Thugs who tortured Leeds metalers/goths jailed

The gang that cut off the ear of Paul Gibbs were jailed. Original reports on case here:
The full details make grim reading what makes these crimes even more sickening is the atmosphere of brutal calculation, and the way the criminals lulled their victims into a false sense of security. Paul Gibbs and his friends were sadly too trusting that other people were as friendly as they were. Mere robbery was not enough the thugs had to use brutal violence as well. As this report makes clear it might have ended in murder:

Bully boys terrorised Goths in park
Yorkshire Post - ‎Jun 5, 2009‎

Published Date: 05 June 2009
By Olwen Dudgeon

A MAN was savagely beaten and had his ear cut off while three others were
injured in a horrific night of violence when a gang of "bully boys" decided to
rob Goths camping in a park.

Andrew Hall, Ryan Woodhead and Quinn Colley, who described themselves as "Chavs", hatched a plan to attack a group celebrating a teenager's birthday in Rothwell Country Park, Leeds, with a barbecue last August. Hall, Woodhead and Colley had spent the day drinking and had already demonstrated "vitriolic hostility" to the "Emos" or "Moshers" known for their dark clothing and make-up, Richard Wright, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday. When they first saw the Goths arriving, Hall, with the others as pillion passengers, drove his scooter at them and shouted abuse. They then hatched their plan to assault and rob them.Mr Wright said the three turned up pretending to be peaceful. They drank beer with the group and Hall took people to buy cigarettes and alcohol on his scooter. He even apologised for the earlier incident.

Having gained the trust of their victims, they then offered to take Paul Gibbs, the oldest and notional leader to get more beer.Once away from the others, Hall stopped his scooter and Colley and Woodhead launched a savage attack on Mr Gibbs, who was repeatedly punched and kicked until he lost consciousness and could only remember waking in hospital.He had suffered a severe head injury, and for a time was in a coma, spending weeks in hospital. Before he was found by police that night in "a barbaric twist" he also had his left ear severed with a knife. Both attackers deny responsibility.Doctors hope to re-attach it later this year.

Mr Wright said that some of the other Goths went looking for Mr Gibbs. Hall then offered another one a lift. Once again, Hall attacked him and searched his pockets before leaving the area.Meanwhile, Colley and Woodhead attacked two others. One youth was punched and kicked unconsciousness, waking up only several days later in Leeds General Infirmary, while the second was kicked in the face suffering a bloody nose.They robbed two girls before following them back to the campsite to continue the terror.Colley, already on bail for an attack in the same park when he fractured a youth's jaw, said he had been told by "his boss" to kill them, but let them go. Hall, 22, of Sixth Avenue, Rothwell, Leeds, who admitted conspiracy to rob and grievous
bodily harm to Mr Gibbs, was given an indeterminate prison sentence and must
serve a minimum of four-and-a-half years.

Woodhead, 18, Seventh Avenue, Rothwell, and Colley, 18, of Wordsworth Drive, Oulton, both Leeds, each admitted conspiracy to rob and grievous bodily harm with intent and were given indeterminate sentences to serve a minimum of two years, 210 days.Colley also admitted grievous bodily harm in July. Judge James Spencer QC described them as a "bunch of bully boys" who would only be released when they were considered no longer a danger to the public.

Alicia Thompson who organised the goth march in Sheffield and other places last year was interviewed on the case on BBC Look North and made some good points and adds more details about the aftermath of the robbery and the blood soaked scene.

You can see the video via the facebook page :
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=194393410206&subj=624250206



Here is the group Eternal Souls of Twilight she organises on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?page=3&oid=2518987272&aid=-1&auser=&view=all#/group.php?gid=75446590234

In theory if those sentencing guidelines that Jack Straw agreed to recently with the SOPHIE group were in place already this group may have had longer sentences. Although that would be more satisfactory for the victims and everyone else it will not solve the problem it is sad to reflect.

Do longer sentences actual deter the people capable of this kind of oportunistic savagery? If you look at the details of the crime the thugs were obviously going to get caught as they had been alongside their victims long enough to provide loads of witnesses and they were well known in the area. We are not exactly talking criminal masterminds it seems their feelings of preudice and hate turned a robbery of a bunch of teenagers for a few bits of cash into acts of sadistic hate-ridden violence which were far more serious and ensured the police put in a big effort to catch them. Yet the amount of effort the scum put into creating the situation where they could isolate and beat their victims shows a kind of brutal cunning which is worrying. It really is like something out of a horror film.

Russian Neo Nazis step up attacks

Interesting article on the grim world of Russian Neo-Nazis who besides the obvious racial and homophobic targets pick out subcultures for violence too as we have seen before:

Neo-Nazis ever more active, society stays passive - analysts
ИТАР-ТАСС - ИТАР-ТАСС (подписка) - Apr 1, 2009

Last year was one of the most eventful ones in terms of the manifestations of radical nationalism and resistance to it by the state and society, SOVA said in its report. The number of victims of racism and xenophobia-fuelled violence last year totaled at least 525, of whom 97 died. (In contrast to this in 2007 85 were killed and 605 others injured).

In all, 2008 racist and neo-Nazi attacks were registered in 44 regions of Russia, but most of them were in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as before.

The main victims of xenophobic aggression were Central Asia and Caucasus-born nationals. However, not a single individual of non-Slavic appearance is secure from racists' attacks. The same applies to the representatives of left-wing youth movements and subcultures alternative to the neo-Nazis (the Punks, the Emos and the Goths), whom the neo-Nazis regard as "traitors of the white race and its ideas."

The neo-Nazis' terrorist practices have been expanding. Last year saw at least ten explosions or attempts to blow up makeshift bombs in Moscow and the Moscow Region, in which neo-Nazis are suspected to have been involved.

Bullying of goth "Vampires"

Vampire rumors prompt Boston Latin alert - about bullying - The...
Boston Globe - Mar 27, 2009

Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the incident said a group of girls at the school had been bullying at least one other student who likes to dress in Goth-style, a vampirish look popularized by musician Marilyn Manson. The officials said the girls began spreading a rumor that the student was a vampire who had cut someone's neck and sucked the blood.

When Boston police went to the school Wednesday on an unrelated matter, their presence fueled yet another rumor: that a vampire was being arrested, according to one of the law enforcement sources.

Australia goth scene

Evolving Gothic culture still a lure in Brisbane
NEWS.com.au - Mar 25, 2009

While the clubs come and go – Warman was recently out of action for three months while he found a new venue – one thing that hasn't changed is the placid nature of the crowd.

"In 27 years, we've never had any trouble, never had the police called out," he says. "They're a polite, gentle crowd. But they can bitch a bit."

Stephanie Burlingham - scholarly 14 year old bullied to death

Found another case of a kid who killed herself because of bullying just like other cases like the The Tragic Suicide of Nicola Raphael or Tempest Smith or more recently Dominic Maynard and Sam Leeson. Bullied because of her taste in music and because she worked hard in school.

Leeds teenager bullied for shunning drinking, smoking and swearing ...

April 2008

He heard that Stephanie, who had started dressing like a Goth and listening to
Goth music, had been bullied by text and on the MSN Messenger.

School in America aimed for diverse kids

This is an interesting idea

Proposed Gay High School Changed to 'Bully-Free' School
FOXNews - Nov 18, 2008

The new language echoes the mission statement of Milwaukee's Alliance School, where lead teacher Tina Owen said staff have been successful in attracting — and protecting — a wide range of students, from those who identify as "Goth" to teens with disabilities.

"They find it to be a place where they can be themselves," Owen said. "It's a safe place."

But even without a mission statement aimed directly at gay youth, about 60 percent of Alliance School's 125 students identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.

Not surprising considering students nationwide say sexual orientation and gender identity are two of the top three reasons behind bullying and harassment. Appearance is No. 1, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

A 2007 GLSEN survey of more than 6,200 middle and high school students found that 86 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered students experienced harassment in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 60 percent felt unsafe at school.

In the same survey, 33 percent reported skipping a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe, compared to 4.5 percent of a national sample of secondary school students.

"Harassment is the rule, not the exception, if you're an LGBT student," said Kevin Jennings, founder of the New York City-based GLSEN.

Vicious attack on Goths in Rothwell, Leeds - Paul Gibbs seriously injured

Another vicious attack and mutilation with the most serious injuries inflicted on 26 year old Paul Gibbs and two others injured as well. This sounds like another very horrifying crime:

Echoes of Reservoir Dogs as camper's severed ear found
Yorkshire Post - Aug 30, 2008

One man and two youths are still in custody being questioned in on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder in connection with the case.

The 26-year-old was one of a group of about 20 young goths who were camping on parkland close to the John O'Gaunts estate in Rothwell, east of Leeds, when they were viciously attacked. Four of the group were stabbed and two of the girls were robbed at knifepoint. Two of the four injured men suffered serious injuries.

It is believed the group had travelled up to the John O'Gaunts area at around 8pm on Wednesday and were having a barbecue, drinking and listening to music.Police said a number of attacks took place at different times and at different locations, before one of the group made a frantic call to police. The most violent of the incidents resulted in the man's ear being severed.

Leeds Goths' tribute to pal who had ear sliced off
Yorkshire Evening Post - Sep 1, 2008

Kyle Staniforth was camping with around 20 mosher or Goth friends, ... Police have not revealed the extent of his injuries, other than to his ear

Rothwell Goth attack: Three in court
Rothwell Today - Aug 28, 2008

Police probe Leeds Goth attack after man's ear chopped off ...
Police probe Leeds Goth attack after man's ear chopped off - Residents told of
their shock today over a terrifying night of knife crime

March in Sheffield successful

DEVONSHIRE Green was filled with people of all ages, shapes and sizes on - but there was only one colour to be seen.

The green was a sea of black as around a hundred 'Goths' assembled for a march around the city centre in a plea for tolerance from a society they feel gives them little respect.

Everywhere you looked there was black eyeliner, crosses and an air of melancholy.

The Sheffield Star.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/headlines/The-march-of-the-Goths.4444555.jp



Sheffield Telegraph.
http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news2/The-march-of-the-Goths.4444555.jp

Shop under seige

Shop owner under attack for being different

Jul 19 2008 by Andy Passant, Evening Gazette

A STOCKTON shop owner has spoken out after being terrorised by a gang of young yobs for dressing differently.

Silver Johnson, who runs the Enter the Asylum alternative clothing store, believes both her customers and herself are picked on because of how they look.

The Stockton High Street shop is a magnet for those who embrace alternative culture, often referred to as goths, emos or punks.

But in recent months they have been the targets of verbal abuse and intimidation

Last week two boys were attacked on the same evening, one outside Silver’s shop and another attending an event she had organised.

At 6.30pm on Thursday, July 10, a 13-year-old boy was attacked by one of a gang of youths entering the shop. One of the gang struck him on the head with what is believed to be a metal bar, leaving him with bruising to his head.

Then at 7.40pm the same evening, it is believed members of the same gang attacked Silver’s 15-year-old son Martyn as he attended a youth event at the Georgian Theatre.

A youth punched him in the face, leaving him with bruising and swelling.

Silver, a 39-year-old mother-of-five from Stockton, said: “It is an escalating problem.

“We run an under-18s night from the shop. I categorise it as alternative to the mainstream.

“We started off having a bit of chew, nothing major, but over the last six months it has escalated.”

She said there was a gang of 30 to 40 youths, boys and girls, some believed to be as young as 10. Silver said she had also been threatened with a broken bottle.

As well as the assault on her son Martyn, her daughter Elizabeth, 13, has also been attacked.

“She was beaten up about four weeks ago on the Riverside Road. She was beaten by a girl. She was walking away and the girl was going ‘Fight me’.

“Racial abuse is high up on everyone’s agenda but when it comes to people who dress differently nobody is bothered.

“Why should we have to change the way we dress just because some people don’t like what we are?

“At the end of the day it is only music and clothes.”

PC Debbie Morgan, Stockton’s minorities liaison officer, said: “We take all forms of hate crime extremely seriously. All incidents reported will be investigated fully. We are working closely with Silver to stop this problem re-occurring.”

You can visit the shop website in Stockton-on-Tees below.

Enter the Asylum Enter the Asylum, the online premier stockists of Gothic,Cyber, Dark Wave, Emo, Rock. Punk & Alternative Clothing & Accessories.

Story of bullied teenager in Australia

A familar story..

Read Tori Matthews-Osman's story about bullying
Geelong Advertiser, Australia -

Another article points out music has little to do with slf harm and it is a myth:


Generation ‘whine’ and other self-harm myths
On Line opinion, Australia - 18 Jun 2008

You tried it once because you wanted to feel alive, and when you tried to stop, your mind declared otherwise. You replaced one kind of pain with another, which felt a lot like self-help, and the logic of your universe came undone.

Or perhaps you've never cared about self-harm, maybe you just read about it, and became interested in the lore of “cutting culture” - how it is a fad promoted by the “emo” subculture, how it is all about attention-seeking, all about suicidal intent, all about manipulation, how it drove some kid in America to shoot his classmates. Perhaps you don't care about self-harm at all.

Well, now would be a good time to start.

Young people who self-harm* provoke plenty of vilification, but not enough care. Figures published recently by The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that hospitalisation for self-harm among people aged 12 to 24 has risen by 43 per cent in 10 years.

But while the jump is disturbing, so too is the hidden number of young people who self-harm but don’t seek help, silent casualties of moral panic and mental health stigma. Ignorance has allowed self-harm to become something ridiculed and taboo, something to talk about in whispers, with cynical sneers. Much is said about self-harm; very little of that is true.

So let's clear up a few misconceptions. Self-harm is not a fashion statement. It is not about exploiting the goodwill of others in order to be noticed. It does not “cause” homicidal behaviour, unless you are a darkly imaginative journalist with a penchant for attention-grabbing sensationalism. Self-harm’s tenuous link to emo (short for “emotional”) comes from the music genre’s lyrics - intimate, confessional - and though they’re certainly an acquired taste, it’s naïve to believe that counterculture is the poison in the well of mainstream society.

Rather, self-harm is a coping mechanism. It is a way of controlling, diverting or communicating overwhelming feelings. (The relationship between self-harm and suicide is complex; in most cases it is not intended to be fatal.)

This interesting article reveals how prejudice against emo feeds into prompting people with mental problems into feeling even worse about themselves:

Teen faces mental health stigma
Caledon Enterprise, Canada 20 June 08

After making the long arduous climb out of depression, 16-year-old Di Sha Phillip wants to extend a hand to others trying to make the same difficult ascent.
The Brampton Centennial Secondary School student is a bright, articulate young woman determined to remove the public stigma that clings to those suffering from mental health disorders and creates a potential obstacle to recovery.
While battling depression, Phillip found stigma stained the way others saw her and even how she viewed herself. Neither perspective aided in getting help or recovering from the emotional fall that landed this teenager in a mental health unit at the local hospital.
Phillip has bravely stepped forward to put a face on mental illness and establish a grassroots organization she has dubbed Students Erasing the Stigma. Her hope is to start youth chapters within local schools to raise awareness about mental health issues and assist troubled students looking for help.
“I’m doing this because I got out of a really bad situation last year with depression and I’ve been involved in the mental health system and I realized there isn’t a lot of youth activism going on, like at a local level, to help people understand mental illness and mental disorders,” she said.
Phillip is a high academic achiever who, at a glance, might seem an unlikely candidate to experience serious mental crisis. However, experts agree mental illness has no regard for intellect, gender, age, race, ethnicity or socio-economic standing. It strikes without discrimination, can be paralyzing and sometimes be fatal.
Last year, Phillip was a Grade 10 student in Turner Fenton Secondary School’s highly regarded International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. The demanding pre-university course challenges the academic and life skills of high school students with the Peel District School Board. Program graduates can access universities all over the world.

As depression began to take a firm grasp, other students in the highly competitive IB program started to see her as emotionally weak. She found herself shunned by peers, bullied and the topic of gossip. She has since transferred out of the IB program to Brampton Centennial.
Some schoolmates last year referred to her as an “emo— a popular culture term and stereotype used to sometimes describe someone who can be emotional, introverted, depressed, prone to self-injury and suicidal.
“I didn’t necessarily fit that kind of image, but I was very unhappy,” she admitted. “I did say a lot of negative things about my life, how I didn’t like myself and I didn’t like the way I was and the person I’d become and I guess they kind of didn’t really understand what was going on with me and they kind of started to ostracize me in that way.”
High expectations, academic demands, stress and competition in the program, coupled with her poor self-perception, grandmother’s death and depression eventually led to a nervous breakdown.
“I understood my feelings, but it took me a while to realize what I was feeling was depression and it was a serious mental illness.”

Russian Duma vows to stamp out evils of Goth and Emo

Alternative people in the supposedly free west have to put up with a lot of rubbish but nothing to compare with this:

Educational Policy Turns Protective
Kommersant, Russia - 2 Jun 2008

For example, the draft law “On Moral and Patriotic Education and Guarantees of the Rights of Children in the Informational Sphere” envisages that all informational products, from books and films to websites and computer games will be divided into groups by audience age as “6 and older,” “12 and older,” “16 and older” and “18 and older.”

Specifically, children under 6 will be allowed to read books and watch cartoons where there is “non-naturalistic description of violence justified by the genre and topic under the condition of sympathy with the victim and a condemnatory attitude toward violence.” After 16, it will be possible to hear “expletives justified by the genre” and watch “depictions of sexual acts between men and women that do not have a pornographic nature.” The draft law “On Children’s Toys” would ban the production and importation of toys that “provoke aggression,” “model actions of a sexual nature,” “justify extremism and a criminal lifestyle,” “depict horror or unbearable pain” or that are created “on the basis of the psychologically incongruous.” That might be, for example, candy in the shape of skeletons or stuffed toys in the shape of bacteria or viruses.

Other legislative initiatives propose imposing a curfew for schoolchildren from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. During those hours, children would be unable to be present in public places under threat of punishment to their parents. Attempts by schoolchildren to send SMS messages with obscene words (including those in Latin transcription) would be blocked by the cellular operator. Schools would be forbidden to observe “artificially borrowed holidays not appropriate to Russian cultural values,” such as Halloween and St. Valentine’s Day.

The drafters of the concept took a particular negative stance in regard to the Goth and emo youth subcultures, which are characterized by black clothing, piercings and a depressed outlook on reality. They authors compared the danger those subcultures hold for society to the dangers of skinheads, soccer hooligans, National Bolsheviks and even anti-fascists. Emo youths, according to the concept, “are subject to suicidal tendencies” and Goth children cultivate bisexuality. “The cost of the sexual services of an underage boy prostitute with Goth attributes is lower than for students in military schools but higher than for usual gay prostitutes,” the authors say, demonstrating their knowledge of life. The government would use informational campaigns for healthy lifestyles to fight the nonconformists, as well as the introduction of “Basics of Orthodox Christian Culture” in the schools and a legislative ban on tattoos and piercings for minors (“with the exception of women’s earrings”).... “The proposed measures are like an imitation of busyness,” commented Galina Kozhevnikova, deputy director of the SOVA anti-extremist center. “Skinheads and Goths cannot be fought with the same methods. The result of the fight will be the same – youth protest will grow even more, and youth will be attracted to everything forbidden, making it even more popular. Our state fought hippies, rockers, metal fans, and lost every time, because there will always be a youth subculture.”

Russia to ban Valentine's Day to 'save' youth
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom Jun 3, 2008

Teenagers who model themselves on Western youth subcultures like Goths — who are accused of “cultivating bisexuality” — are to be regarded by the authorities as social nuisances in the same league as skinheads, football hooligans and anti-fascists.

The authors of the legislation, which mirrors other government measures to promote Russian nationalism, say urgent action is required to end a moral crisis inspired by the West that has seen a dramatic rise in alcoholism and addiction among teenagers.

“Today we have a lost generation of wandering morons whose parents’ moral vision was robbed by perestroika,” said Stanislav Govorukhin, a Duma deputy.

“We have taken the worst from the West because we failed to resist the encroachment of Western values.” He denied accusations by liberal activists that the new laws represented an attack on freedom of expression.

“The essence of freedom is that there should be moral restrictions — that is what freedom is,” he said.

Daily Mail - Legacy of Distortion Part II - Luke Mitchell and the Murder of Jodi Jones

The sensationalised reporting surrounding the case of Luke Mitchell and he murder of Jodi Jones is also interesting. This was a terrible case but the focus on goth found generally in the media was simply media sensationalism full of distortion interconnecting the murder with goth, Heavy metal, occult and Satanism. The Police in the case did not help with their focus. Luke Mitchell was a sick killer but the reporting linked innocent fans of bands and certain music to murder in an unjustified way. As always Columbine goth myth is mentioned in fact neither of the murders there really liked Marilyn Manson or goth and nor did they wear trenchcoats generally (see Columbine - The Legacy of Hatred).


Read some of the earliest reports:

Was 'Goth' Jodi the victim of a ritual black magic murder?

BYLINE: TAMZIN LEWIS

Mail on Sunday July 6, 2003

SECTION: STH1; Pg. 13

THE brutal murder of schoolgirl Jodi Jones may be linked to satanism and black magic, detectives revealed last night.

Senior officers confirmed that the 14-year-old girl's association with Goth culture is a major part of their investigation into her killing.

Jodi and her boyfriend Luke Mitchell, also 14, were followers of the morbid subculture which celebrates death, depression, anger and hatred. Extreme elements of the Goth world have been known to dabble in satanism and black magic.

Jodi's mutilated body was found dumped by a country path near her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, on Monday.

The officer leading the hunt for the killer, Detective Superintendent Craig Dobbie, described the attack as 'the most violent death I've experienced in 28 years in the police'.

Jodi's throat had been slashed and she had multiple stab wounds including a large injury to her stomach. The Mail on Sunday has knowledge of other aspects of the way her body was mutilated but cannot reveal them for police operational reasons.

However, the 'sinister' nature of her injuries has led detectives to investigate her association with the movement.

Last night a senior police source revealed: 'We will be looking at what Jodi and her social circle were interested in and an obvious area will be their ties to the Goth movement.

'We will be examining if the manner in which she was killed has any links to the violent world that many Goths find fascinating and will be speaking to all her friends who had similar interests.' Jodi was killed after failing to keep an appointment to meet Luke. The alarm was raised after her mother Judith sent a text message to Luke's mobile phone saying her daughter was late returning home.

As Jodi's grandmother and sister began searching a wooded area used by locals as a shortcut, Luke stumbled upon her body lying behind a wall.

On Friday police questioned the boy for several hours and a team of forensic officers removed more than 20 large brown paper bags and yellow sacks from his family's home in Dalkeith as they combed the detached house, garage, garden and cars for items.

The couple were part of a small band of friends who enjoyed grunge and Goth music, dressed in dark clothing and dyed their hair. Jodi was a fan of bands such as Nirvana, Korn and Queens Of The Stone Age and loved dressing in Goth-style clothing.

Teenagers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, who killed 12 fellow students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado and then committed suicide, were labelled Goths because they wore black trench coats and listened to Marilyn Manson.

After the 1999 shootings, critics of Marilyn Manson claimed that the singer's dark lyrics may have inspired the killers.

Three days after Jodi's death, Luke placed a floral tribute near to where she died with a card which quoted Nirvana star Kurt Cobain who committed suicide nine years ago.

The card said: 'The finest day I ever had, was when tomorrow never came.'

And again in this article:

'Satanism' link to the brutal murder of schoolgirl Jodi
DAILY MAIL July 7, 2003 BYLINE: GAVIN MADELEY

SECTION: ED_SC1; Pg. 6

THE maniac who murdered schoolgirl Jodi Jones may have been obsessed with Satanism and the occult, detectives said yesterday.

The nature of 14-year-old Jodi's injuries - precise details of which are being kept secret by police - hint at a 'ritualistic' aspect to her death.

Murder squad officers are looking closely at the teenager's Goth lifestyle and musical tastes for clues. As prayers were said for Jodi and her family in local churches yesterday, officers were focusing a 'major' part of their inquiry on the macabre song lyrics of many of her favourite bands and on the morbid literature she read.


Both she and her boyfriend, 14- year- old Luke Mitchell, were followers of the Goth movement. Fans favour dark clothing, heavy make- up, tattoos and body piercings.
Some, at the extremes of the Goth scene, profess to 'dabble' in witchcraft. Occult imagery is a major part of the look and lyrics of Goth bands.

The possible link to Satanism comes as detectives await the outcome this week of crucial DNA tests on Jodi's body and clothing.

Detectives hope scientists will find a clue to the killer's identity from the body - one of his hairs; a flake of skin; saliva. Even fibres from his clothing could help track him down.

Jodi's body was found by her boyfriend near a secluded path close to her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, a week ago.

Her throat had been slashed and she had suffered multiple stab wounds, including a large gash injury to her stomach...

A senior police source said last night: 'We will be looking carefully at what Jodi and her social circle were interested in. An obvious area will be their ties to the Goth movement.

'We will examine if the manner in which she was killed has any links to the violent world many Goths find fascinating.' Jodi, a fourth-year pupil at St David's RC High School, and her small circle of friends listened to bands such as Korn and Nirvana, dyed their hair and dressed in dark clothing.

Her favourite film was Queen of the Damned. It became a cult classic, in part because its star - pop singer Aaliyah - died in a plane crash before filming was complete.
Jodi also read the works of poet Sylvia Plath, who wrote about death before she committed suicide in 1963.

Jodi was killed on her way to meet Luke, using the popular Roman Dyke shortcut. She left her home at around 5pm last Monday after the pair had exchanged text messages. Within an hour, she had been brutally murdered

When the trial ended the connections continued:

Obsessed with drugs and death, a descent into evil BYLINE: GRACE MCLEAN

DAILY MAIL January 22, 2005

His parents Philip and Corinne split up in 1999, and by the time he was 14, Mitchell was claiming to smoke hundreds of cannabis joints a week, was obsessed with knives, and immersed himself in a Goth subculture which celebrated Satanism.

A fan of Marilyn Manson whose songs are said to have inspired murders all over the U.S. and Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain who committed suicide in 1994 Mitchell's burgeoning sexuality drove him to pursue schoolgirls with a predatory appetite.

"MARILYN Manson is perhaps the most notorious figure in the Goth rock music scene.

A media manipulator and self-styled 'Antichrist superstar' he has taken the first name of Marilyn Monroe, and the surname of a serial killer, Charles Manson, to create a disturbing public persona.

His Satanic lyrics and grotesque videos were blamed for the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado when two neo-Nazi teenagers killed 25 of their classmates.

Goths have a huge following among British teenagers who dress in black and revel in looking pale and gaunt."

But this long article furthers the accusation between Manson and murder. As discussed earlier the columbine murderers were neither goths nor were they Manson fans really.

SHOCK ROCK

BYLINE: GRACE MCLEAN; JONATHAN BROCKLEBANK

DAILY MAIL January 22, 2005 SECTION: ED_SC1; Pg. 15

ROCK star Marilyn Manson's influence on teenagers has already been blamed for several murders across the world. Now Jodi Jones's name may be added to that list.

While the question of any link between Jodi's death and Manson's fascination with the notorious Black Dahlia Murder remained the subject of intense debate in court, it is clear the two crimes bore chilling similarities.

As they came to interview Luke Mitchell, detectives made the connection almost at once. They believe he became fascinated with the 1947 Los Angeles murder after Manson painted a series of gruesome watercolour paintings of actress Elizabeth Short's dismembered body.


Jodi's face was slit from just below her mouth, across the cheek almost to her ear. Similar injuries were found on both sides of Miss Short's face.

Jodi also suffered a terrible knife injury to one breast. In Miss Short's case, part of her breast was removed and, police believe, kept as a souvenir by her killer.

Miss Short's killer cut her in two across the middle. Jodi also suffered terrible wounds to her abdomen probably inflicted after death although there was no apparent attempt to dismember her.

Post-mortem pictures of Miss Short were depicted in a catalogue of paintmannequinings by Marilyn Manson. The possible link with Jodi's death was established when detectives raided Mitchell's home and found that he was a fan of the star.

Manson's name was scrawled across Mitchell's school jotters, and two days after Jodi's death he bought a DVD and CD package containing a short film made by Manson called Doppelherz. It featured images of a young girl lying naked on open ground and of two girls in corsets bound together in the woods with bags over their heads.

A police source said: 'We very quickly made the connection between Mitchell's obsession with Manson and the murder of Elizabeth Short. Jodi's injuries were so similar it was frightening.

' Mitchell was absolutely obsessed by Manson and the violence surrounding his work.' Born in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Short had came to Hollywood in August 1946 to try her luck in the film business.

It was two months earlier, while living in Southern California, that the nickname the Black Dahlia was born at a corner drugstore she used to frequent. It was a play on the recently released film noir The Blue Dahlia, starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.

ON January 15, 1947, Betty Bersinger caught a glimpse of something in a vacant lot which looked like a broken mannequin. As she grew closer, she realised the body was human and called police.

It was the most sickening thing the officers had ever seen. The dead woman seemed posed, lying on her back with her arms raised over her shoulders. She had been cut in half at the waist.

Her face and body had been slashed viciously, with cuts running from both edges of her mouth to the ears. Rope marks were also found on her neck.

The 22-year-old was identified from her fingerprints as details of the case spread across America, gripping much of the country with morbid fascination.

At least three men made false confessions.

In a book written by a childhood friend of the victim, filmmaker Orson Welles was even suggested as a suspect because an unused set from his 1948 movie The Lady from Shanghai was decorated with female body parts, including a face mutilated like Miss Short's and a body cut in half.

Meanwhile, police believed the real killer was taunting them. They received items belonging to the victim in the post and, later, notes which said: 'Catch me if you can.' Some detectives came to believe it was the perfect murder because of the lack of hard evidence.

Police officers in the Jodi Jones case think Mitchell, too, believed he had committed the perfect murder. One detective said: 'He thought he had got clean away with it that the case was too circumstantial for him to go down.' Today interest in the Black Dahlia murder is as keen as ever and it is in no small measure due to death metal stars such as Marilyn Manson peddling the horrors of the case almost as if they were something to be celebrated.

Commenting on the infamous murder, Manson once said: 'The crime was never solved and I've been obsessed with it since I was very young. The first picture, A Smile I, is how she came to Hollywood with hopes of becoming famous.

'The second, A Smile II, is how she was left, in a sad way, very famous. I think this is one of my best pieces. So I hope no one buys it, cos I really don't want to lose it.' Filming of a new movie about the Black Dahlia murder, starring Josh Hartnett, Mark Wahlberg and Scarlett Johansson, is due to start in March and there is even a U.S heavy metal band which calls itself The Black Dahlia Murder.

In 2002 they devoted a whole album to Miss Short's murder. It contains lyrics which would appal most yet their audiences are largely impressionable, often confused teenagers.

One song has the lines: 'And in my dreams I cut your mouth from ear to ear/Dissecting your angelic body in the quiet of your room/ 'How splendidly I carve into your tender heart/I'm shuddering between the sheets.' The same song has the lyrics: 'As I caress your perfection/My angel, I'll tear your insides out.' AS for Manson whose name is a combination of Marilyn Monroe and killer Charles Manson his Satanic lyrics and disturbing videos were once blamed for the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, when two teenagers went on the rampage, killing 25 classmates.

Manson argues his name was wrongly linked with the crime on the basis of erroneous early news reports on the massacre which said the killers were wearing Marilyn Manson T-shirts.

Five years ago, his lyrics are also said to have inspired three teenage girls identified only as 16-year-old Milena, Ambra, 17, and Veronica, 17, to stab the 61- year- old Mother Superior who had taught them at their school in Italy.

Police found the girls were obsessive fans of the singer, their school diaries were scrawled with Manson's lyrics and they had made a pact to worship the Devil.

Responding to criticism over the murder, Manson said: 'You can find inspiration for man's behaviour wherever you look. I think people have to take responsibility for their own actions. I don't think I have ever tried to create things to encourage people to hurt others, or themselves.' He claimed his stage show helps teenagers release their pent-up aggression, rather than encouraging violence in their everyday lives.

' These kids are getting out everything that they can't get out the rest of the week the rest of the year. That's a catharsis for them, that's what rock'n'roll's supposed to be.' With his name now inextricably linked with the Jodi Jones murder trial, parents may well wonder i f Manson's peddling of the grotesque to teenagers really is a welcome catharsis or a potential trigger for slaughter

This article by MELANIE PHILLIPS is shockingly blatant in its attempt to link drug use to goth culture. Drug use is rife right across British youth of all types not just goths, plu I seriously doubt that there statistically any more goths from broken homes than any other group:

Cannabis caused a 14-year-old to kill. Yet still they say it's harmless

BYLINE: MELANIE PHILLIPS

DAILY MAIL February 14, 2005

With websites now dedicated to Mitchell, too, there are fears that a disturbed young person might try yet another copycat murder. Such fears are hardly groundless.

In 1999, the killings in America at Columbine High School in Denver were committed by two young Manson fans.

What we are facing now among a section of our young people is a terrifying breakdown of the bonds not just of socialisation but of civilisation itself.

This is the result of a number of ruinous changes in our society - in which the growing acceptability of drugs is a significant part.

For these young people, the moral obligation to accept the difference between right and wrong has disintegrated. From all sides, they are bombarded by the message that the only thing that matters is their own pleasure and gratification.

Duty, responsibility, shame and stigma have all but evaporated. Difficulty, pain or failure are viewed as assaults on their right to be happy. What trumps everything else is the need to protect their feelings. Instead of providing boundaries to give young people the security that is vital for emotional health, the adult world has simply abandoned them.

Family disintegration shatters their sense of themselves, schools leave them floundering in their own ignorance and immaturity, and the commercial world exploits and encourages their premature sexualisation.

It is among these rising numbers of confused, unhappy or disturbed children that the 'Goth rock' cult of satanism, self-harm and nihilism principally has its lethal appeal.

Daily Mail - Legacy of Distortion Part I

Giving the Mail recent statement claims they are unbiased and gives fair coverage over all. I decided to look back over the years to see if the Mail's tendency to distort the truth noticeable in two recent articles was noticeable elsewhere. It is interesting to note that the Mail did give good coverage to the Sophie Lancaster case highlighting the prejudice of the attackers to some extent. It is odd they should then follow up that with their articles on Emo.

This even seems more odd when you see this article from their sister paper on My Chemical Romance:

Mail on Sunday March 25, 2007 Sunday

Who said Romance was dead? BYLINE: TIM DE LISLE

For years, the generation gap has been narrowing.

Students listen to the gently rousing sound of Snow Patrol and so do their parents. Girls and their mothers read the same celebrity rags and sing along to Scissor Sisters. But now a band from New Jersey threaten to reopen the great divide.

My Chemical Romance are loud, dark, heavily made-up and suddenly popular.

They have even been accused of leading a cult of self-harm, although the evidence is slight. The subject of self-harm does crop up in chatrooms populated by the band's fans but they can hardly be blamed for that and their response has been clear enough: 'We do not encourage self-harm.' They frighten some parents, but others are here with their children, and some older people are even here of their own accord. Behind me, two men are reminiscing about a gig by The Damned in 1976.

My Chemical Romance are not so much objectionable as puzzlingly hard to place not quite punk, not quite emo, not quite metal. At last summer's Reading Festival they were pelted with bottles by fans of the veteran death-metal band Slayer. This delighted My Chemical Romance, who pride themselves on being outsiders.

This is bizzare. Note De Lisle who clearly has some idea of what is talking about points out that:

1 - De Lisle notes MCR do not advocate self-harm in anyway and says: "the evidence is slight". NOTE in 2007 the evidence "cult of self-harm" is slight but in 2008 it is suddnly definate.
2 - It points out the band may or may not be Emo.... as a lot of MCR fans claim. So if there is doubt about their status as a emo band in 2007 why in 2008 are they suddenly definitely Emo leaders of a suicide cult?

Not so long ago of course it was not Emos who were the problem:

Young 'Goths' are a suicide risk: Report reveals darker side of teenage culture

BYLINE: JENNY HOPE

Daily Mail (London)April 14, 2006 Friday

TEENAGE 'Goths' who like to dress in black and listen to morbid rock music are more likely to attempt suicide, it was revealed yesterday. A study of Scots youngsters found those attracted to the dramatic black makeup and pasty, white faces of the Goths often showed a deep melancholic streak. They had alarmingly high levels of mental health problems and were more likely to harm themselves or attempt to take their own lives than members of any other youth subculture... Lead researcher Robert Young said: 'Although only fairly small numbers of young people identify themselves as Goths, their rates of self-harm and attempted suicide are very high.

'One common suggestion is that they may be copying their icons or peers but our study found that more reported self-harm before becoming a Goth, rather than after which suggests that youngsters with a tendency to selfharm are attracted to the subculture.'... Goths acquired a violent reputation after songs and art by the group's rock hero Marilyn Manson were linked to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, in which 13 were shot dead, and also to the murder of 14-year-old Jodi Jones in Dalkeith, Midlothian, in 2003.

Covering the infamous study on suicidal tendencies we have mentioned before the article does at strive to give a balanced view and I think it is fair reporting whatever we think of the study. But it include references to earlier cases which will come to shortly.

The Suicide of Carina Stephenson

This suicide attracted much media attention because the girl was in a reality TV programme. But was her love of Marilyn Manson involved perhaps according to these Mail stories?

I was devastated that our lovely, funny girl decided to die in such a lonely way. You may feel close to your children, but there are always things you'll never know

BYLINE: ANGELLA JOHNSON
Mail on Sunday (London)

September 11, 2005
SECTION: FB_04; Pg. 28
Carina had a taste for Goth music which typically glorifies death and mutilation. One favourite was Marilyn Manson, whose songs have been implicated in other teenage suicides.

Liz said: 'I had no idea of the kind of grim messages she was brainwashing herself with through her headphones. I think she just got locked into a web of misery. Instead of sharing her pain with people around her, she sought out likeminded and vulnerable teenagers.

There is other coverage:

DAILY MAIL (London)

May 30, 2005

Last month Mail writer David Jones interviewed a close-knit family just back from the latest reality TV experiment. Then came shocking news: their bright 17-year-old daughter had taken her own life. Was reality TV implicated?...

Or perhaps her depression was connected to her fascination with 'goths', a dark subculture which attracts melancholic, introspective youths. A friend revealed yesterday that even before Carina announced that she thought she was gay, she had been bullied and teased for being a 'tomboy' and her love of gothic clothing.

And more:

Carina from The Colony killed herself after bullies taunted her for being a lesbian
Mail on Sunday (London) May 29, 2005

BYLINE: ANGELLA JOHNSON SECTION: FB_04; Pg. 36; Pg. 37

A policeman found her body hanging from a tree two days later, in a wood a few hundred yards away from the family's Pounds 400,000 self-built home in Branton, near Doncaster. She left two suicide notes. One clue to her state of mind may come from Laura Howden, 15, who had befriended Carina at Armthorpe Comprehensive School near Doncaster.

She told The Mail on Sunday that even before Carina revealed she thought she was gay, she had been bullied and teased for being a tomboy and her love of 'Goth'-style clothing. 'I used to go into dinner at school with her and because she was often on her own I kept her company during breaks,' said Laura. 'She was not really interested in boys. She concentrated on her schoolwork and kept everything to herself. She was taunted at school that she was a lesbian. Other girls would call her "lesbo" or "gay girl" and she got really upset about it.

'At one point she spent a lot of time off because of the bullying while it was being sorted out. But despite what had happened at school the news of her death still came as a shock. She was someone you could really get along with. I never thought she would do that.'

So this seems to be another case bullicide interconnected to homophobia and anti-goth prejudice. Even raising the Manson connection seems irrelevant. Interesting to note that Manson and MCR had a falling out a few years ago. They have one thing in common the Daily Mail hates both of them

Second interview with Robert Maltby

Very interesting interview with Robert Maltby indeed at Vice Magazine. Some extracts below but read the complete interview as well. Vice Magazine comments at the beginning that:

Because the media feels the need to simplify every story to the point that a five-year-old should feel his or her intelligence insulted, it was decided that the couple got jumped because they were slightly goth-looking. And so the whole thing turned into a weird "Do goth kids deserve rights?" debate instead of the sincere moment of "Holy shit, when did our nation's youth turn into the real version of Clockwork Orange only way dumber and scarier?"-type reflection it should have been. In his only interview aside from one done for the BBC shortly after the attacks, we talked to Robert about the real nature of the attack, as well as his thoughts on the high-profile trial which just ended with two of the assailants being sentenced to life...

In fact it was the police who first attributed the attack to their appearance. Many newspapers played down this angle. It was generally the alternative community who saw it as being involved in prejudice in discussions online from the beginning

LONDON - ROBERT MALTBY IS NOT GOTH (BUT THE KIDS WHO STOMPED HIM ARE FERAL MONSTERS)

VICE: The tabloids said that you and Sophie were attacked for being Goths. Is that what happened?
Robert Maltby: I was more interested in the whole goth thing when I was about fifteen and wore black lipstick. I’d get shit then. I think I could cope with it a bit better when I was a big fat goth as I felt there was a reason for it. When I was attacked I wasn’t really dressed that goth.

What were you wearing?
Blue jeans and a green hoodie. Sophie wasn’t dressed outrageously either. She had a lot of piercings: over twenty in her ears, as well as a few facial, nipple, and belly button piercings.

So you don’t think they attacked you because of how you were dressed?
I believe what was originally said was “Let’s get the moshers!” They just needed some kind of excuse to the beat shit out of us. I think it’s more about the kind of person that attacked us.

He also says:

Did you not have to attend as a witness?
No. I was pretty useless to the Prosecution as I don’t remember anything. I was going to go to the sentencing, but I heard that a bunch of Goths were going to congregate outside the courthouse. I didn’t like that at all.

Did they all go in the end?
Yes. I think about 50 Goths ended up there.

Despit Robert's disquiet about the prejudice angle. It is interesting to note:

How did you feel about the verdict?
I was really happy. I didn’t think that they were going to get anywhere near the sentences they got. The police weren’t expecting them to get the amount of time they are going to serve.

In fact one of the reasons for the severity of the sentence is the judge decided it was a hate crime (although it was not one strictly under the definition) . In law hate crimes mandate a more severe sentence thus he used his discretion to go for the maximum tarriff. Whether or not Robert feels he crime was motivated by prejudice the judge did hence the longer sentence.

Basically this blog shows such prejudice does exist and it does trigger violence. What is interesting about the violence we are talking about it is that it is triggered by differences of all kinds whether racial or being disabled or even simply defying yobs. Any violence can be trigger just being a mosher. Society as a whole has a problem this sort of hatred is perhaps one symptom.

Anyway the interview is very interesting I only hope Robert feels better at some point.

Goths/emos arrested for school dress code violation

Another chapter in long tradition of school dress code protests in the USA. Arresting people for a dress code violation seems harsh to say the least. That can't be right surely.

School fashion protest leads to arrests
The Columbian, WA - 26 May 2008

In the past two weeks, four eighth-grade boys have been arrested and charged with misdemeanors for leading protests against the school’s dress code. About 20 more students have been suspended.

Parents of those students are wondering whether this tough-love approach has gone too far — the dress code, after all, was implemented to curb bad behavior.

Amy Proffer, whose son, Joey, was among those arrested, said she was upset that the principal allowed police to question her 14-year-old son without calling her.

“I was concerned that the officer was taking a statement from my child,” Proffer said. “They told me that they have a right to question him without a parent because he’s over the age of 12.”

The dress code, dubbed “Mac attire,” was implemented at the start of the school year after a parent vote of approval. Proffer voted against it.

Principal Rich Reeves referred reporter calls to Vancouver Public Schools spokeswoman Kris Sork, who said the district stands by Reeves’ decision to call the police.

“I don’t dare talk about the specific case,” Sork said, citing educational privacy laws. “It was investigated by Mike Stromme (director of secondary education), who found that it was all absolutely appropriate.”

Events unfold

The frustration over Mac attire took root the afternoon before the lunch protest, at a Fort Vancouver High School track meet.

According to student and police accounts, several eighth-graders were playing in the grass, turning somersaults and using crass language when an assistant principal from their school approached. She told them to knock it off.

The next morning, one of the boys received a letter saying he wouldn’t be allowed to partake in any more after-school functions through the end of the school year.

That boy, Sam Ruble, said he nearly started crying. He’s a wiry boy with long side bangs and a flair for the dramatic. Sam, 14, said that he was upset because his alternative rock band had been planning to perform after school next month.

The next day at lunch, the boys fumed. They were angry at administrators about their punishment, and that gave way to conversations about the dress code, which they said crimps their style.

By the end of the lunch period, a decision had been made: They would protest the dress code.

“What made us angry at first was barely a protestable issue,” Sam said. “But we realized that many people understand the dress code cause, and we decided that we were long overdue for a dress code protest.”

They wanted to show off their “randomness,” student Desirea Allen said later. They wanted to draw on their jeans and wear the colors of their choice. They acknowledge that they’ve been able to show off their personalities in spite of the dress code, which allows them to dye their hair any color and write on their shoes.

They believed they would be allowed to protest: Desirea, 13, had checked her student handbook, which states students may express themselves so long as it’s “not disruptive to other individuals or to the educational process.”

Their ranks grew to about 20 students.

Most involved call their style “emo” or “goth,” a look that tends toward black jeans and thick eyeliner.... read more

In our view: School's uniform test is worthwhie
The Columbian, WA - 6 hours ago
For a learning environment, Mac Attire beats baggy-pants, the “emo” or “goth” look, exposed midriffs and visible underwear that some students prefer. ...

Guardian - on The Devonshire Arms

Rather bizarre article on the changes in The Dev in Camden which we covered here [Camden Fire - Aftermath] earlier:

Cocktail girl
guardian.co.uk, UK - 26 May 2008

Why?

Because the Hobgoblin-Devonshire Arms is the focus of a Great Goth Controversy. Until recently the Hobgoblin was called the Devonshire Arms - or simply 'the Dev'. It was a gloomy, forlorn establishment situated just round the back of Camden Market in north London, a road down from the rowdier (and following the Great Fire of Camden, more singed) Hawley Arms. It styled itself Camden's premier Alternative Destination, and operated a strict Goths-only door policy. Non-Goths were not welcome, so I never went in.

In summary: you were too scared to go in.

No! In summary: The Dev was stricter than your average super-elitist members bar with its door policy; indeed, when a colleague tried to arrange a photoshoot inside the pub, the management turned her down flat, insisting: 'the Dev is a refuge for Goths'. Imagine, then, the outcry when new management arrived early in 2008, tweaked the Dev's name, implemented a £6,000 refurb and (eek!) relaxed the Goth-only policy. The Goths were not amused. But my friend and compadre in columns Lairy Jon and I were pleased. Now we could get an entrée on this demimonde! Or - whatever's left of it.

So it had a dress code... Shock!!! There are loads of places with a dress code many block alternative dress or blue jeans - fair enough its the management's choice all entirely legal. And why should a pub open its doors to the media if the management does not want too exactly? The Dev was not "super elitist" any more than the average town nnigh club was. All you needed was some black or dark clothing.

Mental Nurse on Emo and self harm - Daily Mail screws up a vulnerable teen's therapy

Found an interesting blog on the recent anti-emo stuff in the Mail by a mental nurse at http://www.mentalnurse.org.uk. He/she works in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services sommwhere:

I think I’ve give a real-world clinical example, dealing with a self-harming emo kid.

A quick caveat before I do. Teenage self-harming is not an “emo thing”. We see plenty of cutters in CAMHS, and the bulk of them are not emos. Chavs cut themselves too. In fact, some kids cut themselves despite not being part of any fashion clique at all. It’s almost as if self-harm were a mental health issue rather than a fashion trend. Strange, that.

Anyway, let’s bring in our emo. He’s 15 years old, and in honour of My Chemical Romance, we’ll call him Gerard. read more here More on Emo

The most worrying thing about this is that in the blog Dr Cretin takes his ideas on emo from the press reports.

Dr Cretin is…shall we say…a little old-fashioned. Therefore I had a feeling things weren’t go to go well when Gerard turned up to the appointment wearing eyeliner.

Dr Cretin looks at him disapprovingly. “So….this emo cult that you’re involved in. Is that why you started cutting yourself?”

Emo cult? Oh Christ, please don’t tell me Dr Cretin read that bloody Daily Mail article...

By this point Gerard looks like he’s about to cry. Which is unsurprising, since he’s just been told his personal identity is a cult and he should get rid of all his friends.

Once again proof that the Daily Mail screws with peoples lives. The nurse seems to think (with good reason) that the kids interest in bands is in fact a positive thing. "I’ve explored in sessions what Gerard feels he gets out of being an emo. His answers: a sense of identity, a feeling of mutual understanding with others, being accepted and valued in a way that he isn’t by the bullies at school who push his head down the toilet."

And once again we note the kid has been bullied in school as well.

The original comments on the Mail emo article are classic in pointing out its absurdity but they also note:

Funnily enough, we haven’t any seen that many emos come into CAMHS lately (though we’ve got a few goths). We actually see a lot more chavs than any other subculture.

So according to an inexact survey it is chavs, not emos that self harm more at the moment. But as they also point out it might be that social services intervene in "chav" cases more often.

Basically the point is stupid sterotypes about mental conditions cause more harm than anything else. And where do they come from ? Media nonsense is one source.

Justice is done - Another victim sees attackers jailed

Another account of a horrific crime is only now revealed as being motivated by prejudice. It is interesting to note that it occurred in Denton, formerly in Lancashire, now greater Manchester only 6 miles east of central Manchester not that far from Bacup. The Early Day Motion has 26 signatures now this trial is just more proof the laws ned looking at:

Goth attack thugs jailed

Adam Derbyshire
21/ 5/2008

A GOTH attacked and left for dead by two thugs who disliked how he dressed has thanked a Good Samaritan for saving his life.

Stephen Jones, 20, was punched to the ground, stamped on and robbed by teenage yobs Steven Clayton and Peter Landy, one of whom was a childhood friend.

The case carries chilling echoes of the murder of Sophie Lancaster, who was attacked by a gang for being a goth.

Stephen was saved by passer-by Andrew Dawes who stopped his car and chased the violent pair off.

Brutal

Clayton was jailed for 10 years and Landy for four years at Manchester Crown Court last Monday after a jury convicted them of the brutal attack in Denton.

Stephen had dropped off a CV at a local shop in Circular Road looking for part-time work.

As he walked home with his girlfriend on 3 August, 2006, he was confronted by Clayton.

Stephen said: "He wandered up and accused me of talking about him and started mocking me because of the way I looked. I’d never seen him before in my life.

"I recognised Landy because we used to be best friends when we were young, but we drifted apart as we got older.

"Clayton demanded money and started pushing me and putting his hands in my pockets.

"He punched me in the face four times.

"I fell down and they stamped on my head and kicked me in the face. They showed no signs of stopping until Andrew pulled over and they fled."

Stephen suffered a bleed o n the brain and spent a fortnight in hospital. His injuries were so severe he lost his memory and the ability to walk.

He said: "I used to be so outgoing but my self confidence has plummeted."

In order to make a fresh start, Stephen left his mum’s home in Platt Walk, Denton and moved to his dad’s in Hadfield.

While on bail for the attack, Clayton assaulted and robbed another boy in Denton.

Clayton, of Whittles Walk, Denton and Landy, of Platt Walk, Denton, both 19, were convicted of grevious bodily harm and robbery.

Stephen’s mum June Wood, of Carrbrook, said: "If it had not been for the passing motorist, Andrew Dawes, these two thugs could have killed my son."

Latest plans for Sophie Foundation - New Hate Crimes centers in Cheshire

Foundation in memory of Sophie Lancaster
Lancashire Telegraph, UK -18 May 2008

A CHARITABLE foundation is being set up in memory of murdered Sophie Lancaster.

The charity will seek to help educate professionals such as the police and teachers about subcultures.

It will also continue the campaign to make the definition of a hate crime include offences motivated by appearance.

Sophie, 20, died last August after being set upon as she cradled her boyfriend Robert Maltby who had been attacked in Stubbylee Park, Bacup.

The pair - former Haslingden High School pupils - had been targeted by a gang of youths because they were dressed as goths.

Sophie's attackers Ryan Herbert, 16, and Brendan Harris, 15, both from Bacup, were jailed for life last month for her murder.

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Sophie's mother Sylvia hopes the Sophie Lancaster Foundation will be a lasting legacy to her daughter.

The foundation will be accessible by professionals including teachers and police, to educate children and others about subcultures.

It will also be used as training provider and as a stepping stone for social lobbying to get a change in the law regarding the definition of hate crime.

A website, which will incorporate Sophie's MySpace site and information about the SOPHIE campaign, will be used to promote the foundation.

It will also include artwork, poetry and music that people have dedicated to Sophie.

The charities commission has been contacted.

Syliva has been in contact with Lancashire Youth Service about setting up workshops to educate young people about subcultures.

Interesting to note this news report mentions the SOPHIE hate crimes campaign.

Peter Fahy wants to encourage reporting of hate crime
BBC News,

Police in Cheshire are setting up more than 40 centres for victims to report hate crimes.

The centres will be set up within support group bases, citizens' advice bureaux, council and housing offices, schools and universities....

Hate crime is a criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by an offender's hatred of someone because of their race, colour, religion, gender, sexuality or disability.

Mr Fahy added: "It is important to say that hate crime is not just about race. It is about people who are marked out to be different and are targeted because of this.

"One issue that is increasing is crime against disabled people or those with learning difficulties."

A campaign is under way to extend the definition of hate crime after the murder of Sophie Lancaster in a Lancashire park last year.

She was targeted because she was dressed as a Goth.

Neo Nazis in Israel target goths alongside other minorities

Neo-Nazis are never that clever but the very idea of Jewish Neo-Nazis seems particularly odd. They obviously come from a Russian background from the names and as reported previously on this blog Russian neo-nazis have ben known to attack subcultures alongside their usual other targets

Details of the Nazi gang were first published in September 2007, when police arrested eight youths, aged 16 to 21, who sadistically targeted and attacked drug abusers, homosexuals, foreign workers, religious Jews and youths with a "Goth" appearance.

2 youths convicted of Nazi affiliation
Ynetnews, Israel 5 May 2008

Interesting article on goth in Israel here:
Goth in the First Modern Jewish City
Ha'aretz, Israel - 5 May 2008