“IF John Hogan is mentally ill he should be committed to a secure psychiatric institution for the rest of his life.
If he is not mentally ill then he should be sent to prison for the rest of his life. He is a danger to society. This is proven by what he did. In our times we have a problem with these things. In the past they did not. In many places once it was known that he had thrown the boy he himself would have been thrown from the same window. That was seen as justice and I agree with history. I am speaking as someone who has mental illness in the family. My grandmother spent many years in and out of hospital with her problems, but in her whole life she never harmed anyone, actually she was more afraid of the world than a danger to it. Good doctors and nurses helped her. I am offended when people speak of mental illness as an excuse for MURDER. I also spent many years working in hostels and came across mentally ill people on many occasions. The ones who were released from the big old institutions under the useless early attempts at Community care were often a risk, some were downright psychotic. I worked hard to help these people yet some people just cannot live in the community . I have never met a schitsophrenic who is not a risk and I have met many. Until you have spent a restless night sharing a room or house with a severely disturbed person (As I have) or worse with a dangerous psychotic hellbent on committing suicide who needs to be watched for his sake while the hopeless doctors and social workers argue about his needs and rights, (As I have) until you have had a broken bottle slash the arm you have raised to safeguard your face in an attack by yet another unmedicated unsupervised pchychotic (as I have) I think you should refrain from commenting. Many people in our society are dangerous. Some just through their own desir, others through mental illness, and while I wjoleheartedly support the rights of people diagnosed with mental illnesses such as my own grandmother, I also wholeheartedly support a more rigid system of controls on the freedoms of Certain mental illnesses. Anyone here dealt with with a man suffering paranoid schitzephrenia who is convinced that the pills he must take are mind control pills from the world government and that they will disssolve his brain whereupon he will be taken to hospital to have a robot brain installed.
(I have) People such as this man require specialist help and they absolutely cannt be expected to just go and live somewhere and be all right. It won't take them long to stop taking the pills, and then Problems start happening. Then there's the problems arising from the need to change the medication which happens occasionally due to dependency causing the pills to not work effectively etc. I don't know if John Hogan is Mentally Ill, but He is definately a disturbed individual and definately a dangerous one. As far as I am concerend no-one who kills another should ever be released. This is what I believe and if the person who has killed is mentally ill then I still believe the same. If he returns to britain He should be detained indefinately under the mental health act because he is dangerous. Wether there should be a murder trial is not exactly relevant. What matters is that he be detained upon arrival and a hearing convened to discuss his mental health and danger to the public. Under current law however the Rights of the Individual are paramount therefore he could well walk free. If it was considered he was no longer mentally ill he could not be detained under the Mental health act and I doubt if it would be possible for him to face trial for murder since he already has in greece.
The government has shown in the past however that it can make decisions on similar cases. Ian Brady is an example. Never to be released.
This is the same. Brady was called Mentally ill and spent many years in a secure hospital. His acomplice had many excuses and justifications ma”

“Sarah what you fail to realise is that this man has yet to be punished. He may well be in the best place to aid him with his mental health issues but the fact remains he should be punished for what he has done. That is why he should be tried in this country.

If MURDER is not an option then MANSLAUGHTER should be

after all apparently he didn't mean to kill his child (although I dispute that. Any one who picks someone up, places them on a balcony then pushes them over before grabbing another person and jumping obviously meant to do it)
The fact is one person died and another 2 were injured. (am I right in thinking that the act of attempting suicide is still a criminal offense?

So Sarah help this man if we must then he should be punished for his actions Is that clear enough of a statement for you.”

“A Parent, again, I repeat my previous comment, I don't think anyone is excusing this man or anyone's actions in similar cases. Why would anyone do that? What I am saying, again repeated as some people just cannot see beyond what they want to read, is that John Hogan should not face trial again. It's simple! He is in the right place, and getting help he needs. What happens if he faces trial over here? He will probably get sent to jail, but what good will that do? He needs to just stay where he is until he is well.
Nobody is doubting the agony faced by those on the other side of this tragic event, again if people care to read comments properly, you will see this, so please don't make it sound like all we are doing is taking sides of those with mental issues. Might I suggest the same to you A Parent, what if your child grows up and develops a smililar condition to that of John Hogan? Swings and roundabouts, nobody is taking sides here.”

“The do gooders in society make me sick. My ex partner took our kids and tried to gas himself with them in the back. I don't care if he was depressed. He knew what he was doing. He took the kids to cause maximum distress to me and other family members. John Hogan is no different. He pushed his kids over then went himself. Thats two different motions not one. He took the time and deliberation needed to pick up his son and place him on top of the balcony before pushing him off. That is a deliberate act. If he was so depressed why didn't he just throw himself over.

I have plenty of understanding of mental health issues. However Grahame Priest is correct Society makes to many excuses for appalling behaviour.

To the likes of Jan Sarah, LD and the like I'd say this. If you were on the receiving end of an act such as this you'd soon change your tune.”

“Grahame, please do point out at what point I said that John Hogan needed condolences??? Because I can't quite find that, perhaps if you read my comment with an ounce of common sense you will see I was merely stating I believe John Hogan should not be put to a murder trial in this country. Nobody is excusing/arguing the fact that John Hogan caused his son's death.
As for your comments about mental illness being an excuse, well that's just typical of society today.
I sincerely hope that nobody in your family ever suffers from any type of mental breakdown/depression because let me assure you Mr Priest, you would take that sentence back in a second.”