A paralysed woman was shot dead in her wheelchair by her own husband, but most of us never even heard about it.
Let that sink in for a second.
I’m proud of The Press and Journal’s unrivalled coverage of the murder trial of Natalie Ryan-Fraser’s killer. It was much more prolific and detailed than reports from America’s own media, despite its reporters actually living and working where the university professor was gunned down in Mississippi by one of the north-east’s own.
That more attention wasn’t given to a disabled wheelchair user being blasted by her Aberdeenshire spouse should prompt a frightening realisation about how desensitised to gun violence the USA has become.
It yet again exposes the dangers of the free gun culture over the pond that I believe let down Natalie. Who really even needs a gun, other than the police and military?
However, poor gun control is the least of our worries, and not the issue I want to raise right now. Please forgive me for writing this in anger, but I cannot sleep until I’ve said it, even if it doesn’t quite come out right.
Natalie’s slaying is just the latest example of the exponential escalation of violence against women that is spreading like a virus, attacking our increasingly sick society.
I welcome Mintlaw man Wayne Fraser’s conviction, but I’m devastated that the charge was twice downgraded from first-degree murder to culpable negligent homicide. It reminded me of the cop-out Scottish juries perpetrate against victims of crime when they vote “not proven”, when they should have the courage to commit to being decisive in the selfless interests of delivering justice.
Time will tell if jurors made the right decision
Natalie couldn’t have known that the man with whom she vowed to spend the rest of her life was about to snuff it out forever. But she probably wouldn’t have been completely surprised either.
Photos found on her mobile phone showed her face blackened with bruises. Emails between the tragic couple confirmed that Natalie’s beloved “monkey” – her nickname for Fraser – had been physically abusing his “chicken”.
Society could have and would have been safer had Fraser been found guilty of murder
So, the keen drinker’s violent rage when intoxicated was, considering the incriminating evidence against his already poor character, inevitably going to end in tears – Natalie’s family’s tears.
Society could have and would have been safer had Fraser been found guilty of murder and given the mandatory lifetime imprisonment sentence that the offence carries. But, instead, he could be released back into the community early after serving only half of his 20-year jail term.
Time will tell if the jurors made the right decision. I certainly hope that none of their aunts, daughters, grandmothers, mothers or sisters ever find themselves with Fraser as their new neighbour.
Bryan Rutherford is a crime and courts reporter for The Press and Journal and Evening Express