series of child cruelty offences.
A court heard human excrement was found smeared on walls near toothbrushes in the family’s bathroom and there were only four beds for seven people in the house where there were no carpets and glass on the floor. The twisted parents smoked cannabis in front of the children – which was left within their reach -and one of the boys was banned from using the toilet at night so had to urinate in his room as he was so scared of Carnell.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/parents-smoked-cannabis-left-five-24443992
Not in the UK or Ireland, of course, but still relevant:
https://nypost.com/2022/07/06/did-reefer-drive-highland-park-parade-shooter-robert-crimo-to-madness/
Attacker Smoked Cannabis: suicide and psychotic violence in the UK and Ireland 