News Item
29 July 2003 - The Star
By the Editor
The minister of safety and security has appealed against a verdict holding the police responsible for a shooting incident after they gave a mentally unstable woman a firearm licence.
Armed with this precious piece of paper, Erna McArdell got herself a gun and shot Ian Hamilton during a parking dispute.
Hamilton was paralysed.
Now the police's legal team argue that it is impossible for them to check every bit of information that an applicant for a firearm supplies.
The crux of their argument is that applicants are asked to confirm that what they say on their licence applications is the truth, and that there is no reasons to go beyond this.
The legal team for Hamilton, the student who was shot and paralysed, says there is at least some information that should be verified.
In modern society, the concept of truth has become pragmatic and flexible. The police, of all people, should know that.
For Hamilton, two phone calls - one to McArdell's mother and another to an employer - would have made a world of difference.
It would have taken 10 minutes at most, and could have prevented a lifetime of suffering.
© Star 2003. All rights reserved.
Ian Hamilton's legal costs are underwritten by Constantia Insurance Company under a policy issued by Legal Protection Services.