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Father kills partner because she played too much PS3 photo

The newspapers love to run stories about someone who committed murder "because" they played too many videogames. How ironic then, that passive aggressive newspaper The Telegraph is running a story about someone who committed murder because the victim was playing too many games. You can't win either way!

62-year-old Malcolm Palmer killed the mother of his three children after she became addicted to Grand Theft Auto. Carol Cannom, 46, apparently drove her partner mad by dragging a 37-inch plasma TV into the main bedroom and spending the entire night on her PS3. Malcolm was forced onto the sofa in order to get any sleep.

The story of this Lincolnshire couple seems unbelievably messed up. The PS3 was bought for their ten-year-old son, who would be allowed to play until midnight each night. Once he'd finished, the mother would take over until five or six in the morning. Malcolm also believed that Carol somehow had time for an affair, and turned violent when he was ordered out of the house, and  told he'd never see his kids again.

He inflicted 20 wounds with two knives, and the attack was overheard by their son, who dialed 999. Palmer grabbed the phone off the boy and said: "I'm sorry. I think I killed her."

Palmer's defense lawyer is clinging to the gaming as a means of justifying his client's attack, claiming that the "Genesis of the tragedy bizarrely lies with the purchase of a PlayStation."

So, not only does playing videogames make you violent, it makes you a victim of violence too. Sounds like you all better grab a gun before someone gets you first.


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41 comments | showing # 1 to 41

DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:31
DaedHead8
The GENESIS of the situation! That lawyer is a genius!
MisterGrieves's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:31
MisterGrieves
Holy shit, that's messed up.
eternalplayer2345's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:33
eternalplayer2345
This would be an interesting story if people would look at it intelligently and maybe make a small case study for gaming's addiction and how it affects others. Unfortunately its going to be dragged threw the mud before anyone gets a chance. I can see the spin now "playing video games drive lovers apart".
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:33
Chronic Logic
Holy shit! The wife is 62 years old? Damn that guy must like his women REALLY old.
John B's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:33
John B
Further proof that the human gene pool is in major need of a chlorine shock treatment.
UglyDuck's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:34
UglyDuck
That's rich. Really fucking rich. It's common knowledge that lawyers use video games as a defence for their client, but it has absolutely fuck all to do with this case. I hope Palmer isn't paying this guy very much.

They clearly had marital problems that went far beyond late night game stints.
koehler83's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:35
koehler83
Hmmm... Xboxes kill kids. Wii's kill young adults and now PS3s kill old people.

Apparently Video Games ARE the bane of humanity.
hjd uk's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:36
hjd uk
Yeah it was the consoles fault, totally and completly, if she had been watching DVDs all night none of this would have happened, not one bit. I hate newspapers. It wasn't the affair, the row, the TV in the bedroom, no it was the console. *facepalm*.
PySk's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:41
PySk
@DaedHead8:
Exactly what I thought!
Gibbo's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:42
Gibbo
Mega Drive.
Black Nexus's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:46
Black Nexus
The only thing they haven't blamed on video games yet is the reccesion.
Rosseh's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:49
Rosseh
You're missing the real point here. Midnight is no time for a ten year old to go to bed every night! Disgraceful!
Demtor's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 10:58
Demtor
Plenty of knifing, but not enough forking.
Rhadley's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:00
Rhadley
Yes, the source of the problem here must be the PS3...it is indeed brilliant.
TopKatt's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:08
TopKatt
I'd better start paying more attention to he wife in case she decides to do me in. I've just gotta finish fallout 3, Killzone 2, Valkyria Chronicles, Grand Theft Auto 4 and Uncharted and then I'll take her out for fish and chips.
Luke Barnard's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:13
Luke Barnard
why cant they admit that people are fucked up?!
Adam's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:21
Adam
@Chronic Logic:
The wife was 46. The husband was 62. If anyone has a geriatric fetish, it was her.
de BLOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:24
de BLOO
@LUKE

Because the thought of video games just as a form of entertainment scares them for some reason.
Lolthien's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:29
Lolthien
I really think gamers need to stop jumping to the defense of all things game in some sort of kneejerk "I'm rubber you're glue" 10 year old reaction.

The guy killed his wife because she was playing games... and she was having an affair (he thought)... but of those two reasons, which one is more UNusual? Right.. the gaming angle.

Every anti-gaming legislation that has ever been proposed, even in Utah of all places, has been stricken down. Australia and Germany have the harshest restrictions I think, and they've blocked the release of two, maybe three games over the past two years?

No clear thinking person believes the PS3 caused this woman's death. Jesus, you think classic car restorers flip out everytime someone is killed in a classic car?

The childish need to defend your favorite toy makes us all look bad, and is yet ANOTHER reason, very very few of us mention video-gaming as a hobby of ours in mixed company unless someone else admits it first. It's just damned embarrassing.
Lolthien's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:30
Lolthien
Also, I apparently have much stronger feelings about this than I'd thought :) sorry.
jsutcliffe's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:34
jsutcliffe
My mum plays GTA. Should I be worried?
CaTrophy's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:40
CaTrophy
fuck someone beat me to a genesis comment. *tear*
Zodiac Eclipse's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 11:41
Zodiac Eclipse
@ jsutcliffe

Only if you are overly fond of her.
zanthox's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 12:00
zanthox
Your wife plays video games so you can't sleep. She has an affair. She tells you to get out of YOUR house. Tells you you can never see YOUR kids again.

If you were to murder her for any of these things, which is the least likely?
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 12:06
brainderailment
I wonder what game this woman was all wrapped up in.
Logstain's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 12:10
Logstain
@ brainderailment

The article says Grand Theft Auto, and the tag under the photo says Grand Theft Auto. I'm going to assume it's LittleBigPlanet.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 12:17
Dexter345
Hahah, Genesis. No pun intended, I'm sure. Especially since it wasn't called that over there.
Half left's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 12:27
Half left
* mega drive

=/
pascuz46's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 12:51
pascuz46
I bet if they guy got fucked once in a while this wouldn't happen.
DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 13:11
DaedHead8
@Dexter

I'm sure the pun was intended, after all, if he had said "The Mega Drive of the situation" it wouldn't have made any sense. =P
Volcanon's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 13:11
Volcanon
Second-hand GTA, more dangerous that GTA.
Sam Spectre's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 13:16
Sam Spectre
That's so messed up!
Beryl 96's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 13:26
Beryl 96
What I found funny was that the kid dialed 999, the journalist could've easily made another article about that and how games made the kid stupid. Or am i missing something like in his part of the world 999 is the emergency number, or Jim made a typo?
IV Backstab MC's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 13:29
IV Backstab MC
I believe that the incident has no connection with the ps3 I mean that the murder could have happened over any obsession that neglected the father and made hin crazy nothing says a video game system causes this behavior
EroThraX's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 13:34
EroThraX
@Beryl 96
You do know this is a british news story right? Surely that should give you a hint as to why it's 999.
Spectral's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 14:04
Spectral
Seven minutes. Seven minutes is all I can spare to play with you
IV Backstab MC's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 15:29
IV Backstab MC
This could happen with any obsessive hobby video games are not to blame here
SubOrbital's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 16:54
SubOrbital
So the guy got shitty because his wife was having some probably well deserved fun time. What an asshole. I hope he gets the book thrown at him.
Syn's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 17:01
Syn
@EroThraX: assuming we knew that 999 was an emergency number in britain, I was going to ask the same question. But you know what happens when you assume.

@Rosseh: for sure, no one cares that this child was up until midnight EVERY night? That's dumb. Midnight is when adults should be enjoying themselves and all good little boys and girls should asleep.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/31/2009 20:45
Im OK
For people noting the ages here, note also that they were together for 30 years.

Do the math.

Dunno what the legal age is in UK, but even so, a 32 year old hooking up with a 16 year old is pretty scuzzy no matter how you look at it.
capitan's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/01/2009 08:47
capitan
anyone who is a lawyer should not be able to use videogames as a defense without at least a master's in sociology or psychology. that way they might at least understand what the hell is going on in the first place before making up stupid defenses in court. chances are the guy is going to jail for sure cause the videogame defense is crap.
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