I came across this story via Gamepolitics.com in which a New Zealand man of the name Tim Reid and a friend, both recently bailed mind you, decided to celebrate new found freedom with a road trip to New Plymouth. An officer saw them speeding and gave chase until Reid crashed his car.

Reid escaped on foot, but his buddy remained and was being questioned by the officer. Reid came back from behind the officer, pushed him down on the ground and assaulted him. Reid then took the patrol car, only after his buddy knocked the officer unconscious.

The two were chased through a road block, destroying the tires and were finally captured.

Here’s where this gets interesting. Reid’s lawyer, at Mr. Reid’s trial in May this year, announced to the court that Mr. Reid had begun smoking pot at the age of 5, been abused both sexual and physically as a child, had been arrested under many violent accounts, and even now was a drug and alchohol abuser.

The guy leads a very sad life.

But the kicker is Reid also plays Grand Theft Auto. Holy Wanted Level Batman! According to the article, Reid’s lawyer placed the man’s actions heavily on the game saying the game encouraged Reid’s delinquency and is to blame for his actions that night.

There’s no denying the guy needs to be sentenced to jail. The guy needs reform as well. But to let a video game rule so heavily on a court proceeding when other more pressing issues are at hand degrades the seriousness of this man’s crime(s).

First, I want to know if he is mentally stable. I don’t deny he had a rough childhood, but I’m assuming that childhood has had much more of an impact on his life than the digitized forms causing havock in a digitized world.

Secondly, seeing as he had just been released from jail, how is it that he absorbed himself in a GTA game so thouroughly that he was able to play as much as he claimed? I know many jails include recreation time in which some employ video games as an option, but time like that is often structured.

Reading this story with all of it’s givings, I’m left with the conclusion that Reid’s lawyer should have stuck a finger at the court room and proclaimed, “Real life made him do it!” That is if anything needs to be blamed at all. I’m of the opinion, no matter your actions, you should deal with the consequences.

Today, highly outspoken, mal-practicing — and in this writer’s opinion, mentally unstable — Florida lawyer Jack Thompson faced a hearing before the Florida Bar. Thompson has been under much legal scrutney for his very controversial techniques in court cases mostly about the banning of violent video games. His antics include harrassing  game journalists with calls to the FBI and other law enforcement authorities, defending a teen who shot and killed police officers saying Grand Theft Auto made him do it, and even encouraging the portrayal of the murders of real US citizens in the gaming industry.

The Florida Bar’s hearing was held to provide recommendations to the Florida Supreme Court on how to discipline Thompson. The judge’s final recommendations were given only after Thompson objected (from a 14 page pre-written document) that the court did not have the authority to rule over him, the judge was incompetent and would be removed from office, and he himself has been the sole instrument in bringing injustices to light. He then walked out of the courtroom, reported by Kotaku.com. The hearings continued without Thompson’s presence, however. The judge’s final recommendation was that Thompson should be disembarred for 10 years — unable to practice law in that time.

I guess when you’re so full of yourself and offend everyone — media, legal system, citizens — you can make a mockery out of court hearing and still walk out of the front door? Oh well, he still thinks adult gamers are neo-nazi delinquents who are rarely seen outside of jail.

Via Wired.com and Kotaku.com.