Did anyone see THIS [http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tf1r4/Madness_in_the_Fast_Lane/] documentary on the BBC this week? If not you can see it on that link. WARNING: Contains strong language and upsetting scenes (its not a gory video, it played on British evening TV this week but those of a sensitive nature may want to avoid blah blah). For those who can't be bothered or live outside the UK and can't watch it I summarize the story below, which is of course a true story, and a pretty long but fascinating one.
- Two Swedish identical twins, Ursula and Sabina Eriksson, one lives in Ireland, one lives in the USA meet up in Ireland.
- They leave one of their husbands and children in Ireland to travel for the UK with no express purpose or warning.
- They travel to London in a coach but the driver leaves them at a motorway service station because he is suspicious of their behaviour, clinging on to their bags and refusing to let him check to see if there is a bomb in there. The police talk to them but leave them alone after a short chat.
- They walk out onto the M6 motorway and start running in front of the 70mph traffic. One is hit by a vehicle and police and paramedics arrive.
- They seem ok and the police have a chat as to how to deal with them when without warning they run into the road, Ursula is hit by an articulated lorry and Sabina by a car. The TV crew who happened to be filming one of those boring programmes about the day-to-day life of cops catch it all on camera.
- They are treated, they are resisting aid and screaming about people stealing their organs. Sabina, despite having been hit by a car, gets up and punches the policewoman trying to calm her down in the face and runs to the other side of the motorway and is nearly struck by vehicles again. It takes several people to restrain her and put her in the ambulance, where she is sedated. Ursula offers less resistance as the lorry, despite miraculously not killing her instantly, has crushed her legs - she is taken to hospital and here her story ends (she survives).
- Sabina is released by the police, she is actually charged for attacking the police officer but has only been given one day in the cells as a punishment.
- Sabina is a bit lost and two Stoke-on-Trent locals on a dog walk take pity on her when she strokes the dog and explains that she wants to see her sister who had an accident and is in hospital. She is acting quite oddly, one of the men is quite concerned but the other wants to help her and so takes her back to his house so she can gather herself.
- The other man leaves his friend and Sabina, despite being concerned about her odd behaviour (claiming her cigarettes are poisoned). She is acting oddly and slightly paranoid, and doesn't want to talk about her sister, but not completely crazy.
- The good Samaritan (Glenn Hollinshead) rings round the hospital trying to locate the sister when without warning Sabina stabs him to death. A neighbour calls 999 (911).
- Sabina runs out of the house with a hammer, periodically hitting herself over the head with it. A passing motorist sees this and tackles her, going for the hammer. He is stunned, but not seriously hurt, when she smacks him in the back of the head with a roof tile she had in her pocket.
- Paramedics give chase but she runs to a bridge over a busy A-road and jumps off of it and onto the road below, breaking her ankles in the process.
- She is charged with murder, but instead pleads guilty to manslaughter. At no point does she explain her actions, saying 'no comment' consistently. The judge says his hands are tied and sentences her to five years in prison, with no supervision. She will be released in 2011.
Now consider this:
1. They were not on drugs. I know some of you will say they were, but there were no drugs found in their systems or any in their bags or anywhere. It ain't PCP.
2. The psychologists who analyzed her said she had either induced delusional disorder or acute polymorphic psychotic disorder. Basically temporary madness, exacerbated by being in contact with another who shared her delusions (the stealing organs thing). At the time of her trial Sabina was sane, so no chance of any mental hospital sentence (judges hands tied). The psychologists reckon that the insanity won't come back, though the chief forensic psychologist of the UK said the possibility may be around 33% of it returning.
3. The sister apparently remain in contact, though Ursula moved back to the US, and Sabina will be a free person next year, and will possibility return to her family in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland.
4. Though the story is amazing on paper, the documentary really brings it to live.
5. I hate to sound like the Angel of Death but identical twins are amazing.
6. These cases of temporary madness murders are extremely rare.
7. Sabina, though apparently completely sane now, has never accounted for her actions.
This was particularly interesting to me as I live there, and know well all the places mentioned.
Some more links:
* Women dice with death on M6 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7636577.stm]
* Why was Sabina Eriksson free to kill? [http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/woman-free/article-1307546-detail/article.html]
* M6 dash woman jailed over killing [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/8378063.stm]
- Two Swedish identical twins, Ursula and Sabina Eriksson, one lives in Ireland, one lives in the USA meet up in Ireland.
- They leave one of their husbands and children in Ireland to travel for the UK with no express purpose or warning.
- They travel to London in a coach but the driver leaves them at a motorway service station because he is suspicious of their behaviour, clinging on to their bags and refusing to let him check to see if there is a bomb in there. The police talk to them but leave them alone after a short chat.
- They walk out onto the M6 motorway and start running in front of the 70mph traffic. One is hit by a vehicle and police and paramedics arrive.
- They seem ok and the police have a chat as to how to deal with them when without warning they run into the road, Ursula is hit by an articulated lorry and Sabina by a car. The TV crew who happened to be filming one of those boring programmes about the day-to-day life of cops catch it all on camera.
- They are treated, they are resisting aid and screaming about people stealing their organs. Sabina, despite having been hit by a car, gets up and punches the policewoman trying to calm her down in the face and runs to the other side of the motorway and is nearly struck by vehicles again. It takes several people to restrain her and put her in the ambulance, where she is sedated. Ursula offers less resistance as the lorry, despite miraculously not killing her instantly, has crushed her legs - she is taken to hospital and here her story ends (she survives).
- Sabina is released by the police, she is actually charged for attacking the police officer but has only been given one day in the cells as a punishment.
- Sabina is a bit lost and two Stoke-on-Trent locals on a dog walk take pity on her when she strokes the dog and explains that she wants to see her sister who had an accident and is in hospital. She is acting quite oddly, one of the men is quite concerned but the other wants to help her and so takes her back to his house so she can gather herself.
- The other man leaves his friend and Sabina, despite being concerned about her odd behaviour (claiming her cigarettes are poisoned). She is acting oddly and slightly paranoid, and doesn't want to talk about her sister, but not completely crazy.
- The good Samaritan (Glenn Hollinshead) rings round the hospital trying to locate the sister when without warning Sabina stabs him to death. A neighbour calls 999 (911).
- Sabina runs out of the house with a hammer, periodically hitting herself over the head with it. A passing motorist sees this and tackles her, going for the hammer. He is stunned, but not seriously hurt, when she smacks him in the back of the head with a roof tile she had in her pocket.
- Paramedics give chase but she runs to a bridge over a busy A-road and jumps off of it and onto the road below, breaking her ankles in the process.
- She is charged with murder, but instead pleads guilty to manslaughter. At no point does she explain her actions, saying 'no comment' consistently. The judge says his hands are tied and sentences her to five years in prison, with no supervision. She will be released in 2011.
Now consider this:
1. They were not on drugs. I know some of you will say they were, but there were no drugs found in their systems or any in their bags or anywhere. It ain't PCP.
2. The psychologists who analyzed her said she had either induced delusional disorder or acute polymorphic psychotic disorder. Basically temporary madness, exacerbated by being in contact with another who shared her delusions (the stealing organs thing). At the time of her trial Sabina was sane, so no chance of any mental hospital sentence (judges hands tied). The psychologists reckon that the insanity won't come back, though the chief forensic psychologist of the UK said the possibility may be around 33% of it returning.
3. The sister apparently remain in contact, though Ursula moved back to the US, and Sabina will be a free person next year, and will possibility return to her family in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland.
4. Though the story is amazing on paper, the documentary really brings it to live.
5. I hate to sound like the Angel of Death but identical twins are amazing.
6. These cases of temporary madness murders are extremely rare.
7. Sabina, though apparently completely sane now, has never accounted for her actions.
This was particularly interesting to me as I live there, and know well all the places mentioned.
Some more links:
* Women dice with death on M6 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7636577.stm]
* Why was Sabina Eriksson free to kill? [http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/woman-free/article-1307546-detail/article.html]
* M6 dash woman jailed over killing [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/8378063.stm]