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Homicide, inquiries and scapegoating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

D. Bennett*
Affiliation:
Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals
*
5 Mill Lane, Iffley, Oxford OX4 4EJ
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Homicide is in the news and community care is being blamed, a view not justified by the facts. Much has been written about the homicides of Johnathan Zito and Georgina Robinson and there has rightly been considerable public and professional concern. There have been other reports on the murder of Johnathan Newby in October 1993 and William Bennett in July 1994. Yet another case is currently the subject of an inquiry and again the press is expressing indignation and horror. The anxiety and concern are natural but the reactions are not justified.

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Briefings
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1996

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