Daniel Bartlam

Today much of the media headlines were referring to the case of Daniel Bartlam.  He has been convicted of murdering his mother with a hammer and setting alight to her body and the house.  He has been sentenced to 16 years and a judge has decided to lift the media ban of reporting the case.

Also many tabloid newspapers have labelled him the ‘devil child’ and said he is evil.

What I want to know is why did he plan to kill his mother?

Why would a 14 year old boy get the urge to kill his mother and cover his tracks?

If this child was so evil and such a horrible person why did he save his brother and the dog from the blaze he started?

I don’t agree with the judge’s decision to let the media report this case because if he did commit this crime because he was evil he is still only fourteen.  There is obviously a mental condition that needs to be addressed as a happy loved fourteen year old in my eyes would not commit such a crime.  Also he is only fourteen and I know the crime is awful, but still he is a child or a young adult.  This might be the ‘leftie’ in me coming out but still that’s my opinion.  There was media speculation that it was due to the violent TV and video games he was exposed to, but so are many other children and they don’t get up and kill their mothers.  It’s also true that this could have had a psychological affect on him which would also mean he had mental issues.

The other theory is that he was abused by his mother, in the guardian article I read it did say he ‘tried to say his mother was a bad parent’, so maybe there was systematic mental abuse he was receiving at home.  It says that other people said that she lived for her children and was a great person but no one knows what happens in the house.  The only people who will ever know are Daniel and his mother.  Because why would a child kill the one person who loves him the most in the world… ‘His mother’

I grew up in a happy house where my mother loved me more than life and I love her more than life and would never even think of committing such a crime.  Especially at 14 I was out playing with my friends or playing computer games, it was probably one of the happiest times in my life, I was care free and had dreams of becoming everything I wanted to be.

Also if this child was so calculated and evil at the age of 14, why did he save his brother and dog from the blaze surely he would have killed them to.  Surely there is some good in this child?

I don’t know if it is the optimist in me who searched for good in all people or my stupidity, but I can’t see a happy fourteen year old that has no issues mentally or with his mother killing her.  I am sorry I just won’t believe it, there must have been a reason. 

On the other hand he could be a killer, re-enacting what he saw on TV…