My interest in the Florida Man news tags remains strong .....
So my eye was caught by the news that Marvin Hajos, a 75-year-old man was killed in the city of Alachua in northern Florida. Nothing too unusual in that perhaps, but it was the manner of his death that made me take note.
He was killed by a pet bird. To be explicit a pet cassowary. This apparently is a large flightless bird, weighing in at more than 100lb (45kg), with a five-inch claw on each foot, and capable of running up to 30 mph (50km/h). Mr Hajos was apparently a keeper of exotic pets. The police believe that he fell over (possibly due to a sudden health event), and this spooked the bird which attacked him, leaving him badly wounded, and he died of these injuries. The bird hasn't been put down but is being cared for by his partner who apparently doesn't hold a grudge.
The talk of Florida man, reminded me that in South Wales, the UK's equivalent of Florida man, they are matching their US equivalent stupidity, for stupidity.
Take for example Mr Lee Taylor from Port Talbot. He was an amateur footballer, playing for Margam in a local league at the home of local rivals Cornelly Utd, in Bridgend, when a fight broke out after the game. His team had lost 5 - 0 and the fight broke out between two teens outside the dressing room. He came out and apparently tried to set 'ground rules' for the fight. This caused him to be taunted by the gang, who called him "fatty".
This enraged Mr Taylor who considered himself to be something of a body beautiful. He told the youths that "you don’t want to mess with me," before getting into his BMW car, revving the engine, and accelerating towards the group of boys. He injured 11 of the teens, by mowing them down 'like skittles in a bowling alley'. One Boy tried to break his windscreen, and Mr Taylor got out the car and attacked him, before chasing two others across the football field, then getting back into his car and driving off. He later told the police that he wasn't "going to stay around and take a kicking."
In court he claimed that it was a fear of attack that made him run into the gang, and that he never knew he had hit them, or heard their cries, as his car stereo was too loud (which in itself tells you a lot about his attitude to others). The court and jury didn't believe him and he was found guilty of dangerous driving, and another 11 counts of attempted grievous bodily harm.
He was sentenced to 10 years in jail (7 years before he can be considered for parole), after it emerged that Mr Taylor had a history of violence. He was also banned from driving for 10 years, which seems a bit incongruous as it means he can drive away from prison if he serves the whole 10 years, well not in the BMW, which the court also confiscated from him.
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| The Cassowary - A Dinosaur Of A Bird. |
So my eye was caught by the news that Marvin Hajos, a 75-year-old man was killed in the city of Alachua in northern Florida. Nothing too unusual in that perhaps, but it was the manner of his death that made me take note.
He was killed by a pet bird. To be explicit a pet cassowary. This apparently is a large flightless bird, weighing in at more than 100lb (45kg), with a five-inch claw on each foot, and capable of running up to 30 mph (50km/h). Mr Hajos was apparently a keeper of exotic pets. The police believe that he fell over (possibly due to a sudden health event), and this spooked the bird which attacked him, leaving him badly wounded, and he died of these injuries. The bird hasn't been put down but is being cared for by his partner who apparently doesn't hold a grudge.
The talk of Florida man, reminded me that in South Wales, the UK's equivalent of Florida man, they are matching their US equivalent stupidity, for stupidity.
Take for example Mr Lee Taylor from Port Talbot. He was an amateur footballer, playing for Margam in a local league at the home of local rivals Cornelly Utd, in Bridgend, when a fight broke out after the game. His team had lost 5 - 0 and the fight broke out between two teens outside the dressing room. He came out and apparently tried to set 'ground rules' for the fight. This caused him to be taunted by the gang, who called him "fatty".
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| Don't Call This Man 'Fatty' ..... |
This enraged Mr Taylor who considered himself to be something of a body beautiful. He told the youths that "you don’t want to mess with me," before getting into his BMW car, revving the engine, and accelerating towards the group of boys. He injured 11 of the teens, by mowing them down 'like skittles in a bowling alley'. One Boy tried to break his windscreen, and Mr Taylor got out the car and attacked him, before chasing two others across the football field, then getting back into his car and driving off. He later told the police that he wasn't "going to stay around and take a kicking."
In court he claimed that it was a fear of attack that made him run into the gang, and that he never knew he had hit them, or heard their cries, as his car stereo was too loud (which in itself tells you a lot about his attitude to others). The court and jury didn't believe him and he was found guilty of dangerous driving, and another 11 counts of attempted grievous bodily harm.
He was sentenced to 10 years in jail (7 years before he can be considered for parole), after it emerged that Mr Taylor had a history of violence. He was also banned from driving for 10 years, which seems a bit incongruous as it means he can drive away from prison if he serves the whole 10 years, well not in the BMW, which the court also confiscated from him.
People who pose to show their muscles - like those who pose with weapons - sooner or later get into trouble because they're looking to prove that they're not damaged and insecure.
ReplyDeleteIts also a challenge to other nutters!
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