11 y.o.boy who kidnapped two 3 y.o.'s & killed 1,becoming youngest murderer in Scottish history,wins parole at age 20
Joe1orbit
Very interesting news item from Scotland today, concerning a boy named
Richard Keith, who committed a murder nine years ago, at the age of 11. Richard
is the YOUNGEST known child murderer in Scottish history.
We learn below that Richard is now 20 years old, and will be FREED back into
society, after spending 8-9 years in juvenile detention. It was about 9 years
ago when Richard kidnapped, beat, and DROWNED a three year old boy. Just three
weeks before the killing, 11 year old Richard had kidnapped a DIFFERENT 3 year
old boy, stripping him naked and repeatedly cutting him with a knife, before
fleeing when searchers who had been looking for the missing boy began to come
close to the secluded spot where he had taken his kidnap victim. I think it's
verey likely that 11 year old Richard was PLANNING to kill the first kidnap
victim, and when his plan was foiled by the searchers, he simply plotted out a
NEW kidnapping, and 3 weeks later did kidnap, assault, and kill a different 3
year old.
The Mommy of the first kidnapped 3 year old is now speaking out, expressing
her distress over Richard, now aged 20, being released. Of course I think that
his release is LONG overdue, since he committed this crime as a juvenile, aged
only 11. She says that she is worried about her son, now aged 12. But Richard
would never be foolish enough to go after this boy again, 9 years later, in
terms of finishing the murder job that he wanted to commit 9 years ago.
In a very interesting detail, we learn that the day BEFORE killing the 2nd
kidnapped 3 year old, Richard apparently yelled at his first kidnap victim:
"I'll be back for you". Although I don't know if you can rely on the memory of
the 3 year old, now aged 12. He could have just IMAGINED having this threat
yelled at him. But regardless, he was definately VERY traumatized by the
kidnapping & assault that he endured at age 3, and has undergone years of
psychiatric treatment. Even now, the 12 year old boy is so afraid of Richard
that he refuses to let his puicture be taken, for fear that Richard will track
him down when he gets out of juvenile detention, which should be any day now.
Declares the Mommy of the traumatized 12 year old: "I prayed this person
would stay in custody until my son was a man. When I broke the news to him this
evening, he was devastated. Keith's wickedness wrecked his childhood. It is
incomprehensible that such evil can go away in eight years." Well, prayers are
useless, since god doesn't exist. And I think it's a good thing for this 12
year old to realize that nobody can truly ever be safe or protected in life.
This 11 year old murderer was ordered by a court to be detained "with no set
time limit for release", so he could be held indefinately, and it is a lucky
break that Scottish society has not quite demonized Richard to the degree where
he might be kept locked up for many years. It is appropriate that he be freed
by now, having reached age 20 and no longer being a child. I applaud the parole
board for it's decision to free Richard, and I hope that NO amount of political
or media pressure will cause a reversal of this parole order.
The parole board, having carefully followed Richard's 9 years of confinement,
declares: "The board has spoken to the young man and heard the testimony of all
those who were part of the process of that rehabilitation. The board is
satisfied he is no longer a danger. As a life licence prisoner, he will be
subject to conditions of supervision." Cool. I think Richard did a nice job of
connforming his behavior, inhibiting his rage and hate, upon his arrest. Maybe
he truly has gotten his homicidal impulses out of his system. Either way, I'm
glad he is to be freed, and the PERVERSE and prejudicial declarations by the
Mommies of the two kidnapped 3 year old boys should NOT be given any weight at
all in terms of the parole decision. I'm glad the Scottish parole board was/is
courageous enough to IGNORE statements like the Mommy of the murdered 3 year
old makes: ""Keith was evil to the core and I fear for my seven-year-old
daughter if he returns to this area. Killing my son and the earlier assault on
Thomas indicated a disturbed person who should remain in custody." How DARE she
accuse an 11 year old child, victimized societal creation, of being "evil to
the core"! Her opinion on whether or not Richard should be released is and
should be considered totally WORTHLESS.
So, let me be the first to welcome 20 year old Richard Keith back to the
glory of freedom. I hope you will enjoy the rest of your long life, Ruchard.
And I'm sure you will never forget your accomplishment of successfully killing
a 3 year old boy when you were only 11 years old yourself, and becoming the
youngest convicted murderer in Scotland's history.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of the 1/14/99 online edition of The Scotsman
newspaper:
The Scotsman
'I prayed this person would stay in custody until my son was a man'
Victim's mother speaks out amid concern at decision to free Scotland's youngest
killer
By JIM McBETH, January 14, 1999
THE mother of the first child to fall victim to Scotland's youngest killer
yesterday criticised the decision to release him on parole eight years after he
battered and drowned a small boy in an act of "sheer wickedness".
Three weeks before the killing, Richard Keith, then 11, abducted Susan
Garrity's son, Thomas, three, and took him to a secluded spot identical to one
where he murdered Jamie Campbell, who was also three.
Keith stripped Thomas, now 12, and repeatedly cut him with a knife before
fleeing when he was disturbed by children looking for the boy after he had
disappeared from the garden of his home in Drumchapel, Glasgow.
The day before Keith killed Jamie, he shouted to Thomas: "I'll be back for
you." The threat has haunted Thomas's childhood. The boy needed eight years of
psychiatric treatment for his constant nightmares and an obsession with
security. "To this day, he awakens, bathed in sweat, from a nightmare, then
checks every window and door," Mrs Garrity said yesterday.
The boy is so afraid of Keith, now 20, that he will not allow his face to be
photographed in case the killer identifies him.
Mrs Garrity said: "I prayed this person would stay in custody until my son was
a man. When I broke the news to him this evening, he was devastated. Keith's
wickedness wrecked his childhood. It is incomprehensible that such evil can go
away in eight years."
Keith, from Drumchapel, was ordered at the High Court in Glasgow to be detained
without limit of time by Lord Sutherland, who described his actions as "sheer
wickedness".
He has been held in Kerelaw school, Ayrshire, a secure unit, and there was
surprise yesterday that he had not been transferred to a young offenders'
institution or adult prison.
Last night it emerged that Keith visited the home of a family in Ayrshire two
years ago to play with their two children as part of his pre-release course.
Sharon and Russell Anderson of Catrine, Ayrshire, have made a formal complaint
to their local authority and MP, saying they were not told by officials at
Kerelaw that Keith was a child killer. Keith, who was 18 at the time, made
eight supervised visits to their home and spent time with the Andersons' son,
Kyle, seven, and daughter, Kahli, four.
There was also a swift and angry response to the Parole Board decision to order
the Scottish Secretary to release Keith. Donald Dewar cannot appeal against
that decision - "a matter which should be of concern to the upcoming Scottish
parliament", said Phil Gallie, a former president of the Scottish
Conservatives.
"When someone who was a cold blooded killer is released into the community,
without recourse to Government, that should be of concern," he said.
Kim and Robert Gallagher, the adoptive parents of Jamie Campbell, said they
were astonished that Keith would be free within two weeks.
Raymond Coleman, of the Families of Murdered Children, said that eight years
was too small a price to pay for such a vicious crime. Relatives of the victims
and the action group fear that Keith could "disappear into the crowd", but the
Scottish Office said he would be closely supervised on a "life licence", which
means constant monitoring and a return to jail if he commits a crime.
Mr Gallie, a prospective Scottish parliamentary candidate for Ayr, said: "There
must be stringent control on his movements, possibly by electronic tagging...
It would appear that the dead child could have been the second rather than the
first victim."
Mrs Garrity added: "There isn't a day when Thomas isn't affected. The assault
by Keith and the words spoken to him when he was three constitute his biggest
fear. I predicted Keith would kill. I didn't realise it would be so quickly."
Mrs Gallagher said: "Keith was evil to the core and I fear for my
seven-year-old daughter if he returns to this area. Killing my son and the
earlier assault on Thomas indicated a disturbed person who should remain in
custody."
The Parole Board claims that Keith is safe. A spokesman said: "The board has
spoken to the young man and heard the testimony of all those who were part of
the process of that rehabilitation. The board is satisfied he is no longer a
danger. As a life licence prisoner, he will be subject to conditions of
supervision."