British Prime Minister Meets w/Mom of "Manhunt Murder Victim"

[...] Brazier’s Private Members Bill to reform the BBFC was discussed and eventually stopped in Parliament late last month, but that hasn’t stopped Brazier from trying to revive its political chances. Brazier insists that the eventual decision to release Manhunt 2 “shows once again that the BBFC and its appeals system do not meet the concerns of the public” and that “the public wants a significant tightening up in that vital area.” Earlier that month, Brazier accompanied Gordon Brown in a meeting with Giselle Pakeerah, a mother who believes the original Manhunt contributed to her son’s murder. [...]

If the Prime Minister said that it's Manhunt's fault, it's Manhunts fault (sarcasm)
I think that the woman is either uninformed about the Scotland Yard investigation, or ignore it. Either way, I think it's the Prime Minister's fault for her mislead mindset.

Ignore it, the British PM has bigger problems to worry about.

@KayleL

She'll ignore the truth of it because she needs something to blame it on so she doesn't feel it's her fault. The mother needs some serious counseling.

Poor lady...damn sad. Even sadder that she's been so mislead and used to further this dickweed's cause.

After you lose someone, you are angry. You look for a target. For some reason, it isn't politically correct to blame the murderer. It's almost as if we are used to the "It isn't their fault, something made them the way they are" excuse.

So she thinks it isn't the killers fault, it was the video games fault. Even thuogh Scotland Yard disagrees. After all, what do they know, they are only a large group of highly skilled investigators, she is a mother.

The game itself sucked, I felt. However, people have been blaming whatever is handy for sometime. I think there was even a murder blamed on Pac-Man, which could hardly be considered a murder simulator.

While I feel for her, I think she needs to get some therapy, someone has to tell her that video games don't kill people, and the video game didn't kill her son. It was a 17 year old boy, who liked other violent things and seems to be a violent person. Scapegoats don't solve anything.

However, expect a press release by JT stating that Manhunt was not just involved, but that Scotland Yard indicated it actually controlled his mind and a video game controller was the murder weapon.

Will the UK become the next Germany for gamers? My money is on "yes".

My condolences to UK gamers.

They worry we'll mistake fantasy and reality because they do. They see digital people getting killed and say"What if that were me?"Thing is, it can't be them because it's not real. It's a game.

Will the ignorance ever end???

I know lots of people dismiss Vas as a moron but his access to the Prime Minister is worrying... He may not be as bananas as JT, but his potential for causing harm is much greater IMHO.

Gift.

I don't get why his mom clings to it when she bought her son the game which he played but the murderer didn't.

On a side note, I thought the house of commons was supposed to be full of politicians, not tools.

One thing I want to point out, as a lot of people are missing this.

The mother claims the game found in her sons room belonged to the murderer and was lent to him two days prior.

Whether this is the case or not, I don't know. Also, if she knew that an older person was giving her son material she felt he wasn't old enough for, she should have done something about it. Either way, I don't see the connection of the crime to the game, and I'm in good company as neither did Scotland Yard.

Like I keep saying Manhunt is responsible!!!!

It made the VICTIM release all his aggression on the game so that when the murderer that doesn't even own the game attacked him the VICTIM(which owned the game) WAS HELPLESS AS MOST VIDEO GAME PLAYERS ARE....

We need to stop games and replace them with the draft to make our kids able to defend themselves!!!!

From this particular story I can draw no other conclusion, unless I admit that the game had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS HORRIBLE CRIME... in which case the theory sounds ridiculous as it should...

I feel pity for the woman. She lost her son to violence, and it must help her in her grief to have something tangible to blame (you know, other than the killer). Something that can be fought against in a reasonable manner. That's why she's willing to be used by these anti-gaming zealots. She most likely believes that her actions will save the lives of future potential victims.

Blaming video game violence is a lot easier than blaming the sociopathic tendencies in a fraction of the population. You can identify and fight video games, where sociopaths (and people with mental disorders in general) are harder to understand.

"Manhunt Murder Victim" is quite the misnomer. The game wasn't even in the murderer's possession. Also, blaming a crime on whatever possessions the victim had (keeping in mind that the crime had nothing to do with robbing the victim of said possessions) is some of the most bizarre rectroactive logic I've ever seen.

It's almost as bizarre as extending it to witnesses. "A crime witness reportedly had a copy of Manhunt. Police have therefore linked this game to the crime."

Crikey.

Its hard enough be a UK gamer as it is. America and the East always sees Europe a last resort as it is, without the PM and Vaz misinforming the general public.