St Andrew's Day....

It's freezing, the central heating has given up the ghost, there's no hot water, the tumble dryer doesn't work, I can't find my car keys and the land line phone doesn't work. Grr......

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Robotic Companions

Bringing us a step closer to David Levy's prediction in my earlier post about developing intimate loving relationships and marriage between humans and robots in the next 40 years a project at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory is teaching robots to mimic human movements in an attempt to make robots better companions. I think I would remain single, thanks. The robot in this Reuters video reminds me of Yul Brynner and we all know what happened to him in the film "Westworld." .

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Applying the Law

Most divorces (92% last year) in Scotland are on one of the two grounds of separation, one year with consent or two years without. In the vast majority of cases financial settlements are thrashed out without a court decision and as a consequence there are few opinions (judgments) to refer to. The recent case, Mrs Maxine Anne Day or Willson v. Andrew Willson [2008] CSOH 161, gives an insight into how the law is applied in Scotland and for anyone going through divorce is worth a read. Lord Drumond Young's opinion deals with unreasonable behaviour, the relevant date, the value of matrimonial property, inheritance and whether any economic advantage was derived by either party from contributions by the other and of any economic disadvantage suffered by either party in the interests of the other.

Thanks to Euan Dow and Casecheck for bringing the case to my attention.

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Ashok Kalyanjee

Yet another story of a father killing his children before attempting suicide. The Scotsman reports Ashok Kalyanjee pleaded guilty to murder yesterday in the High Court in Glasgow and sentence was deferred until 11th December .

Kalyanjee, who was divorced and saw his children regularly, drove his two sons to a secluded spot on 3rd May this year where he cut their throats before pouring petrol over them and himself. The mother had received a phone call from her ex-husband when he told he she would regret everything she'd done to him in life. Kalyanjee was found slumped in his car along with the boys' bodies by police.

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Jealousy

Reuters covers another very sad DV story of a man killing his children and ex partner then attempting suicide. This time the motivation was jealous rage after Neil Crampton suspected his ex partner of seeing other men.

Crampton 36, from Gateshead, was found guilty of murdering his daughter Abigail, 12, son Steven, five, ex-partner Olufunke Sobo and her brother Yemi Sobo at their home in Newcastle in 2006. Newcastle Crown Court handed down a 35 year sentence yesterday, but I suspect the real punishment will be living with what he did.

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