beNZylpiperazine: June 2007

Robin Bain is innocent

13 years ago today, on a cold Dunedin morning, David Bain slaughtered his youngest sister Laniet (2 shots to the head as she lay sleeping, and 1 further shot as she lay gurgling dying), his mother Margaret (1 shot to the head while she lay sleeping), his brother Stephen (a shot through Stephen's hand, then 1 shot through the head after a prolonged struggle during which David partially strangled Stephen with his own teeshirt) and his younger sister Arawa (1 shot to the head as she prayed or pleaded for mercy, after David's first shot missed) - all in quick succession.

Lastly, David slaughtered his father Robin (1 shot to the head). But first, David put the washing machine on and went off on his usual morning paper run. Returning, he hid in a curtained alcove in the lounge and calmly waited for his father to enter the house after waking in the caravan outside where he slept. How cold-blooded is that?

Now, of course, David Bain is a free man, and two thirds of New Zealanders believe David Bain is innocent. Stuff.co.nz has delighted us with images of the remorseless killer enjoying life on the outside in the David Bain gallery.

There are far fewer pictures on the web of his dead family members. Google Image Search turned up nothing at all for Arawa or Laniet, and no images of Stephen. A search for images of Margaret produced a single image of David, and a search for images of Robin produced two images, again of David. So I guess when I said there are few fewer pictures... I really meant none at all.

But the exercise wasn't altogether fruitless. I was introduced to Robin Bain's namesake, an actress by the name of, er, Robin Bain. And I don't think she's innocent...

Youths

The following is part of a letter to teenagers from a judge in the Brisbane Juvenile Court.

Always we hear the cry from teenagers. What can we do? Where can we go? My answer is: Go home. Mow the lawns — wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons and after you have finished, read a book!

Your town does not owe you recreation facilities, your parents do not owe you fun. The world does not owe you a living. You owe the world something. You owe it your time, energy and talents so that no-one will be at war, in poverty or sick and lonely again.

In other words, grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dreamworld and develop a backbone, not a wishbone. Start behaving like a responsible person.

You are important and you are needed. It is too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something some day. Some day is now and that somebody is you!