Woman Killed Over PlayStation Addiction
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Woman, Killed, Addiction, PlayStation | Themes: Software
Talk about holding a grudge: a man killed his wife/girlfriend/roommate/partner, stabbing her to death because of her addiction to Grand Theft Auto. Chalk one up for Jack Thompson and the gang.
A story like this normally centers around gamers a bit younger, maybe a bit inexperienced in life, full of adrenaline and, in some cases, tons of testosterone. How many rants have surfaced in regards to violent games and young America, rants surrounding school shootings and domestic violence that somehow had video games involved whether they played a major or minor part of the incident? Let's face it: games will always wear the scarlet letter simply because of their content, and, quite frankly, because they threaten the financial stability of Hollywood.
As a perfect example of video games dragged into a domestic dispute, an article on The Telegraph reports that retired Heathrow airport worker Malcolm Palmer, age 62, stabbed his female partner of thirty years--Carol Cannom, age 46--around thirty times with two knives. The relationship between the two is somewhat unclear other than they share three children together, however Palmer testified that Cannom previously requested that he move out last November, threatening that he would never see the children again. Based on the testimonies supplied to the courts, it was obvious that the relationship turned sour, thus ending in a brutal death. Palmer openly admitted to the murder, and was sentenced yesterday.
"The genesis of this tragedy bizarrely lies with the purchase of the PlayStation," said defense lawyer Timothy Spencer.
As an adult, that comment doesn't sound right when considering Palmer's motive. What the center of the story sounds like is a possible case of depression in regards to the victim, however there was a huge emphasis on the couple purchasing a PlayStation 3 console for their 10-year-old son James. As a parent, the situation becomes ultimately offensive: the boy would play the console until midnight, and then Cannom would take over and play until five or six in the morning. There was no information in regards to what the ten-year-old child played, however, Cannom became addicted to Grand Theft Auto 4 and other PlayStation games.
Where the console actually resided is unclear, however Cannom bought a 37-inch plasma HDTV and planted it in Palmer's/Cannom's bedroom. Unable to sleep with the brilliant light washing the otherwise warm, peaceful, and dark room, Palmer was forced to sleep on the sofa in the cold conservatory. The all-night PlayStation sessions continued; it wasn't a case of getting engrossed in a new gadget until the newness wears off.
"Carol quickly became hooked. He was very unhappy about the amount of time she was playing on the PlayStation," said John Pini QC for the prosecution.
Unhappy with the whole mess, undoubtedly exhausted, feeling detached and unimportant, Palmer ultimately confronted Cannom with suspicions of an extra-marital affair. He went into a violent rage, thus resulting in her wanting Palmer out of the house and out of the childrens' lives. Palmer grabbed two knives--a dinner knife and a folding lock knife--and filled her face, chest, and legs with over thirty wounds right in front of their son. James also sustained injuries while trying to pull his murderous father off his mother.
"I'm sorry," Palmer told emergency operators after his son James heard his mother's screaming pleas and dialed 999. "I think I killed her."
So what was the real reason behind the whole bloody scene? Was the woman really having an affair as Palmer suggested? Was Cannom playing video games to cope with the fact that she didn't want to live with the man? There's no question that games can be addicting. There's no question that games can spark the primal urges in all of us, flare up the passionate regions in the brain. But in this case, the relationship soured long before the couple bought the PlayStation console for James.
"Their mortgage was paid and they didn't need to work. They had a lot of time on their hands and little chance to get away from each other," said their daughter, Claire Scott, in a statement given outside court. "And playing on the Playstation a lot was just a release, a bit of escapism, neither of them were happy by that time." She said that the relationship suffered when the family moved from their smallholding to a smaller house in Lincolnshire.
As Scott suggested, the reality is that games suspend disbelief. They pull us into their facade worlds filled with fantasy, alien, and horrific environments. Games help us escape the harsh reality of the real world, and in the case of Carol Cannom, that escape resulted in her death.
As it turns out, the court decided that Cannom was not having an affair after all. Palmer, however, will serve at least fourteen years in prison. Undoubtedly, the son will need extensive therapy to cope with his mother's grizzly death.
Thanks for that, Mr. Palmer. You probably just racked one up for Jack Thompson.
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"Talk about holding a grudge: a man killed his wife/girlfriend/roommate/partner, stabbing her to death because of her addiction to Grand Theft Auto. Chalk one up for Jack Thompson and the gang."
ARE YOU SERIOUSLY MAKING LIGHT OF THIS WOMAN'S DEATH???
I can't believe that Tom's is allowing you to publish that! I am constantly reading comments about readers losing faith in Tom's, well add me to that ever-growing list.
April Fools! ... one day late
From a detached analytical point of view I can't possibly see how this = violence triggered by video games. The person who committed the violent crime was the person NOT playing. This flies directly in the face of those that say video games promote those that play them to take violent actions. Not sure where kevin draws the conclusion that this would in anyway support Thompson's cause.
In this case it was an addiction problem that shattered an already fragile and deteriorating environment. Palmer handled things in the poorest manner possible, murder. Of course being constantly short on sleep and then threatened to loose everything (house, kids, etc.) can make someone go a bit unhinged. That's what happens when communication breaks down and stays broken, something's gotta give.
And who is the ultimate looser? The kids.
That sucks.
yea i feel for them people have tried to kill me plenty of times to my former addiction to grand theft auto San Andreas and Vice City LOL
what doesn't make sense for me, is that she was 46 and they been together for 30 years,,
so that means that she was 16 or less when they move together..
YAWN. The defense lawyer has NO CASE, so he is trying to use the fact that the video games (that the man himself didnt play) made him stab her, when in all reality it was her that played it (and stabbed nobody).
There has been studies that show that video games do effect the aggressive behavior and guess what, there are have been plenty of studies that show it doesnt.
The thing about these studies is, they rarely lack credible evidence. They are merely a financed study to "prove" what the financee wants.
This guy is going to prison, no if and or butts about it. The defensive lawyer is screwed, no jury on the planet is going to go easy on this guy, this whole country is not about holding people responsible, since our government suck donkey at it.
whoops that was THEY RARELY HAVE credible evidence not THEY RARELY LACK
dang nabbit, it's also "this country is NOW about holding people responsible"
I feel so sorry for that kid having to watch her mom brutally killed, that man will never get the justice he deserves. For a murder you only get 14 years but child porn gets you 30, what a world we live in.
He clearly is from Europe if he dialed 999 to confess.
I feel sorry for the child more than anyone. To watch his mother being brutally killed by his own father before his eyes...
Oh and if anything this would hurt Jack Thompson's point as it was the non gamer who did the act of violence.
She deserved it for hogging the ps. She was definitely out of line, not baking cupcakes or anything for all that time.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM SSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG OOOOOOONNNNNNNNNN TTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIISSSSSS SSSSSSSSIIIIITTTTTTEEEEEEEEEE
"As Scott suggested, the reality is that games suspend disbelief"
Huh? Games don't suspend disbelief. Suspending disbelief is something that we humans do in order to allow ourselves to be drawn more fully into a world that is created for us. That created world may be in a book, movie, video game or some other media, but the act of suspending disbelief is performed by the viewer/reader/game player. Not the other way around.
He was twice her age when they became a couple and she was 16 at the time... Maybe he wanted another 16 year old.
What reason does Jack Thompson need to have to blame it on the person who's never even played the PlayStation?
Sheesh, someone jumped the gun a bit, didn't they.
"Palmer ultimately confronted Cannom with suspicions of an extra-marital affair."
Had nothing to do with video games, we see this all the time.
it was stupid to begin with to put the tv in the room with the ps3.
when you want to play all day...put it in the living room where your partner can sleep.
then again...it's long time coming that they hatted each other and he just don't want to get kick out at age of 62.
nothing to do with playstation. it could be a cup of water for what I care. people often resolve relationship problem with killing.
he should have think this way, when she is playing game, she is at home and not cheating on him and is also not nagging him.
"....airport worker Malcolm Palmer, age 62, stabbed his female partner of thirty years--Carol Cannom, age 46...."
Nothing wrong with this relationship? 32 guy and 16 girl? I think there are a lot of cases like this in South Bronx and I am sure some of the victim/criminals own a console.
Wrong Title.
it should be
"Woman killed over GTA addiction"
what doesn't make sense for me, is that she was 46 and they been together for 30 years,,so that means that she was 16 or less when they move together..
That's what struck me at first, hardly a typical healthy relationship.
Your articles suck. You're as much an idiot as Jack Thompson, and that argument is OVER. He has been disbarred as an embarrassment to the legal system, and you've no need to bring it up. Obviously there were more serious issues in play, and video games might have only had a cursory effect if any.
If you're going to talk about the level of violence in video games affecting people, give an example in which they directly cause a crime. End of story. Shame on you for writing this article!
Grizzly death? There was a bear involved?
Anyway, dysfunctional family begets dysfunctional son. News at 11.
Also, your speculation is ridiculous. Do you even read what you write? Jesus fucking Christ.
I think its more the fault of the TV for being too bright.
Grizzly death? There was a bear involved?
*Tries disparately to withhold a chuckle*
that's just terrible.
his is f-ked up , don't you love how they still manage to blame video games for this. and tom's youa re warped for allowing this article to be pblished in the statre it is in .. this is not amatter to make light of yet this article clearly does.
Another case that proves that video games are evil
If this woman hadn't of played these games she could have defended herself when husband tried to kill her, rather than simply pressing x not to die.
what doesn't make sense for me, is that she was 46 and they been together for 30 years,,so that means that she was 16 or less when they move together..
yeah wow .. lol eitehr this article is giving estimations or these two shoudl never have been together
if they were together exactly 30 years she would have been 16 and he would have about 32 (46-30 = 16, 62 - 30 = 32)
2008 - 30 = 1978
correct me if i am wrong ... but i do blieve this amkes thier early relation ship a case of child molestation /date rape ect ect. the alws regarding age diferences and sex were written around the 1950's if i'm nto mistaken so i'm sure the laws in 78 were the same ones we have today in this regard.
this means one of 3 possiblities
A) the author of the article is about as precise as a blind kid trying to play base ball (ie he gave a guess-amation on how long they were together instead of an actual figure , perhaps teh actual figure is really 20 soemthing years not 30 )
B) the author has the exact figure , and this creep should have been leagaly delt with in 78 when he was playing in the kiddy pool for his dates.
C) the girls parents need to be hit on the head cos they obviously didnt care that thier 16 year old daughter was dating a 32 year old man
you ask me i'd have to say mostly likely answer is A though , and this is jsut a case of lazzy - a--ed reporting. COME ON tom's christ , If i turned in shoudla half a--ed answer in oen of my english classes i'd get flunked out of that college class (online college even)
this lack of research into your writing is inexcusable on any level ... i'm not even in a writing major i'm just on a game art design major. this is jsut pathetic research into the article you are writing. GET EXACT figures geez-us
I feel so sorry for that kid having to watch her mom brutally killed, that man will never get the justice he deserves. For a murder you only get 14 years but child porn gets you 30, what a world we live in.
yes the system work sthis way cos child porn is more provable than murder in most cases . and pedophiles that deal in child porn , most of the time will eventually decide to feed thier habbits physically and not just with pictures. adn how long the perp is in prison wil be determined by how teh trial goes , this giuy could easily get 14-60 + years in prison depending on the otu come of the trial , and given the fact the man confesed , as well as they have all evidence (body ,weapon used ect ect) it is very likely this old man will spend the rest of his life in prison. but eyah i get teh point youa re making but comparing it with child porn offenders is nota good comparision as legit child porn pervs NEED to be in prsion for the terms they give them if not longer. Woudl youre allyw ant one of those guys living in your neighbor hood with your daughter and/or son acessible to them?
"As Scott suggested, the reality is that games suspend disbelief"Huh? Games don't suspend disbelief. Suspending disbelief is something that we humans do in order to allow ourselves to be drawn more fully into a world that is created for us. That created world may be in a book, movie, video game or some other media, but the act of suspending disbelief is performed by the viewer/reader/game player. Not the other way around.
i agree , growing up i was often grounded by my step dad for various reasons , so my escape mechinism was reading , and i was able to suspend disbelieve quite easily with many contless fantasy and sci-fi novels. i'm sick of every new form of media taking crap from politicans jsut because it is "NEW" they did teh same crap with movies , comics , and music , now it's video games ,eventually soemthign new will come along later after video games ahve goteen acceptance , and thenIT will start taking the fire.