David Hookes - Assualt or Manslaughter?

[Joel]

JLC, but it wouldn't be suprise, that is why people have to be careful.

[Special Delivery]

Let's string this 21 year old guy up by the testicles and bash him senseless.
Let's send demeaning letters to his family and spit at them during the court case for bringing up such a valueless, moraleless man and then pray he gets a life sentence for murder.
Let's hope he is miserable for the rest of his life.

I don't think so.

I absolutely loved David Hookes', the cricketer. Didn't know him in any other capacity outside of that however. But that still doesn't change the thought that this 21 year old crowd controller, whether he be jailed or not, is in for a very unhappy time over the next five years of his life-if not forever.

This incident could turn him into a career criminal, he may adversely affect the lives of more strangers through bad deeds, or in fact those he loves and that love him. He is 21 years old.

There are others to blame here as well. Make no mistake, I am angry about his actions, and what the hell was he and his cohorts doing so far away from their place of employment?

I have had a security guy follow me down the street 100m and take his badge off to have a go after I told him what other jobs he would be more suitable at...not nice of me too say what I said-so my responsibility too, I fixed him up though and then I get banned from the venue. I was 21 then too-and indeed it was all self defence. The venue knew it could not explain to the courts why their security employee was 100m away from the place of employment.

The Beaconsfield Hotel...don't know much about it, but I know they will be in 'strong communication' at he moment with their security company contractor (who provide the personnel).

Good article today in the Herald Sun (did I just say that?) highlighting the need to overhaul the industry.

OK, I am a manager at the biggest Hotel in Victoria, so I have both perspectives. A good crowd controller is worth their weight in gold. And we have many of them. Alcohol, we all know what it can do to the mildest of personalities. But aspects such as minimum age requiremnts for security staff are the way we should be progressing.

I could know doubt bait the tamest 18 year old security guard into having a go if I so wished during a drunken night out. They don't have the emotional maturity to communicate effectively in what is almost a nightly enviroment of confrontation and endless high level communicative exchanges.

Communication, and only good communication, can defuse almost any volatile situation. I have seen the smallest security guards defuse football team anxieties that were about to engulf hotels with merely a nod and a wink and a softly softly approach.

Sadly, a celebrity death has refocussed on the industry in a light that my security staff are very acutely aware will now make their job much, much harder. I spoke with them since the incident and these poor guys looked at each other and just shook their heads.

It's all abut good management, good ethics, good training, and above all, good communication.

After Princess Diana's death, didn't we all want the paparazzi to pay for this tragedy? Now the security industry will be the target, and in many ways that will be a good thing. We have quite simply told a security guard after 5 minutes thanks but no thanks because of not wha he looks like, but his demeanor. They represent the hotel. No crossed arms, grumpy faces or touching patrons. Greet people, open dialogue. Simple stuff.

I feel for Hookesy's family and friends, but I feel for this 21 year old man who has simply not been equipped with the resolution skills, or the mature ability to understand the full consequences of his horrendous action.

I will leave you all with this, do we all think of ALL ramifications of our actions all the time? While violence is a bloody obvious action to shy away from, this 21 year old is in need of severe development of social responsibilty. And that is the responsibility in turn of all of us in society as a whole.

Oh, and I see no one has commented on, (and the papers dedicated a mere two paragraphs to the story) about the crowd controller, who has a mum who loves him, friends who like him, who got smashed in the face by a patron with a cricket bat, which was signed by the Vic cricket team. I feel for him as well.

Cheers

[PeterWH]

I dont care if it was a heart attach or not,the fact remains that this moron king hit David Hookes and he should suffer the consequences.
Since when does some one chase you down the street for 70 meters,put another player in a headlock,chuckinsults at another players girlfriend and expect to get away with it.This is the story from todays telegraph and then when Hookes interviened,he was king hit by this di**head and chacked his head on the road.
The MORON is guilty of MURDER and should suffer.

PeterWH
Peak Hill Central NSW

[Lorelei]

The guy is an adult - not some child who does not understand crime, punishment and consequence.

Yes - he has a family - maybe he should've thought of them before his actions.

YOU CANNOT HAVE PEOPLE GOING AROUND MINDLESSLY KILLING PEOPLE - WHETHER THEY INTEND TO OR NOT. YOU CANNOT HAVE PEOPLE GOING AROUND HARMING OTHERS FOR THE HELL OF IT - IT HAS TO STOP.

If this guy is used as a scapegoat it is not my problem. He knew what he was doing and he set out to harm another human being - no-one can be allowed to do this to another person or family without punishment.

If he was given life, then we wouldn't have to worry about him harming anyone else or becoming involved in crime.

David Hookes didn't get a 2nd chance, neither should he.

He abused his position - and so did his colleagues. Any sympathy I give will be to the other families of victims harmed by such senseless violence. His own family can deal with him - at least they still have someone to deal with.


Jenelle

[tazza2000]

While what happened to David Hooks that night was a tragic event, it was nothing more than a spur of the moment, testostorone filled brawl that got way too out of hand.

In hindsight, Drago or whatever his name is, would of thought twice about punching hooksy if he knew it was going to kill him. I'm sure we have all had moments like this.

Yet he does need to face the consequences of his actions wether he intended to or not, he did technically kill him.

But is life in prison really necessary, someone even mentioned capital punishment, is an eye for an eye really the australian way?

Drago has to live the rest of his life knowing that he killed a sporting legend and is probably one of the most hated australians at the moment.

The fact is that if it wasn't a high profile media personality who was killed would people still be calling for drago's head?

It is disapointing that it has to take david hook's life for the country to wake up and realise that these events go unnoticed everyday and no one could care less.

[WhyPhilWhy?]

Amazing.... Some of you who posted here also have posts rubbishing the press for how they sensationalise stories about Collingwood and other matters, yet here you are willing to take every line the Herald Sun (the bloody Herald Sun!) has to say as gospel.

Tell me for instance, how do you king hit someone from the front?

The reports may be more or less true, but you can be sure that the media needs to sell papers and advertising, and they way to do that is to make things sound as bad as they possibly can be. I have too much bad experience of the process to set myself up as judge, jury and executioner.

There are a couple of tinpot dictatorships around the world where they do exactly that - one in particular springs to mind that has been in the news lately. Another one that prides itself on the rule of law decided they had had enough of it.

Let me just say though, if this guy is found guilty of the acts he is alleged to have committed, I hope he is sentenced to the fullest extent of the law. I don't have the slightest problem with the courts making an example of him, because if his alleged acts are true, he directly contributed to taking the life of another human being and no one should escape punishment for that.

Psalm 119:64 "The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy"

[Special Delivery]

Peter W you need to grab a law book and confirm what Murder is.

It is not, by all accounts, what this incident is.

Lorelei, I think you are quite right in most respects, but dare I say you are entering dangerous territory when you start telling people what they 'should' have thought about prior to an action, and I agree he needs to face the music. Very much so.

But life? Let's revise the entire legal provision of every country in the western world...

That assumption is ludicrous. Rehabilitation is the key. he needs to fully comprehend what he has done and not shy away. Potentially, yes, he could hurt someone else again in the future, like many other criminals.

But, Lorelei, he could also turn his life around in years to come and actually create some good for those around him. He needs to change his outlook, as does this man's work colleagues who it also appears have some serious questions to answer-and not just to the police but to themselves about what type of people they are and will be.

At 21, I think we need to punish him, and then move on and believe that good...somehow, can come out of it.

[Sultan of spin]

I can't believe no one has brought up the fact that this prick was already awaiting trial on a seperate assualt charge. If he was a awaiting trial for assualt why the hell was he working as a bouncer anyway? also aren't the people who employed this animal also partly responsible for his actions? especially if he has a history of violence?

I would like the judge who bailed him on the prior charge but didn't suspend his crowd control licence identified so he can face the anger of the public. If this judge had done his job David Hookes would still be with us now and that is a fact.

[London Dave]

[Sultan of spin]

Well the judge that granted him bail this time did it on the condition he does not enter a licence premisesn If this had of been done last time we would not be having this argument now, And I couldn't care less what you say because that is a fact whether you like it or not.

[commonwombat]

What was the nature of his previous assault charge, Sultan ??? Was it related to his work as a bouncer ?? Do you think so or do you KNOW so ??

It is very easy to be wise after the event.

The very notoriety and public profile of this case would suggest that the chances of he, any others involved and the management of the Beaconsfield slipping off the hook are very slim.

[piedys]

[piedys]

[JLC]

This is quite comical some of the replies. Bring out the violin for this guy and pass me a box of tissues.

If you had a choice would you rather be dead or spend a maximum of 5 years in jail ?? Geeee a real tough choice that one.

A good crowd controller may be hard to find but a thug wouldnt be and thats what thid guy was and is. An amateur boxer so obviously the guy loves to fight otherwise he wouldnt be a boxer. You would think that in any martial arts/fighting sport they teach you that on the street you act in self defence only. You dont go chasing some guy down the street with your fellow heavies and beat him up when you should really know your own strength when you are a boxer and what damage it will cause.

jlc

[joffa corfe]

I cant believe some of the crap i've just read, some one mentioned the 'australian way' well let me tell ya its unaustralian what this THUG did to hookesy, its unaustralian for a pack of shit head baboons to follow a guy down a side street and kill him.
If hookesy wasnt punced by this shit for brains moron DAVID HOOKS WOULD STILL BE ALIVE TODAY!!!

Some one also mentioned that this piece of shit was 21 so bloody what!!
whats a 21 year old doing attacking someone old enough to be his dad is that the thucking australin way of doing things.
If anyone sticks up in any way for that low down piece of no life filth YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN HIM!!!

This is exactly whats wrong in this country today its full of whimps and civil shit head liberterians.

The picture is people DAVID HOOKES IS DEAD he was killed by a bouncer who gave away a promising boxing career to become a bouncer ..HEY GO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.

If i picked up tomorrows paper and the headlines said HOOKES MURDERER FOUND DEAD..i would ring the herald sun and ask why would it waste its front page on a dirty rotten low life piece of scum.

we live in a world full of pussies and its making a lot of us sick to the bone

GIVE US A BREAK