General News Thread

[Greg2607]

2 minutes ago, fox_up_north said:

That would apply for those who have a range of mental health issues/ disabilities but surely the priority and focus should be on security and restrictions of those who pose serious physical threats? 

you are quite probably correct, but lots of secure units no longer exist and it's impossible to predict exactly which MH patient is going to tip over the edge. 

 

My Mum used to own care homes for people with Learning Difficulties and Challenging Behaviour.   Some of those residents would regularly get aggressive and violent with other residents and staff.  It was controlled with regular medication or if the resident had a real episode, they would be sedated. 

 

unfortunately, the trend in the care sector, was that around 50% of the residents were deemed suitable for "supported living". Which genuinely wasn't the case.   One resident in particular, got moved into supported living and disappeared never to be seen again. Christ only knows what happened to him.   

[Trav Le Bleu]

 

Councillor and 'Batman' put up Union flags ahead of Remembrance - BBC News

 

https://share.google/OUGuoO0n4BrRsPItO

 

Ah, that famous British hero, Batman, who encapsulates everything it means to be British.

 

I mean, this is just plain weird, right?

[CornwallFox]

2 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

 

Councillor and 'Batman' put up Union flags ahead of Remembrance - BBC News

 

https://share.google/OUGuoO0n4BrRsPItO

 

Ah, that famous British hero, Batman, who encapsulates everything it means to be British.

 

I mean, this is just plain weird, right?

Why do they do this as of they're having to do it secretly or 'go against the establishment' even literally nobody has stopped any flags going up and nobody really gives a stuff except the faragist victim club. How is some ropey looking flags going up news? 

[StanSP]

50 minutes ago, Noahfence said:

Isn’t it something that if medicated you can live a fairly normal life? Genuinely don’t know much about it 

It's too broad to definitively say, to be honest. I'm not a medical professional but have met my fair share of people who suffer from serious conditions like paranoid schizophrenia. Their behaviour is erratic and unpredictable, but if medicated they could theoretically present as 'normal' (loosely said, not a medical term!). They can be functioning in society for sure. What a normal life may look like to them is totally different to ours. 

 

But, and again I say this loosely, how they may present when they are in a moment of duress or stress, it can be extremely scary to see/witness. Let alone how they may be feeling physically and mentally experiencing it. 

 

While this attacker may be labelled as something or other or all kinds of things, no one really knows what he was going through. That's not an excuse, by the way. Just generally no one would know what was going through his head at the time of this despicable act. 

 

Perhaps there's been a failure somewhere along the line in terms of the care or support he could/should have had. But there's only so much any medical professional or other supporting agency could do in this case bar restraining him in a straitjacket. For all we know, maybe he had a check in or session recently and he took his meds and presented as 'fine'. I'm sure it will all come out but anyone going straight for his race, religion, skin colour and making concrere assumptions about the cause of his actions is naive. 

 

I hope any of those witnessing or experiencing these attacks are okay, genuinely. They're likely to have trauma and a level of PTSD from it, and I hope they are supported too. It would have no doubt been such a scary and terrifying thing to experience

 

[leicsmac]

On a different note:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq50j5vwny6o

 

A rather darkly fascinating tale of how geopolitics and academia can collide, sometimes nastily.

[kenny]

17 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

 

Councillor and 'Batman' put up Union flags ahead of Remembrance - BBC News

 

https://share.google/OUGuoO0n4BrRsPItO

 

Ah, that famous British hero, Batman, who encapsulates everything it means to be British.

 

I mean, this is just plain weird, right?

My understanding is that the series was inspired by Gotham in Nottinghamshire? So very British.

 

Interestingly pronounced 'Goath'-um to rhyme with scrotum.

[StanSP]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyk1dk7d9do

 

Horrible. 

[leicsmac]

2 minutes ago, StanSP said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyk1dk7d9do

 

Horrible. 

 

Especially the part where the higher-ups think violating the Geneva Convention is fine just as long as they deny doing it. 

[StanSP]

19 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

 

Especially the part where the higher-ups think violating the Geneva Convention is fine just as long as they deny doing it. 

Probably only sorry they got caught leaking it as opposed to what actually happened behind closed doors... 

[leicsmac]

13 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Probably only sorry they got caught leaking it as opposed to what actually happened behind closed doors... 

It doesn't even look like they're sorry for that, more like "yes, we're doing it, yes we're totally OK with doing it, yes, we're going to lie about doing it, and no, you can't prove that we are doing it, so piss off and let us get on with our violations".*

 

Edit: * "... or we'll use our bleeding edge digital tech and PR machine to ruin your life to the very best of our ability. And we're good at that, too."

Edited 3 November 2025 by leicsmac

[Super_horns]

From the BBC:

 

“Anthony Williams, 32 of no fixed address, is also charged with one count of possession of a bladed article and one count of actual bodily harm”

 

Was the perpetrator homeless or just not got a registered home ?

[Alf Bentley]

6 minutes ago, Super_horns said:

From the BBC:

 

“Anthony Williams, 32 of no fixed address, is also charged with one count of possession of a bladed article and one count of actual bodily harm”

 

Was the perpetrator homeless or just not got a registered home ?

 

 

Sounds like the latter. Transport Police have quoted an address in Peterborough, despite the "no fixed address" reference.

Perhaps he wouldn't confirm his address but the police confirmed it via other means?

[Alf Bentley]

3 hours ago, Noahfence said:

Isn’t it something that if medicated you can live a fairly normal life? Genuinely don’t know much about it 

 

2 hours ago, StanSP said:

It's too broad to definitively say, to be honest. I'm not a medical professional but have met my fair share of people who suffer from serious conditions like paranoid schizophrenia. Their behaviour is erratic and unpredictable, but if medicated they could theoretically present as 'normal' (loosely said, not a medical term!). They can be functioning in society for sure. What a normal life may look like to them is totally different to ours. 

 

But, and again I say this loosely, how they may present when they are in a moment of duress or stress, it can be extremely scary to see/witness. Let alone how they may be feeling physically and mentally experiencing it. 

 

While this attacker may be labelled as something or other or all kinds of things, no one really knows what he was going through. That's not an excuse, by the way. Just generally no one would know what was going through his head at the time of this despicable act. 

 

Perhaps there's been a failure somewhere along the line in terms of the care or support he could/should have had. But there's only so much any medical professional or other supporting agency could do in this case bar restraining him in a straitjacket. For all we know, maybe he had a check in or session recently and he took his meds and presented as 'fine'. I'm sure it will all come out but anyone going straight for his race, religion, skin colour and making concrere assumptions about the cause of his actions is naive. 

 

I hope any of those witnessing or experiencing these attacks are okay, genuinely. They're likely to have trauma and a level of PTSD from it, and I hope they are supported too. It would have no doubt been such a scary and terrifying thing to experience

 

 

Some schizophrenics can remain well and lead fully normal lives on medication. Some may have isolated relapses but remain well most of the time. For others, their lives may be diminished to varying degrees either by the illness or by the sedation or other side-effects of medication (though this is improving all the time). Some can recover completely and come off medication without relapse. Others remain chronically unwell but with the severity of the illness limited by medication.

 

About 20-30 years ago, I knew 5 people who all got hospitalised with schizophrenia diagnoses. I still know 2 of them well and know what has become of the other 3:

 

- Man 1: Has suffered 2 further hospitalisations in the last 25 years - one of which involved him being sectioned for several months after some crazy, but non-violent behaviour in public. At one point, he was beaten up by a "sane" person alarmed by his conduct. However, he's remained well on medication apart from those 2 episodes, has worked as a F/T teaching assistant for 20+ years (condition fully declared to employer). He also helps out at a food bank, helps his aging parents, plays & attends football and enjoys a few beers. He's remained single. He's a good and supportive friend.

 

- Man 2: Has remained well, but a bit fragile, on medication since being hospitalised 30+ years ago. He's mostly worked F/T or P/T since then, but gave up work in his late 50s, I'm told. I've not met him for 10 years but he was always a witty, kind and intelligent chap. He's remained single and still lives with his sister, I'm told.

 

- Woman 1: A few years after hospitalisation 25 years ago, she suffered a minor relapse. Otherwise, she has remained well - though again I've not met her in 10 years. By then, her marriage had broken down but she had successfully brought up her son as a single parent. Last I heard, she was still well and had been in paid employment for several years as an advocate for other mental health patients.

 

- Woman 2: Was hospitalised with psychotic/schizophrenic episodes 5 times in the 1990s. On the last occasion, she nearly died and suffered serious injuries after running in front of a car - doubtless due to deluded thoughts (psychosis). It is much more common for schizophrenics to be a danger to themselves than to others. For 25+ years, she has remained well on medication, with no further episodes. She thinks she may have grown out of schizophrenia (this sometimes happens in middle-age) but has only reduced her medication, not stopped it for fear of being wrong. Due to her injuries, she was unable to return to F/T work, but has worked P/T for the past 25 years, while successfully raising her daughter with her partner, though their marriage broke down.

 

- Woman 3 (sister of the above): Returned to work and independent living after 3 months in hospital in 1996. For the next 20 years, she spent periods lasting years perfectly well, working and living independently. She moved to other areas/jobs, got married, then divorced. But she suffered at least 3 relapses leading to hospitalisation. On the last occasion, she was sectioned for 6 months, as a danger to herself, was then discharged with inadequate support and remained chronically unwell and unable to lead any sort of worthwhile life for 10 years - but with her illness controlled by monthly injections. Family recently arranged for her to move to residential care, where she seems to be improving - still having deluded thoughts/voices at times, but increasingly fine a lot of the time, with still some prospect of leading an independent life again at some point in the medium-term.

 

I suspect that the cross-section of schizophrenics I've known have fared somewhat better than the norm. But it does show how, to varying degrees, many schizophrenics can lead happy and productive lives. However, I've heard second-hand of quite a few other people ending up in the life-limiting circumstances of Woman 3. I'm sure stats exist somewhere analysing outcomes for schizophrenics.

[foxfanazer]

The tension and frustration in this country is close to boiling over. I've never taken a keen interest in politics and don't frequently watch the news but what I do see is terrifying as a father of two young children.

 

Don't get me wrong, there's always been nutters around but the thought of even letting my 10 year old daughter go round the corner to the shop on her own is completely out of the question for me. It's sad though because why shouldn't they be afforded the same freedoms my generation had growing up

[Alf Bentley]

19 hours ago, Parafox said:

 

Fooled by who?

 

Mental illness is the more probable.

 

Paranoid schizophrenia is the most likely reason and that condition means a mood or situation can make a sufferer turn on a dime.

 

I hesitate to comment, knowing that you had a long career as a paramedic, whereas I only have limited, anecdotal experience of mental illness...

But my impression is that sufferers are only likely to "turn on a dime" due to a mood/situation if they are already suffering a psychotic episode (having deluded thoughts, hearing voices etc.)?

They won't suddenly be triggered into severe mental illness by a mood/situation?

 

Having said that, at least 2 of my direct experiences of schizophrenic episodes did involve people going from apparently fine to psychotic and a danger to themselves within 24 hours.

 

19 hours ago, whoareyaaa said:

Why is he not in a hospital then.

 

My experience of trying to get medical help for people suffering psychotic episodes dates back 25-30 years.

Back then, it was very hard to get help, particularly if the ill person doesn't accept they're ill (usually the case, in my experience).

Your only chance of getting someone hospital care was if they/you convinced the medics that they were a serious, imminent danger to themselves or to others.

It's very hard to manage that if someone is in denial and perfectly capable of acting fairly normally.

 

I've no recent experience, but would expect things have got tougher, not easier since then, due to the worsened under-funding of mental health services.

 

17 hours ago, Foxdiamond said:

I suppose the difficulty is ensuring patients keep taking the drugs and attend therapy

 

Yes, indeed. Mental health patients being in denial about their illness - and so refusing/stopping medication - is a very common problem, I believe.

Obviously, the stigmas about mental illness, "nutters/psychos" and dangerous schizophrenics partly explain that. Must be tough to accept that you're one of those schizophrenics most commonly depicted in media stories like this - about a crazed knifeman attacking people (if that is confirmed to be what happened). Public perceptions have improved a bit, but nowhere near enough.

 

I've no sources for this info but have read that, although schizophrenics are statistically somewhat more likely than average to commit violence, they are actually much more likely to be the victims of violence. It is certainly widely accepted that the schizophrenics who become violent are a small minority - and that schizophrenics are much more likely to be a danger to themselves than to others.

 

 

[Alf Bentley]

14 minutes ago, foxfanazer said:

The tension and frustration in this country is close to boiling over. I've never taken a keen interest in politics and don't frequently watch the news but what I do see is terrifying as a father of two young children.

 

Don't get me wrong, there's always been nutters around but the thought of even letting my 10 year old daughter go round the corner to the shop on her own is completely out of the question for me. It's sad though because why shouldn't they be afforded the same freedoms my generation had growing up

 

I'm not pretending everything is great or that the future looks bright, but....

 

I believe stats show that murder and violent crime rates have actually fallen somewhat in the last few years.

Saturated media coverage can easily give the opposite impression.

In truth, in an imperfect nation, most people in the UK are at low risk of suffering violence.

[foxfanazer]

1 minute ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

I'm not pretending everything is great or that the future looks bright, but....

 

I believe stats show that murder and violent crime rates have actually fallen somewhat in the last few years.

Saturated media coverage can easily give the opposite impression.

In truth, in an imperfect nation, most people in the UK are at low risk of suffering violence.

I hope you're right mate. In the main city centres you can almost feel the tension in the air. Maybe I'm just being overprotective and a tad dramatic 

[Trav Le Bleu]

I'm 100% interested to hear how schizophrenia = terrorism.

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

I'm not pretending everything is great or that the future looks bright, but....

 

I believe stats show that murder and violent crime rates have actually fallen somewhat in the last few years.

Saturated media coverage can easily give the opposite impression.

In truth, in an imperfect nation, most people in the UK are at low risk of suffering violence.

 

Just now, foxfanazer said:

I hope you're right mate. In the main city centres you can almost feel the tension in the air. Maybe I'm just being overprotective and a tad dramatic 

To back up Alf's point:

 

 

 

However, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would say, when questioned, that violent crime has decreased.

 

I think that answer to that is obvious: the digital era we now live in allows us to know more about what's happening than ever before, and so we are flooded with news of criminal acts we'd otherwise never have known about, thus producing the perception that such events are widespread. 

 

Sadly, it's another area where perception appears to surpass facts, and in fact the anxiety from it may end up fueling crime, as people's trust in other people is eroded almost entirely for no real good reason. 

[Alf Bentley]

4 minutes ago, foxfanazer said:

I hope you're right mate. In the main city centres you can almost feel the tension in the air. Maybe I'm just being overprotective and a tad dramatic 

 

I certainly understand how you feel. I have a daughter only recently emerged from teenage years. Her mother was ultra-nervous about what might happen to her when she went out - particularly to the city centre at night in recent years. I'd try to offset that - saying that daughter would almost certainly be fine, so long as she exercised a certain amount of caution and common sense. But I was well aware that, although nightmare scenarios are unlikely, they do sometimes happen - even to people who exercise caution. Thankfully nothing bad has happened so far - but daughter is out and about living in London now....

[StanSP]

10 minutes ago, foxfanazer said:

I hope you're right mate. In the main city centres you can almost feel the tension in the air. Maybe I'm just being overprotective and a tad dramatic 

Sounds like you feel how I did a couple of months ago (before the Sept 'uprising' marches). I'm glad to say I don't feel as on edge as I did back then, but there's still some level of apprehension of what could happen just walking down the street. 

 

You never know who might turn or who might act irresponsibly in a flash.

[StanSP]

In other news, it's basically cancel Christmas or stop the flag-shagging in Kent 

 

 

[foxfanazer]

17 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Sounds like you feel how I did a couple of months ago (before the Sept 'uprising' marches). I'm glad to say I don't feel as on edge as I did back then, but there's still some level of apprehension of what could happen just walking down the street. 

 

You never know who might turn or who might act irresponsibly in a flash.

Glad you feel a bit more relaxed mate. It's no way to live and there's enough things to worry about nowadays. It can get quite draining 

 

I've genuinely stopped watching Leicester games just to take out one piece of stress from my life

Edited 3 November 2025 by foxfanazer

[Trav Le Bleu]

19 hours ago, whoareyaaa said:

I thought one got shot and one got tazered ?

 

 

Maybe this is after the first attack on the DLR, which he obviously fled from successfully?

 

Having said that, probably complete b******ks since there was only one person it turns out, so the pluralisation in itself is 100% wrong, nevermind the terrorist label.

[Zear0]

16 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I'm 100% interested to hear how schizophrenia = terrorism.

I'm more interested to know how people have the entire mental health record of the suspect.