Well, I would say to Kirk Mundy, who received his GED diploma at his second attempt during a prison graduation ceremony, I donât really care. I donât think youâll be needing it for a while.

And, as for your anticipated move to the Prison Farm, while Iâm not a prison official, I would suggest that someone connected to such brutal violence, and who left a child to die, might need to stay at Westgate. The Prison Farm is a bit close to the murder site, in my opinion, and the conditions far too comfortable.

Contrary to the newspaper story, Mundy is not ãthe man convicted in the infamous 1996 murder of Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton.ä No one was convicted in Beckyâs bloody murder.

Mundy was convicted as an accessory after the fact in an investigative fiasco and was given a mere five years. However, thanks to one excellent Crown Counsel, Mundy received another 16, to be served consecutively (thatâs different from concurrently ÷ look it up, Mr. Mundy ÷ it means 21 years).

Moreover, Mundy was not charged in Rebeccaâs rape, although his sperm was found inside Beckyâs tortured, stabbed body. And I wonât go into the other sickening forensic results that showed violent assaults to other parts of her body.

And, sadly, the Privy Council has ruled that owing to double jeopardy rules, Mr. Mundy can say whatever he likes because he canât be charged again with Beckyâs death. (It has been suggested to me, though, that officials need to show what law states that he and his accomplice canât at this very moment be charged with rape, assault, denying Becky her own freedom, and a myriad of other charges).

This story comes at an especially bad time ÷ during a period of violence in Bermuda. Only last week, a young man was quoted as saying, ãYou can get 20 years for bringing in drugs and get away with five for killing somebody if you play your cards right.ä It isnât difficult to guess to whom the young man might have been referring when he mentioned the five-year term.

Sensationalizing Mr. Mundyâs GED, a feat that is hardly a great accomplishment, in my view, is in poor taste.

Furthermore, why did the reporter and editor not balance the story with statements from the victims, or talk about the child who will never be married, have children, hug her mother and father and brothers, or see the smiles of her new baby niece, Emma Margaret Rebecca Middleton?

Family, friends, and even those in the community who recognize the systemâs failure are all victims.

Had the reporter approached a professional person ÷ psychologist or psychiatrist ÷ they would doubtless have explained the ãnormalcyä of Mr. Mundyâs vow to ãgo straight.ä Any professional would gladly have explained, Iâm sure, that it is typical for persons who show disregard for and violation of the rights of others to be deceitful, to lie and con others for personal profit or pleasure.

Mental disorders

Our mental health professional also likely would have pointed out that Mundyâs ãlack of remorse· or rationalizing having hurt (or) mistreatedä another (from what is called the DSM-IV, a key text that describes mental disorders) is to be expected. ãI cannot go back and change it,ä he notes. Well, heâs right about that. But, Iâm told by some authorities, others still can.

Also, if the professional had studied the case, he would note the predictability of a sociopath to try to lay the blame for evil acts on others as Mundy did in both the murder and armed robbery cases.

Now, I hope that Mr. Mundy does find himself, and I donât believe that to be impossible. However, his GED is no more important than anyone elseâs, and his struggles no more serious than the multitudes who work hard to change their lives.

The story of Beckyâs murder is far more complex than my article or The Royal Gazetteâs suggests. I hope that in the future our media gives second thoughts to expending valuable front page space to an unbalanced report about someone who is (only partly) paying his dues.