Poi in the Daily Express

One of the main suspects in the stabbing of Abigail Wichalls spins poi! Theres a picture of him kinda spinnig 4 pages into the dialy express...

Anyways... Thoughts? Comments?

Im trying to find the article on the internet... ill post it here when I find it...

It wasn't him. Some friends of mine over in guildford know the guy that was arrested (if it's the same one). He does some form of martial arts, and was out in that area practicing with a sword the evening she was stabbed. People put 2 and 2 together, came up with 5 and phoned the police. Not sure what's happened since then.

J

Nah- different guy.

He worked in our local garden centre (I live in Bookham by the way...) - but reading the article it seemed the police aren't convinced it was him.
A suicide note but no mention of the stabbing, different hair, facial hair and no real motive...

In some ways I hope it was him - it's not nice thinking this nutter is possibly still around my lovely little home village.

Jeez.

If it was him, he kinda missed the point of poiing.




Don't put too much credence on the Express though. Tis about the same as the Mail for quality reporting.

tell me about it... they've written a few articles about the school i go to... all totally bogus...

Wow that's pretty full on. What was the context? Were they highlighting him, or was it part of a list of all the suspects?

This was covered in the Scotsman. Also with a picture of him spinning during a Beltane (not at however!) It's labelled incorrectly on the web, but was correct in the paper, he's actually on Calton Road, not the hill itself.

Cue lots of hassle for travellers, people with enlarged ear piercings, and possibly spinners.

Scotsman article

right.

i knew this man alos, and share some very close friends with him.

steve(my colleague) and i have written an extremely angry letter to the scotsman, as their article is essentially a character assassination with a short paragraph at the end saying 'oh yes, and he doesn't look like the suspect, and the knives were unsuspicious and not bloodstained'

he has never performed at beltane. thats just a lie, and another way the scotsman has of saying 'he was a weirdo, and therefore MUST have been the attacker'


til it hurts

Oooo - that Scotsman report makes me angry.
Mum knows someone who works at the nursery he worked at, and said he was a really nice, quiet character. Strange they didn't include her interview, but the one calling him a crusty traveller.

I still think it's a bit strange - if you'd planned to overdose to avoid justice and written three suicide notes - you would've thought he'd mention the attack as the reason for suicide. The notes however don't mention it apparently. I don't really see how the balaclava is incriminating as the attacked wasn't wearing one. Also, if he was a sword swallower and knife juggler, that might explain the large amount of knives they found at his place.

I'm still surprised there was another poi-spinner in Bookham. I thought I was the only one

Oh my god

Please tell me this isn't true, or at least someone else.

I met a Richard Cazaly in Koh Phan Ngan when I was there last year. We spent two weeks together with a group of other spinner friends (including the guys Australia girlfriend). He taught me how to do the behind the back weave.

The Richard I know was really lovely, quiet, but very warm... Christ. I hope this is a different person, I don't want him to be dead. And I certainly can't believe it was him who did this crime.

I'm going to write to my other travelling mates to see if it was him... and if it was, I will also be writing to the Scotsman.

My deepest thoughts are with anyone who knew him, and cared for him, who are going to be so hurt not only by his tragic death, but also by this horrible article. Particularly his parents and ex-girlfriend. Good for you Bluecat to serve one to the 'Scotsman'. They have made the grossest inferences... 'fled after the incident' and so on. And dragged your scene into disrepute for no reason as well....

Like gabe, my heart goes out to everyone who knew Richard Cazaly to be someone other than the person in the terrible picture The Scotsman painted.

Though nothing's going to reverse what's already happened, I really hope the rest of this mess is sorted out soon.

I'm almost speechless at how disgusting this article is

for those hurt by this and to those writing letters to the Scotsman and to any other medium which has broadcast or published anything along the lines of this sorry excuse for an article.

Innocent until proven guilty - anyone remember that one, or is it a lost principle these days?

Oh my people to be free, to be free. :R

I have been absolutely gutted about this all day. I can't think about anything else.

It must be my friend. There are too many similarities.
The name, the age, the firedancing, the Australian girlfriend, the earring.

I don't want to believe he's dead

I can't believe (and don't believe) he did this thing.

Am waiting to hear back from my friend in Australia... to see what is going on.
But in the next few days I will post a group email Richard sent to his friends following the tsunami.

He loved life. He loved spinning fire. I can't believe he would do this and I can't believe he is gone.

I will be writing to the Scotsman, Express and Mail...

I have been avoiding newspapers for the last week, and so missed this story when it was first broadcast... I found out about Richard on this thread today.

for clare.

i'm right there with you.

R

for Rob.

I can't believe someone so quiet and kind and gentle would do something like this Rob.

Why are they doing this to his memory?

I'm going to find one of my holiday pics of him... he deserves to be remembered smiling. I think I have one of him doing double staff - it was the first time I'd seen anyone do it

Those firehands I was playing with in Falmouth... I got the idea from Richard. He was the only other person I've seen with them.

Rob... I'm going to write to the Mirror too... despite what 'Nessa's family said... they have totally slurred him in the last few paragraphs:


More reason to boycott the Mirror

those articles make me mad an i didn't even know the poor guy. some typical surrey judgement passing going on in some of those interviews....

for everyone involved

I can't believe how people jump to conclusions so quickly (the newspapers).

After reading this thread it saddens me that someone, so obviously cared for by his friends can have his memory so badly scarred by newspapers trying to sell a story by over-dramatising it!!

People can be so mindless, and completely blind.
Why dont they have a bit of respect?!

Keep in heaven.

love nad light,

:R

I read the first article the Scotsman wrote about him and - though I really didn't like the picture they were painting about him in the usual black-and-white style and the "he played with fire on the day of a Pagan festival so he's evil" reasoning - believed that he had attacked her.

After reading that police doubt it and reading everything you wrote about him I think I have to apologise to all of you who knew him. I'm very glad I got to hear this side of the story, and it made me realise how easy it is to believe things you want to believe, even though I thought of myself as quite critical of the press. My thoughts go to his girlfriend and family and you guys who have not only lost someone they love but also have to put up with the sh|t people say about him. I'm also glad to have it cleared up because I hated to think that someone of the spinning/Beltane community would have tried to kill a young mother.

I am disgusted with our media, who it seems have already convicted him
Hugs all round

the kind of language and reasoning they use is unnaccepatable and in a case that is already as emotive as this one, its only going to cause anger or more upset

s


cole. x

I am very sorry for anyone personally affected by this, both the victims and this guy who has been spoken of so highly here.



There is a worry here also- knowing how inflamatory the tabloid and mock-broadsheet press are there could be some repercussions for the wider community- both in how it is recieved and treated. Just look at the manner in which some readers took the paedophile thing and went crazy- some crazed individuals attacked the house of a Paedeatrician.

I didn't know this guy but from what has been said about him here buy peple I know a respect I can only say that it does sound out of character and against material evidence given that he was the culprit. But, he had holes and bones in his ears and supposedly spun fire at spring celebratory festivals- This can only play on the ignorance and prejudice that fills our country today. The public want a hate figure, someone to feel revulsion from and hatred towards. The press 'give the people what they want' and out of the window goes one mans legacy. Sick.

Again, my thoughts are with you all

thank you Mr Chutney and the rest... this news has been driving me crazy and I'm glad the respondents here have the sense to look through the lies to the facts.

The detectives are arriving back from Australia today... they didn't say anything about their interview with Ness.

Abigail Witchalls will be shown an identity parade of photos later this week... I believe she will not identify Richard.

In the meantime, I am thinking of posting a personal email I received from Richard and another mail from an Australian friend about his tragic death. I'm just concerned that any unscrupulous reporter who reads this thread (through doing a google search) would reproduce it...

What do you guys think?

I was going to say that- there has been much said of Richard and little of Abigail in this thread and should the press get involved with that then it could easily be played to the public that the community all stand opposed to 'truth' or are similarly motivated or something. All utterly incorrect, but we've seen how things have been very judgementally and leadingly written already so theres no reason to assume that anything different would occur in future.