Marion
Sigaut : "Le but de la fondation Rockefeller dans le rapport KInsey
était d'extirper à l'Amérique sa morale et son idéologie chrétienne".
Mother who 'killed herself and baby son by lying
down in front of a train' had seen psychiatrist about her anxiety - but
was told nothing could be done
- Mother and baby died on train tracks in south London in March 2013
- Inquest hears mother had taken an overdose three months earlier
- She was promised psychiatric help, but was later denied it, inquest told
- Train driver said she rolled over to cuddle child in their final moments
Published:
15:56, 31 March 2015
|
Updated:
18:56, 31 March 2015
+4
Donna Oettinger and her baby Zaki died
on a train track after the mother was told she couldn't getpsychiatric
help, an inquest has heard
A
mother cradling her three-year-old son lay down in front of a train
after being told by her psychiatrist 'I can't help you', an inquest has
heard.
Donna
Oettinger, 41, had been denied urgent psychiatric help in the months
before she and her son Zaki died on train tracks in south London in
March 2013, it was claimed.
Just
three months before her death, she took an overdose while visiting a
friend in Yorkshire and was 'disappointed' to have survived, the inquest
was told.
A
care worker treating the accounts assistant from Croydon in south
London then told her family she needed 'urgent' home care on her
discharge.
Despite being promised this by mental health bosses, Ms Oettinger's was then told the care couldn't be provided.
An
inquest into the two deaths at Croydon Coroner's Court today heard her
mother Carol Oettinger describe the family's battle to secure the right
therapy for her daughter.
She
told the inquest her daughter went alone to visit friend Frances Felt
in Yorkshire to 'work on her anxiety' in December 2012 but took an
overdose.
A
day later she was seen by Paul Willison, a social worker in Rotherham,
who recommended that she received 'intensive home therapy'.
After
agreeing to receive treatment and telling doctors she recognised the
consequences of her behaviour, she was then deemed 'not treatable'.
In
a statement given to the inquest Mr Willison said he contacted health
workers in Croydon with his concerns and said: '[They] said there was a
home treatment team that covered Donna's locality.'
However her mother told the court that on her daughter's return to London, a psychiatric nurse said this was not the case.
Mrs
Oettinger told the inquest: 'We said Donna had just come out of
intensive care, Paul Willison had faxed his concerns through saying she
needed urgent treatment. She said 'we didn't do urgent treatment here.'
In
desperation the family turned to her psychiatrist, Dr Hemanth Rao, but
Mrs Oettinger added: 'Donna said she was unhappy to have survived her
suicide attempt.
'I
said to Dr Rao about Mr Willison's report... she was recommended home
treatments, there was nothing in actual fact. Dr Rao said he couldn't
help us.'
+4
Mrs Oettinger had starting suffering depression after going to Zaki's father, Mohammed El Shaer, in Egypt
Trainee psychologist Dr Hermanth Rao, said: 'Potentially any patient can benefit from home treatment.
'I
don't really know how the home treatment team (HTT) works in Rotherham,
there is a suggestion that there is some psychological treatment that
they could give.
'However in Tamworth Road in London the HTT is not experienced in providing psychiatric therapy.
'In Rotherham they said the HTT is necessary because of the skills of the team, but the same may not be same in London.
'I also suspect that the HTT threshold in Rotherham might be much lower than in London.'
Dr Rao said that a faxed note from Rotherham social worker Paul Willison had not been 'uploaded' to computer systems.
In
a statement the social worker told the inquest that he had advised Ms
Oettinger was given home treatment and checked that it would be
available in Croydon.
After
seeing Ms Oettinger on return from Yorkshire Dr Rao advised that she
was assigned a 'care coordinator' to be provided through the South
London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
However a miscommunication meant that the intended nurse, Elizabeth Oduntan, was not informed, the inquest heard.
Ms Oettinger was seen by the nurse for an assessment on December 17, just days after her failed suicide bid.
She admitted to Coroner that she had not checked the notes faxed by the Rotherham team.
She said: 'It's not something I would usually do, but I can't remember why I didn't contact Rotherham.'
When asked if she agreed she should have she replied 'yes, if I had the time.'
Instead the nurse said it was a 'duty crisis' and her only objective was to make sure her patient was on the right medication.
'The immediate problem presented to me was how is she doing to be safe,' she told the inquest.
The
coroner highlighted that without contacting the doctors who treated her
for her overdose she wouldn't have been able to give the correct
advice, to which the nurse agreed.
Shaheen
Rahman, representing Ms Oettinger's family, said the nurse had done
'the very minimum' considering she was assessing someone who had just
tried to kill themselves.
As a result Ms Oettinger was not immediately referred to the HTT.
She
was admitted to A&E at the Mayday Hospital, Croydon, on January 17
after telling her sister that she wanted to end her life.
It was not until then that Dr Rao finally made a recommendation that the nurse be assigned as her care coordinator.
But
he no longer had any contact with the family after mid-January as the
trainee, on a six-month rotation scheme, left the clinic.
The
inquest heard how Ms Oettinger began suffering with severe anxiety
after a period of cocaine use that came to an end in Spring 2012 when
she went to see Zaki's Egyptian father, Mohammed El Shaer.
But
going clean left her terrified she had caused herself permanent harm
and, through tears, Mrs Oettinger said: 'Donna was worried about her
mental health, she had panic attacks and suffered with anxiety.
'She kept saying to me 'am I going to get better?' I said 'of course you are going to get better.'
In
September 2012, the family arranged to see a private psychiatrist who
diagnosed an anxiety disorder, but they were told that they would have
to wait up to 18 months for therapy sessions on the NHS.
Her
mother said: 'I wanted to take her to see somebody so there could be
some reassurance that she hadn't damaged herself, that there were
possibilities of her getting better.'
Ms
Oettinger was left to cope with the medication and suffered with side
effects, but struggled at work as her illness affected her
concentration.
+4
The mother and baby were seen lying on the tracks at Riddlesdown Station, before their deaths
Her condition deteriorated to the point she had to leave work and could not look after her son properly, the inquest heard.
'She
wanted to get better. I looked after Zaki, even though Donna was ill
she would give him a kiss in the morning and at night when he went to
bed,' her mother told the inquest.
Then in October 2012 she began to make threats to kill herself.
Her
mother broke down as she gave a harrowing account of stopping her
daughter throwing herself in front of a train after a trip to buy a coat
for Zaki.
She
said: 'We got to the station and she said 'I'm going to throw myself
under the next train.' We sat down and I had my legs over her to make
her sit there. Zaki was in the pushchair.'
The
inquest heard how Ms Oettinger threatened to hurt herself on two other
occasions with a knife and was referred to a specialist psychologist
with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in October
2012.
Ms Oettinger and her son were struck by a service from Uckfield to London Bridge on March 22, 2013.
The
inquest heard a harrowing account from train driver Patrick Cusak who
spotted her jump onto tracks with Zaki as he neared Riddlesdown Station,
near Croydon, just yards from the home they shared with her mother.
+4
They had walked to the station from
their south London home. A police report said: 'There was nothing in her
demeanour to suggest they are anything other than mother and son on
their way to the station'
In
a statement the train driver said: 'She jumped down, I think she almost
rolled over to cuddle the child. She had a gentle arm, a consoling arm
around the child.'
The pair were pronounced dead at the scene.
A
police investigation said the pair's final journey to the station was
caught on CCTV and there was 'no doubt' anything had been dropped on
tracks.
A
report said 'there was nothing in her demeanour to suggest they are
anything other than mother and son on their way to the station.'
The two-day inquest continues.
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here.
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Mother-of-three slit her own throat in the middle of an Asda
supermarket after 'suffering a breakdown over the death of a daughter
she thought had been the victim of black magic'
- Sobia Yousef, 36, had been suffering from depression and psychotic episodes following the death of her daughter Meweesh Mahmood
- Inquest told she believed that black magic had been used on the little girl
- Mrs Yousef died after plunging a knife into her throat in Asda, in Shipley
Published:
17:40, 31 March 2015
|
Updated:
17:48, 31 March 2015
A
mother-of-three slit her own throat in the middle of a supermarket after
suffering a breakdown following the death of her daughter who she was
convinced was the victim of black magic, an inquest has heard.
Sobia
Yousef, 36, died after grabbing a knife from the shelf of her local
Asda store in Shipley, West Yorkshire, before plunging it into her
throat in front of horrified shoppers.
Bradford
Coroner's Court was told that on the morning of her death Mrs Yousef
sent her two surviving children to school before leaving the house for
the shop.
+4
Sobia Yousef, 36, died after grabbing a
knife from the shelf of her local Asda store in Shipley, West
Yorkshire, before plunging it into her throat in front of horrified
shoppers. Mrs Yousef with her three children, including her late
daughter Meweesh, nine, right
She arrived at Asda at around 8.35am before heading to the aisle, taking the knife and killing herself, the inquest was told.
The
mother had been suffering from severe depression and psychotic episodes
after her daughter Meweesh Mahmood was taken to hospital with severe
complications resulting from a congenital heart defect in July 2013.
The
inquest was told that Mrs Mahmood believed that black magic had been
used on the little girl and had alarmed staff at Leeds General Infirmary
by claiming she could see cats in the room and had calling out to God
to save her daughter.
By
the end of July Mrs Yousef had been sectioned under the Mental
Health Act after she was diagnosed with severe depression with psychotic
elements.
+4
She arrived at Asda at around 8.35am before heading to the aisle, taking the knife and killing herself, the inquest was told
+4
The mother had
been suffering from severe depression and psychotic episodes after her
daughter Meweesh Mahmood was taken to hospital with severe complications
resulting from a congenital heart defect in July 2013
In
an emotional statement to the court Mrs Yousef's brother Imitaz Ali
said he his sister had made a number of strange and irrational decisions
during the course of her illness.
He
said: 'My sister was doing things that were very unusual. She took
all her jewellery and put it in a handkerchief, tied it together and
threw it into a mosque letterbox.
'At the time the mosque was closed and so her aunties had to go find the man with the key to get it back.
+4
In an emotional statement to the court
Mrs Yousef's brother Imitaz Ali (pictured today) said he his sister had
made a number of strange and irrational decisions during the course of
her illness
'She also withdrew £2,000 from the bank, went to Western Union and sent it to Pakistan saying it was for 'the poor people'.
'Sobia would stand out in the rain for hours and we were worried that she might hurt herself accidentally.'
Mr
Ali said that after Meweesh's death Mrs Yousef took all her
daughter's clothes out of the wardrobe, piled them on the cooker and
turned all the hobs on.
Her
husband Tariq Mahmood, who was sleeping upstairs at the time, smelt
the smoke and came downstairs to find them on fire, before managing to
fling the burning clothes out into the garden.
Mr
Ali said while her daughter was still in hospital Mrs Yousef cut all
the electric wires to the boiler in her home because Meweesh had told
her that she was too hot in her hospital bed.
Mr Ali described his battle with health workers to get Mrs Yousef the support she needed.
'I
spoke to doctors and support workers at Lynfield Mount Hospital who
said it wasn't their problem because she had been discharged.
'One support worker who took her to the park said she was improving, but she was not improving, she was getting worse.
'Everybody who lived in the street knew she was poorly. She would stand out on the street corner for hours on end.'
During her illness, the inquest heard Mrs Yousef became distant from the family and would refuse to speak to them or see them.
The inquest continues.
- For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here.

'I will have given her $20m': John Cleese reveals
bitter alimony battle with ex-wife Alyce Fay Eichelberger is almost
over... but she's now better off than him
Published:
15:08, 31 March 2015
|
Updated:
18:10, 31 March 2015
John Cleese could feel incredibly bitter about having to shell out a not-so-small fortune in alimony payments to his ex-wife.
But
instead of feeling down about how much he's had to give his third wife
Alyce Faye Eichelberger, the upbeat veteran comic actor finds the whole
situation 'completely ridiculous'.
In an interview with Spiegel, the 75-year-old openly admitted that he'll have paid her $20m (£12) by the time he finishes giving her money this year.
Scroll down for video
+6
In happier times: In 1992, John Cleese
married American psychotherapist, Alyce Faye Eichelberger (pictured in
2003), but the pair went on to divorce in 2008 - a move that cost him
£12million of his fortune
'I
was comfortably well off before I got divorced from Alyce Faye
Eichelberger. I never knew how much I really had -- I was just
comfortable,' he told Spiegel's Christoph Scheuermann and Barbara Supp.
'But
now I've been working for seven years to pay off the alimony. She's far
better off than I am. So you could sit around being bitter about that.
Or you can just think it's completely ridiculous.'
And
the Fawlty Towers star, who event went on a comedy roadshow humorously
called the Alimony Tour in 2011, added that this summer he will make his
final payment to his ex.
'In July I will make the last payment and then I will have given her $20 million,' he explained.
+6
Not-so-friendly exes: John and Alyce -
pictured together in 2001 at the Academy Awards - ended up having a
hugely costly divorce... for him
The
Monty Python star is now happily married to his fourth wife Jennifer
Wade, 43, but is clearly still reeling from his third divorce, although
he ever-so-deftly tries to laugh it off.
In 1992, he married the American psychotherapist but the pair went on to end their marriage in 2008.
Cleese's
last and acrimonious divorce cost him an eye-watering £12million -
something he has previously admitted - and although he can make jokes
about it now, the star made no secret of his upset over the matter at
the time.
In
fact, he was so bitter about the financial aspect of the proceedings
that he channelled his heartbreak, anger and frustration into the
aforementioned Alimony Tour a few years ago.
In
one clip, he joked: 'I call it the Alimony Tour year II or Feeding The
Beast. And here's a recent photograph of my ex-wife at a London ATM
helping herself to some of my money.
+6
Now he's happy: John, 75, recently
claimed he found love for the first time in his life when he married
Jennifer Wade, 43, in 2012 (pictured together in August 2014)
'Apparently
I got off lightly because my lawyer points out how much more I would
have had to pay my ex-wife had she contributed anything to the
relationship... if we had children, or even a two-way conversation.'
Alyce
hired Prince Charles and Paul McCartney's fierce lawyer Fiona
Shackleton and ended up with more of his fortune than the comedian.
His
vitriol against the famous lawyer - who has been dubbed the Steel
Magnolia for her fierce demeanor - and Alyce has been well documented,
but it doesn't appear time is a healer.
In
an interview with Australian TV show 60 Minutes in November 2014,
Cleese told host Liz Hayes: 'She went after me really quite brutally by
hiring the nastiest - and I don't mean the second nastiest or the third
nastiest - but the nastiest lawyer in Santa Barbara.
'My wife went and hired this really nasty woman and I had to give her $20 million. It's not fair.'
Less than a year after the split, he returned to the UK, before marrying Jennifer in 2012.
+6
First shot: The comedian married
first wife, American writer and actress Connie Booth (pictured with him
in 2009), in 1968. The couple split while penning the second series of
Fawlty Towers, but remained close friends
In
an interview published earlier this year and while appearing to take a
swipe at his former spouses, the funnyman insisted he had 'never'
experienced love until he met his current partner.
Speaking in an interview with The Lady,
he is reported to have said: 'It’s very nice to be in love at my age.
It makes almost everything else seem relatively unimportant. I’ve never
had that experience before. I've never had this sort of connection
before.'
John
married jewellery designer Jennifer, who is 32 years his junior, in a
private ceremony on the picturesque Caribbean island of Mustique three
years ago.
And the iconic British actor praised his wife's youthful spirit, explaining she helps to keep him feeling young.
He
added: 'It’s quite extraordinary – our relationship is immensely
playful. I look at other 75-year-olds and they don’t strike me as
terribly playful.'
+6
Second attempt: Cleese then went on
the tie the knot with American actress Barbara Trentham (pictured 1982)
in 1981. They divorced in 1990, and the actor left the UK in favour of a
move to Los Angeles
While
the talented comedian admitted during the same chat he had 'a little
laughter' with his first wife, he claimed his relationship with second
spouse was humourless, before describing his marriage to third partner
Alyce as 'much more artificial'.
But Cleese insisted there was nothing 'badly wrong' with any of his former romances.
He
added to the magazine: 'There wasn't anything badly wrong with my
former relationships but I've realised that to love and be loved is a
transformative experience and I'm not sure how many people are lucky
enough to undergo it.'
The
father-of-two married first wife, American writer and actress Connie
Booth, in 1968, and the couple went on to have a child together,
daughter Cynthia, 43, three years later.
Connie wrote and co-starred opposite Cleese as waitress Polly Sherman in the hugely-popular Fawlty Towers.
The
couple were divorced before the second series of the BBC comedy was
written and aired, but they remained close friends in spite of their
split.
Cleese
then went on the tie the knot with American actress Barbara Trentham in
1981, with the couple welcoming their daughter Camilla into the world
in 1984. The pair divorced in 1990, and the actor left the UK in favour
of a move to the bright lights of Los Angeles.
+6
Forever young: The Monty Python star praised his wife's youthful spirit, explaining she helps to keep him feeling young
EXCLUSIVE: Body in suitcase teen Heather Mack celebrates lenient
10-year Bali sentence by getting DRUNK behind bars while her boyfriend
shows his true colors by lashing out after receiving 18 years
- Heather Mack, 19, from Chicago jailed for 10 years for killing her mother
- Panel of judges were lenient toward Mack because she recently gave birth and needs to breastfeed
- Reporters on the scene in Bali say Mack was chugging booze from a Sprite bottle that had been smuggled into jail
- Her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21 sentenced to 18 years imprisonment
- Schaefer lashed out at photographers outside the court in Denpasar, Bali
Published:
07:23, 21 April 2015
|
Updated:
17:39, 21 April 2015
Moments
after Heather Mack was sentenced to 10 years for the brutal murder of
her socialite mother in Bali, the new mother was chugging smuggled booze
from inside her jail cell and joking with reporters.
The
19-year-old from Chicago caked on the makeup for cameras and took long
drinks from a Sprite bottle, which, according to photographers on the
scene, reeked of alcohol.
The
bizarre behavior came after a judge granted her leniency on the grounds
that she's a new mother and needs to take care of her infant daughter
Stella.
'Her newborn baby badly needs a mother's love and breastfeeding,' the verdict said.
Mack
and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer were sentenced today at a court in
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, for horrifically murdering Mack's
mother Sheila von Wiese-Mack at the upscale St. Regis Bali Resort in
August 2014. After the killing, they stuffed her half-naked body in a
suitcase and left it in the trunk of a taxi outside the hotel.
Scroll down for video
+31
Boozing:
Photographers say Heather Mack was drinking alcohol from a Sprite bottle
behind bars immediately after her sentence was handed down
+31
Cheery: Mack was
given just 10 years for the brutal murder of her mother on the grounds
that she is a new mother whose child needs care and breastfeeding
+31
Violent:
Tommy Schaefer, meanwhile, swore at photographers, flipped the bird and
bashed cameras three times as he was being led away
Schaefer
got 18 years, the maximum prosecutors had asked for. Authorities wanted
15 years for Mack, but the judge gave her 10. Prosecutors have vowed to
appeal and pursue the tougher sentence against the teen.
Attorney
for both Mack and Schaefer also vowed to appeal. Though both teens got
off comparatively easy, considering Indonesian law allows for execution
by firing squad for anyone convicted of murder.
While Mack appeared cheery and slurred her words after the sentence, her boyfriend Tommy, 21, meanwhile, turned violent.
He
lashed out and swore at photographers, hitting two cameras and flipping
his middle finger as he was loaded on a bus with Mack and his infant
daughter to be taken off to prison.
It
was a spontaneous display of anger he had not shown before, prompting
observers to wonder if the same fury had surfaced in the hotel room
where he murdered von Wiese-Mack.
As he was being led away, he muttered 'Have a good year, 2015.'
Then
while cameras followed him to the van that would him and Mack and
Stella to prison, Tommy suddenly lashed out at cameras - slapping one
with his hand. As he was sitting on the bus, he swatted another away.
He then flicked off photographers twice.
As the bus pulled away, he swatted photographers a third time.
Mack
sobbed at the sentencing, but she strangely cheery before and after as
she was interviewed and photographs. She even joked with one
photographer that he took 'horrible' pictures of her and baby Stella.
+31
Tommy's fury: Tommy showed his true
colors on Monday as he flicked off reporters and photographers who
gathered around the bus before he was led away
+31
+31
Tearful: Heather Mack was sentenced to 10 years in jail for the murder of her mother Sheila von Wiese-Mack
+31
Jailed: Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer pictured with their daughter in a prison bus after the court hearings
+31
Jail sentence: Tommy Schaefer wept as he was jailed for 18 years for the murder of his girlfriend's mother
+31
+31
Mack's
sentence came just minutes after her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, was
jailed for 18 years at the same court in Denpasar, Bali and he violently
lashed out at photographers
+31
No mercy: It had been widely
speculated that because of Schaefer's age and the fact he is the father
of a month-old baby, he would be given a lesser sentence than the
prosecution had demanded
Following
her sentencing, Mack spoke of her anger and sadness that her boyfriend
would still be in prison when she was eventually released.
'He will still be in prison when I am freed and he is the father of my daughter,' she said.
'She
will be a young girl and she is going to be without a father, while I
will be out of prison. He should not have received 18 years like that.'
She also appeared to get drunk behind bars as she awaited transport to prison.
'The soft drink bottle was in a plastic container, but we could all smell alcohol,' said one of the photographers.
'There is no doubt that it was not lemonade in that bottle. She must have got it from somewhere to keep her calm.'
+31
+31
Murdered: The body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack (left) was found inside a suitcase (right) after her murder
+31
Behind bars: Heather Mack pictured in prison after she was sentenced to 10 years in a Bali prison today
+31
Motherhood: Mack is allowed to keep
her baby in prison with her for two years and she says she couldn't bare
to give up her one-month-old
+31
Sentenced: Body in a suitcase teenager Heather Mack is sentenced to 10 years for the murder of her mother
+31
Jail sentence: Tommy Schaefer, 21, pictured leaving court after being jailed for 18 years in prison earlier today
+31
Mack spoke of her anger and sadness that her boyfriend would still be in prison when she was released
Tears rolled down Miss Mack's face as the interpreter told her the judges were sending her to jail for the next 10 years.
The
sentence has shown, however, that the judges had considered pleas by
the defence that she was a young mother with a month-old baby and she
had not contributed to the death of her own mother.
But Judge Suweda said: 'She failed to contact the police after the murder. Instead she had run away.'
Ni
Ketut Novi Sri Wirani, Mack's lawyer, said: '10 years is better than
the 15 years sought by the prosecution, so (we're) happy.'
Moments
earlier, the judge jailed Schaefer to 18 years in prison. He said the
violence of the crime - in which Schaefer was described as battering Mrs
Von Wiese-Mack to death - had shocked Bali by its brutality.
'Taking
into account the 340 chapter of criminal code and other related laws,
(panel) declared that the defendant Tommy Schaefer has been legally and
convincingly guilty of committing premeditated murder,' Judge Suweda
said.
'Therefore the defendant is sentenced to 18 years in jail.'
+31
+31
The prosecution had originally asked for Mack to be imprisoned in Bali’s Kerobokan Jail for 15 years
+31
Mother: Heather Mack, pictured with her daughter Stella, was all smiles as she arrived at a Bali court today
+31
Guilty: Mack, 19, from Chicago was found guilty of helping Schaefer stuff her mother's body into a suitcase
+31
Mack spoke of the many years
separation she and her boyfriend now face. 'He will still be in prison
when I am freed and he is the father of my daughter,' she said
He
described Schaefer's actions as sadistic, but said his politeness and
remorse during the trial saved him from the heavier punishment - the
death sentence.
'Although I do take full responsibility for my actions, I am not a murderer,' Scahefer said after hearing the verdict.
Her newborn baby badly needs a mother's love and breastfeeding
The
sentences mean Schaefer will be 39 years old when he is released from
Kerobokan Jail. When Mack is released, her daughter will be 10 years
old.
The
judge said: 'In my decision I have made a special judgment because
Heather has a baby who needs a mother. For Tommy, I call the crime
sadistic.'
Mack
was found guilty of helping her boyfriend put her mother's body in the
case before it was loaded into a taxi at the upmarket St Regis Hotel in
Bali.
Her
lawyers told the court that her young age, the fact that she has a
one-month-old baby and the claim that she had no part in the actual
death of her mother should see her receiving a reduction.
+31
All smiles: Heather Mack holds her baby daughter ahead of her sentencing for the murder of her own mother
+31
Jailed: Tommy Schaefer has been
sentenced to 18 years in jail for the 'sadistic murder' of his
girlfriend's mother in the 'body in the suitcase' killing
+31
The baby, Stella, was brought to the court building again today by Mack, who said the child was healthy
Earlier today, Mack was all smiles and showed no nervousness when she arrived at Denpasar District Court.
Asked
if she was concerned that the judges were expected to hand down long
prison sentences for her and Schaefer - who are both from the Chicago
area - she said she was ready for whatever they decided.
'Anything... I'm prepared for anything,' she said.
But
sitting in front of the judges in a white blouse, Mack's earlier
smiling bravado fell away and she began to weep as she listened to the
judge outlining the case.
The
prosecution claimed the couple had planned the death of Mrs Von
Wiese-Mack, based on text messages that had passed between them.
The
court has already heard from the prosecution that Schaefer went to Mrs
Von Wiese-Mack's hotel room, which she was sharing with daughter,
carrying the heavy fruit bowl, which was evidence that he intended to
use it on her.
Mack's
defence team claimed that during the fatal argument between her mother
and Schaefer, she had run and hid in the bathroom - but had then helped
her boyfriend push her mother's body into the suitcase because she
panicked and he was the father of the child she was carrying.
In the final hours before Mack learned of her fate, she told People magazine that tending to her newborn daughter keeps her from dwelling on what the coming day may bring.
+31
Awaiting sentencing: Mack claimed she
had not been party to her mother’s death and had only assisted her
boyfriend in stuffing the body into the suitcase after she had panicked
+31
Behind bars: Mack claimed she had not
been party to her mother’s death and had only assisted her boyfriend in
stuffing the body into the suitcase
+31
Accompanied by her boyfriend,
21-year-old Tommy Schaefer, Mack, 19, showed no nervousness about the
fate which awaited her in the Denpasar District Court.
+31
The sentence has shown that the judges
had considered pleas by the defence that she was a young mother with a
month-old baby and she had not contributed to the death of her own
mother
She is allowed to keep her baby in prison with her for two years and Mack said she could not bare to give her up.
'I don't want to separate my family,' she said. 'It's too painful to think about having to be separated from my angel.'
When
they were first arrested last August following the discovery of the
battered body of Mack's 62-year-old mother in a suitcase that had been
placed in the boot of a taxi, they could have faced a mandatory death
sentence for premeditated murder.
But
Mack claimed she had not been party to her mother’s death and had only
assisted her boyfriend in stuffing the body into the suitcase after she
panicked.
For
his part, Schaefer argued that he had hit Mrs Von Wiese-Mack with the
metal part of a fruit bowl after she grabbed him by the throat during an
argument in her room at the hotel.
He
claimed there had always been dissent between Mrs Von Wiese-Mack and
himself because she objected to his relationship with her daughter -
particularly after she learned her daughter was pregnant with his child.
Mrs
Von Wiese-Mack was the widow of highly regarded jazz and classical
composer James L. Mack, who died in 2006 at the age of 76.
THE OVERCROWDED PRISON WHERE MACK AND SCHAEFER ARE LOCKED UP
Kerobokan prison in Bali will be home to Chicago couple Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer for 10 years and 18 years respectively.
The facility has previously been described as overcrowded, flooded with crime and overflowing with drugs.
+31
Kerobokan Prison: Mack was sharing her cell at the prison with eight other inmates before the visit from the government minister
Earlier
this month, Mack and her baby Stella received a personal visit from a
government minister who offered them extra comforts.
Yasona
Laoly, Indonesia’s Justice and Human Rights Minister, checked on the
conditions in her cell, which she shares with eight other prisoners.
‘I’m not happy to be raising my baby here,’ said Mack, who is allowed to keep her baby in prison with her for two years.
Heather Mack is allowed to raise her baby in prison for two years
The minister later said he was perturbed that a three-week-old baby should start her life in a prison.
He said he had offered Mack the chance to place the baby with a family to care for the child.
‘I’ve given her the chance to think over the offer,’ Mr Yasona said outside the prison.
‘There are families in Bali who would be happy to take the baby in and care for her.
‘While
she is considering this, I have also told her that I will arrange for
her to have a room to herself inside the prison where she can care for
the baby properly without other prisoners being around.’
During
the minister’s visit, Mack not only told him of her concerns about the
crowded cell, but she also said she wanted baby Stella Schaefer to be
baptised.
Mr Yasona said he would make arrangements for a church pastor or priest to come to the prison to perform a ceremony.
Another prisoner, an Indonesian woman, is sharing a cell with her seven-month old baby and several other women.
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PMA : deux lesbiennes n’aiment pas la couleur de leur fille. Elles portent plainte
C’est la dernière histoire gaie. Elle se passe aux États-Unis, notre modèle de toujours.
C’est la dernière histoire gaie. Elle se
passe aux États-Unis, notre modèle de toujours. Jennifer et Amanda, deux
lesbiennes qui ont acquis à la Midwest Sperm Bank une petite giclée du
donneur 380, soit
« un homme blanc aux yeux bleus », se sont retrouvées mère et mère d’une jolie petite Payton café au lait et cheveux crépus.
Argh ! Damned !
Certes, elles ont beau vivre à Uniontown, dans l’Ohio, elles ne
souhaitent pas frayer avec n’importe qui. Bien sûr, elles aiment leur
petite Payton, mais comme dit Jennifer :
« Il est difficile d’élever une enfant noire dans une communauté blanche et conservatrice. »
Alors elles poursuivent en justice la Midwest Sperm Bank.
L’affaire est complexe. Au cinquième mois de grossesse, Jennifer
veut acheter un petit frère pour Payton. Elle appelle la banque et passe
commande : ce sera du 380, 100 % blanc, 100 % blond, et qui
« ressemble à sa compagne ». Et là, horreur et putréfaction, on découvre la méprise : Jennifer a été inséminée avec du 330. Un Afro-Américain.
Mettez-vous à sa place : vous achetez
Shalimar de Guerlain et on vous refourgue du
Shalipette
de Tati. Vous seriez très colère vous aussi. Bref, les deux mamans
réclament à la banque du sperme 50.000 dollars de dommages et intérêts
car, dans leur bourgade du Midwest
« peuplée à 98 % par des Blancs », elles
« craignent l’intolérance ».
Admettons que Jennifer et Amanda obtiennent gain de cause,
imagine-t-on alors ce qu’une telle jurisprudence pourrait entraîner ? En
effet, à quel titre refuser aux hétérosexuels ce qu’on accorderait aux
homos ?
Un exemple : Marcel Cachepot et Diala Zouzou s’aiment d’un grand
amour multiculturel qu’ils concrétisent par la naissance d’un petit
Johnny-Madiba. Selon les lois de Mendel, de l’hérédité biologique et des
caractères récessifs, madame Zouzou sort un joli bambin aux yeux clairs
et la peau itou. Puis vient le jour où M. Cachepot et Mme Zouzou
divorcent. Qu’est-ce qui empêche alors cette femme à la peau du plus
beau noir de réclamer des dommages et intérêts en plus de la pension
alimentaire, cela au motif qu’il serait
« difficile d’élever une enfant blanche dans une communauté noire et conservatrice » ? Et en suivant cette pente glissante où la tyrannie du
« droit à »
et de l’égalité nous entraîne, pourquoi ne pas imaginer, demain,
l’inscription dans les contrats de mariage d’une obligation de métissage
des caractères génétiques ?
En Espagne, où les « dons » rémunérés (sic !) se multiplient pour
cause de chômage, un donneur de sperme peut obtenir 50 euros par
prestation, une femme 1.000 euros pour un don d’ovocyte, mais le boulot
n’est pas le même, si je puis me permettre l’expression. Aux USA, si le
monsieur est diplômé et bien musclé, il peut obtenir jusqu’à 3.000
dollars. Là-bas, le pays est divisé en zones et
« un donneur ne peut engendrer “que” 25 enfants pour 800.000 habitants de sa zone ».
Bien sûr, on peut encore trouver des donneurs de sperme à l’ancienne,
procréation bio garantie, mais alors il faut accepter de coucher avec le
donneur. Et puis il y a
« le don de sperme sauvage ». Ce sont les gars qui font don de leur personne, vite fait bien fait :
« Bonjour Monsieur, bonjour Madame, passez-moi la seringue, c’est par où, la salle de bains ? »
Dans un article du
Monde paru fin 2013, un Canadien
« donneur vocationnel » (c’est lui qui se nomme ainsi) se confesse : en trois ans de branlette, il a engendré 41 enfants
« dont 38 issus de dons sauvages ».
« Je chéris ma vocation de donneur et je n’ai pas eu de relation sexuelle depuis le 11 avril 2008 », dit-il. Et quand on lui demande
« Pourquoi un tel dévouement ? », il répond :
« L’idée
de rendre utile un sperme de bonne qualité et d’avoir de nombreux
descendants portant mon code génétique me plaît et me rend fier. »
Question : si le petit a la bonne couleur de peau et de cheveux
mais qu’il est con comme un balai, a-t-on droit, aussi, à une
indemnité ?
Allemande, 65 ans et future maman : Vive la PMA !
Ce n’est pas Annegret Raunigk qui est zinzin, c’est notre monde. Le
champ des possibles ouvert par l’attelage PMA-GPA est infini.
Qui a dit que les Allemands n’avaient plus
d’enfants ? Annegret Raunigk, une institutrice berlinoise de 65 ans,
déjà mère de 13 enfants, est enceinte de quadruplés. Grâce à une PMA –
avec don d’ovocyte, bien sûr – à l’étranger.
Dimanche, elle a fait la une du
Bild et de quelques
autres journaux en Europe. Elle y explique avoir eu envie faire plaisir à
sa petite dernière qu’elle avait déjà eue à un âge avancé (55 ans) et
qui rêvait d’un petit frère ou une petite sœur. À ceux qui s’inquiètent
de la santé de la mère et des enfants – grossesse tardive et grossesse
multiple sont, indépendamment l’une de l’autre réputées « à risque »,
alors que dire des grossesses, très, très tardives et très, très
« multiples » ? – son médecin rétorque que, pour le moment, tout se
passe bien.
On tombe à la renverse, on se pince, on pousse des «
oh » et des «
ah », on parle de mère dingo et de docteur Maboul en se vissant l’index sur la tempe, on soupire «
pauvres enfants »,
on glisse qu’à ce stade, elle aurait plus besoin d’un psy que d’un
gynéco, on demande en ricanant ce qu’il adviendra quand à leur tour –
s’ils parviennent à survivre, les pauvrets, si nombreux dans une matrice
passablement hors d’usage — ses quadruplés se plaindront d’être les
derniers et réclameront un bébé… à leur mère de 75 ans ?
Et on a tort. Car Annegret Raunigk n’a rien « d’hors norme »… pour
peu que l’on considère ce qu’est devenu la norme. Elle est au contraire
en parfaite cohérence avec notre monde occidental.
Elle a 65 ans, et alors ? Elton John en a bien 68, qui vient
« d’avoir » deux enfants. Par don d’ovocyte, lui aussi. Et on a bien
compris, depuis l’incident Dolce & Gabbana, qu’il fallait applaudir à
grand bruit, quiconque – même riche, célèbre et homosexuel – refusant
de le faire étant voué aux gémonies. Dans le cas d’Elton John, il
s’agissait de réparer une discrimination de la nature à l’endroit des
homosexuels, qui les a privés d’utérus. Dans le cas d’Annegret Raunigk,
il s’agit d’en réparer une autre, tout aussi injuste, qui elle n’atteint
que les femmes : la ménopause. La nature est homophobe et machiste, on
ne peut quand même pas la laisser sévir bras croisés ?
Elle a 65 ans, et alors ? N’est-ce pas le moment idéal pour avoir
un enfant ? C’est ce que pensent sans doute en tout cas Apple,
Facebook, et quelques autres « technofirmes » comme Microsoft ou
Citigroup qui proposent obligeamment à leurs salariées de financer la
congélation de leurs ovocytes. Or bien sûr, si l’on arrête l’horloge
biologique à 30 ans, ce n’est pas pour la faire repartir à 40, quand les
cadres supérieurs sont au maximum de leur potentiel mais point encore
au faîte de leur carrière. Comment avoir la cruauté d’y mettre un coup
d’arrêt ? De les renvoyer soudain couver à la maison, entre nausées,
tétées et couches souillées ? Pour la FIV, rien de tel que l’âge de la
retraite.
Ce n’est pas Annegret Raunigk qui est zinzin, c’est notre monde.
Le champ des possibles ouvert par l’attelage PMA-GPA est infini. Et dans
dix ans, si rien ne change, ce dernier galopera dans des contrées si
impensables, tragiques, farfelues que les épigones d’Annegret Raunigk
n’auront pas seulement droit à un entrefilet dans
Bild.
Ce couple annonce l'arrivée de leur enfant d'une très belle façon
Sudinfo
Ce couple lesbien a eu ses enfants à un an
d’intervalle. En janvier 2014, Vanessa et Melanie annonçaient qu’elles
attendaient leur premier enfant, un petit garçon, Jax. Un plus tard, le
petit garçon allait devenir grand frère. Chaque fois, elles ont annoncé
leur grossesse de la même manière.
Ces deux Américaines partagent leur bonheur conjugal
sur les réseaux sociaux. Leur annonce de grossesse a été partagée
plusieurs fois sur les réseaux sociaux et remporte un énorme succès.
Les deux femmes ont toujours voulu avoir des enfants «
On s’est toujours dit, Vanessa et moi, qu’on porterait chacune un enfant
». Vanessa a d’abord été enceinte du petit Jax et environ un an plus tard, il avait une petite sœur Ero.
Les deux femmes sont étonnées d’un tel succès «
C’est dingue de constater que les gens voient ma
famille comme une inspiration. Nous sommes toujours en état de choc,
raconte Melanie au
Huffington Post Us. Elle espère que leur photo va encourager d’autres couples «
On espère que notre photo est le signe dont certaines femmes ont besoin
».
Elles publient des photos de leur quotidien sur leur compte
Instagram.