Aspies For Freedom

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/stor...3A05%3A063
Man sentenced for attacking his wife

TOM SMITHARD

01 February 2005 06:30

A man with Asperger's Syndrome broke down in court yesterday, as he was given a suspended prison sentence for viciously attacking his wife.

Anthony Williams, 27, of Abbotts Close, Aylsham, repeatedly interrupted proceedings and at one stage shouted "solicitors aren't what they used to be" when unhappy with the way his representative was presenting the case.

He had pleaded guilty at Cromer Magistrates' Court on December 18 to common assault, criminal damage, harassment and possessing cannabis, after attacking Laura Williams following a drunken night out in Overstrand.

The couple had been discussing their marital problems all evening at the Sea Marge Hotel, and on leaving at midnight Williams asked his wife to drive them home.

She refused and threw the keys near him - he scooped them up with some stones from the floor and threw them back into her face.

Williams then pushed her into the car, where she hit her head on the gear stick, and punched her three or four times to the head before heading back to the bar for another drink.

He was arrested soon after and taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with a bad cut to the right shin, but had to be restrained on the floor by security staff after striking a police officer.

Later, his home was searched and £5-worth of cannabis was found. He told police: "I'm trying to be a good husband, I don't want to hurt her."

Alastair Taunton, mitigating, said Williams had been diagnosed with the severe form of autism in 1995 and since the assault on November 21 had joined a self-help group.

"He accepts his behaviour was out of order - stupid would be the politest way of saying it.

"He has accepted the relationship is over, put effort into re-establishing his business and has cut down on his drinking and stopped taking any illegal drugs.

"He has also joined a support group which deals with Asperger's Syndrome, which he finds useful when dealing with stressful situations.

"He has joined a church group and has a family who will support him. He knows that if he loses this lifeline, he loses everything."

Williams broke down in tears as magistrates sentenced him to a 14-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

"This isn't fair," he shouted. "My solicitor didn't speak to me. Dad, can you try and get me an appeal?"

Chairman of the bench Tony Williams told him to be quiet and said that any bad behaviour in the next 1½ years would lead to imprisonment.

'severe form of autism'??? I don't really think that applies to AS. Without offending anybody, I'd say the ones who are labeled LFA are 'severe autism'. (I'm not trying to offend anybody, I'm positive I was LFA as a little kid, so I'm not insulting anybody!)

Anyways, in general, why wouldn't the wife drive him home? She'd prefer he drives drunk? This is something of a pet peeve with me, driving drunk...and she's encouraging it!

Heh, there seems to be a huge part of the story that it doesn't mention in that article. The reasons for him doing the violence? Doesn't say. So whether she deserved it, or he deserves prison, I do not care.

However stating his AS like that? It is quite loudly telling anyone who doesn't know better that "His Asperger's made him do it!!". Although it doesn't say so, practically that is the idea when these things are said.

And "the severe form of autism"? Well I've never heard it like that. Always seems to be called 'mild' no?

I find the statements on it offensive.

The worse the crime the worse the Aspergers apparently. It won't take much for criminal psychologists to start saying that the criminal mind is like the mind of an Aspie  

Would that count as mass slander?

Firstly, nobody deserves to get batered by their spouse so I don't understand how you can speculate on whether "she deserved it"  :x

In any case the article mentioned a drunk brawl, with them discussing marital problems all evening at the pub, then when she refused to drive him home he attacked her and smashed her head into the gearbox repeatedly. But of course he said "I have AS, I am trying to be a good husband. Like that makes it OK  :?

We should always remember when speculating over news stories that we know nothing more than we've been told by journalists, who view  events  from an NT perspective even when they don't "spice up" a story with sensational additions and interpretations of their own.

In these last weeks we've seen The Daily Telegraph - a "serious" newspaper in England - make up stories about an "Autistic Liberation Front,"  and even solicit comments about this non-existent organization from the NAS and others.

All stories impacting on us directly or indirectly should be treated with caution!

Stella :roll:

Thanks for the reminder.

I was just upset at the sheer suggestion that "she might have deserved it".

Nobody deserves battering. I agree.

                        Jerry Newport

In this case I don't see how AS is responsible for any of this. This guy was drunk, and that is how drunken people often act, violent and stupid. The AS had nothing to do with it, and I wished the press wouldn't always make it look like Aspies are violent. Any drunken NT could have done the same thing.

The drinking compounds the situation but people with AS often are insensitive and can be violent.  For example, my wife lost it in 2003 when we had an argument. She was sober. She whipped me in the face with an electric cord. I had her arrested. I don't take that shit from anyone.

                                 Jerry Newport

I think aspies are often more violent than most people, not because the Aspergers itself causes violence, but because we get treated like crap, and frequently suffer from abuse, rejection, depression etc, which causes anyone to be violent.  It isn't our fault that other people knowingly or unknowingly whip us up into frenzies of anger.  I'm not saying that justifies it, because it doesn't, but I don't think it's right to so quickly disassociate ourselves from those aspies who unfortunately fall onto the wrong side of the law.

It may be controversial but I think some aspie kids are more violent than an average kid, talking from experience.
But, some aspie kids are a lot less likely to be violent.
Some take bullying and are too scared to fight back, and hate to see violence, let alone be involved with it.
ADHD as a comorbid can be a big factor for some.

Aren't 30% supposed to have bipolar as a comorbidity? (According to the NAS)

I am sure that would also contribute to rage attacks etc.

I havent seen that exact figure, would be interesting to know the statistics for comorbids. I'll have a look to see what it is for ADHD.