On Saturday 15 February in Sydney three people were murdered. One a stabbing, one a gun shot wound, one a multiple attach.
Sometimes this happens in any city anywhere in the world. I was watching a doc-drama titled McMafia about the Russian mafia groups who frequent London and when multiple Russian murders occur, everyone shrugs, it’s the Russians.
But this is Sydney. We often hear news about a murder of one sort or another, quite often family related, might be domestic violence or about a Will dispute, or some other family related issue, and the Police tell us most murders involve someone they knew.
But in Sydney three quite random murders occurred on the same day. These usually don’t touch the suburban sprawl, they are often related to somewhere not that far from the city environs.
A stabbing, a gun shot, a beating up. Poisoning is not on this list. Nor is being pushed off a rood. Nor is being run down. But a stabbing, a gun shot and a beating might be deemed not unusual methods of murdering someone.
Is this usual
As a watcher of Australian real crime stories on television where the actual history is given with chapter and verse, Australia is a pretty dangerous place to reside.
Murder is never far off the scene anywhere in Australia and there are unsolved crimes which these series of programs demonstrate that eerily demonstrate how crimes go unsolved, even decades and then something pops up. New evidence, a confession …
I recall one situation told to me by an former policeman and then seen live in one of these series, where a man was imprisoned was twenty five years and then the real culprit fessed-up. It took a while, but the man found guilty was released, money in compensation given but his life was essentially left in chaos. His wife had divorced him, his children ostracized him, his business closed, his housing cut off.
The case was long forgotten by the prosecution, the jury members, the Judge, in some cases some of these people had died, the evidence twisted and dodged no where to be found after all these years. Is money the only compensation. Don’t the names of the prosecution barristers and solicitors get published, or the jury members an d the judge – these are the people who together put away an innocent man – is there no accountability. In America it’s called ‘prosecutorial overreach’. People are named.
Three murders
All three murders were unrelated.
The police will do their investigation. People will be arrested. A court case months down the track will take place. Then if found guilty, a sentence applied – all in the name of Australian law justice. Clearly we cannot have kangaroo courts without a fair trial. The reality is that this is the very best we have. Sometimes the entire system gets it wrong.
Those left behind will mourn for years. Young lives lost. Horrible injustice to those who loved. Years down the track, those found guilty and completed their sentence, yes less with good behaviour, walk free, ready to resume their lives – and this too is part of the system.
The Old Testament had cities for those running away from injustice. Here they were free.
Christian persecution is not unlike all these scenarios. Nigeria is a case in point where Islamic terrorists murder multiple Christians and the media say nothing. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said in Parliament that such persecution against Christians anywhere in the world is totally unacceptable.
The Bible is clear – there is one ultimate judge. There is one ultimate Grace offered – that is through Jesus Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. Forgiveness is the calling card. My wife Delma says that the film on Mr Rogers ‘the lovely neighbourhood’ was principally about forgiveness.
Forgiveness releases ……