Rita Panahi: Sydney murder a glimpse of man at his rotten worst
JOHN Edwards carefully plotted the murder of his children — obtaining a gun licence last year and later buying the weapons he would use to kill them. Authorities should now consider making laws even tougher, writes Rita Panahi.
Rita Panahi
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TWO stories brought me to tears last week.
One typified the very best of humanity while the other was a glimpse of man at his absolute, rotten worst.
Words cannot adequately describe the cruelty and cowardice of a father who hunts down his own children, shooting them dead as they cling to each other for support.
That’s precisely what John Edwards did last Thursday afternoon after arriving at the West Pennant Hills house in a rented car, so the children would not see him coming and have a chance to flee the property.
“They were trying to hide in a bedroom and were huddled together when he opened fire,” a senior police officer said.
“What a selfish coward.”
This wasn’t some psychotic break; John Edwards carefully plotted the murder of his children.
Police say the attack was premeditated, with Edwards obtaining a firearms licence last year and this year buying the guns he would use to kill 15-year-old Jack and 13-year-old Jennifer.
Whether the killings were designed to punish his former wife, Olga, for leaving the marriage or to punish the children for shunning him we will never know, the gutless father killed himself before police could question him.
He has not only extinguished two bright souls but has condemned their loved ones, particularly their mother, to a lifetime of grief.
One can hardly fathom the depths of Olga’s suffering or how she will cope with the heartbreak of losing both her children. It is troubling that a man who was banned from seeing his own children after a bitter custody dispute and had violent incidents in his past was allowed to own firearms.
Australia has some of the toughest gun laws in the world, but perhaps they need to be tougher.
Authorities should consider whether those seeking a firearms licence are involved in acrimonious divorces, child custody disputes or other legal proceedings.
In the aftermath of the horror there were thankfully no attempts to paint this monster as a “good bloke” or otherwise decent and doting father.
Frankly, I don’t care if he was depressed, lonely or in the middle of a midlife crisis; nothing justifies slaughtering innocent children and it’s fitting that Edwards will forever be defined by his horrific crimes.
The murders brought back memories of little Darcey Freeman, thrown to her death from the West Gate Bridge by father Arthur Freeman and the harrowing triple drowning murder of brothers Jai, 10, Tyler, 7, and Bailey, 2, by shameless charlatan Robert Farquharson.
Of course, it is not only men who murder their own children.
Only last week Akon Guode was attempting to appeal against her 26-year sentence for killing three of her children and attempting to kill a fourth.
These crimes can shake your faith in humanity but we must not lose sight of the fact that there is infinitely more good in the world than evil.
Just have a look at international efforts to rescue 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, and their young coach from a cave system in northern Thailand.
It’s difficult not to be inspired by the selfless sacrifice and heroic deeds of rescuers working tirelessly to ensure this ordeal has a happy ending.
Sadly one hero who volunteered for the rescue mission perished last Friday.
The death of experienced diver and former navy SEAL Saman Guana illustrates just what a gargantuan task it will be to teach 12 malnourished children and their coach to dive their way to freedom.
It was hoped authorities could wait until the boys had regained their strength and improved their diving skills before an underwater evacuation would take place.
However, persistent rain and falling oxygen levels in the cave have forced rescuers’ hands.
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Late yesterday the first boys were rescued from the Tham Luang cave complex.
The cave boys saga has captured the hearts and minds of Australians with dread turning to jubilation and back to dread again.
The worst was feared when on day nine British divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen found the Wild Boars soccer team alive and well.
But that joy was soon tempered by the knowledge of the enormous risks they still faced, including the cave system becoming fully inundated or collapsing.
As late as yesterday there were desperate searches under way for alternative routes into the cave system that could allow rescuers to extract the boys from above.
It has been heartening to see the boys’ parents come out in support of their 25-year-old coach, who must feel terribly guilty for the ordeal the group is enduring.
“I am so sorry to everyone” Ekkapon Chantawongse wrote in a note to parents.
However, the young man who was orphaned when he was just 10 deserves praise for keeping the boys safe and calm.
The ordained monk has instructed the boys to meditate and stick together.
Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist
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