State Against Michael Lamb

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State Against Michael Lamb:

Closing Speech for the Defence

   Your honour, ladies and gentlemen of the jury; for the last six weeks you have all heard the twists and turns of this case, and all the facts of how my client Michael Lamb took the young boy, Owen Kane from St. Kieran’s Home for Boys and took him to England without any consent from the boys’ parents, and after moving hotel several times finally moved back to Ireland where he killed him. These are the bare facts of this case, and after this speech, ladies and gentle you will decide this mans’ fate. Before you adjourn, I want to ask you this. Is Michael Lamb really guilty of the murder of Owen Kane? I will take a few more minutes of you time to refresh your mind on this case to help you answer that question.  

  Michael Lamb was brought up in a loving Christian home. At the age of five, his mother became paralysed in a freak accident. She was then bed bound and was looked after by his father. His father, Mr Patrick Lamb was Michael’s role model and not many people could have had a better one. Michael watched as his father devoted his life to his dying mother. Michael was eleven when she died. Michael’s father taught him many important facts of life. (On one occasion, a seagull grabbed Michaels bait on a fishing trip that his father took him on. Rather than telling his son to cut the line and taking an easy way out, Mr Lamb wound in the poor seagull, knowing it wouldn’t be right to leave it in pain, and killed it.) At the age of eighteen Michael joined the Brothers and became Brother Sebastian. Although his father wanted him to work on their farm he supported him in his decision to join the Brotherhood. It was due to his strong father figure that Michael Lamb felt the need to help Owen and take him away, as he knew Owen never had a good father figure. This sympathy was not unique, as you will all remember Brother Thomas told us that Brother Sebastian treated each and every boy in that home with respect. To quote Brother Thomas “Brother Sebastian was one of the few brothers who cared; one who cared for the kids and treated them with care and respect ”. Now after all that does Michael Lamb sound like someone who would kidnap a child to abuse him of with the intention of murder? Does he?

    Now then, Owen Kane. I have already mentioned the fact Owen didn’t have a good father figure but if you care to remember what several witnesses said about Owens family; he didn’t have one. He was one of five boys. Two of whom are currently in Mountjoy jail and when told the news of their brothers death didn’t even know what he looked like. One of his brothers is in the Merchant Navy and the other is in the Free State Army. His father beat him with whatever came to hand be it a shoe, a thick leather belt or a bamboo cane! His father beat him sometimes for wetting the bed, some understanding parent he was! Normally however he beat him for no reason at all! One day his father left for work in England and was never seen again. We couldn’t even contact him to tell him of the death of his son. Owen Kane’s father left him emotionally and physically scarred for the rest of his life as he is worried that he could show up again at any time and beat him. What type of father was he? What type of man was he? Owens mother was an alcoholic, who after her husband left her started bring back strange men to the same house where her eight year old son was sleeping! One such night the man left her as soon as he came through the door and saw Owen. When he went to bed she came in, in her drunken sate and tried to kill him with a pillow. During it she told him it was “all his fault”. The next day she simply apologised and gave him some money. She didn’t even try and explain why. In his house Owen Kane was malnourished and neglected. At the age of ten his mother then dumped him in the home after getting in trouble with the Gardai for the third time. Why was this I wonder? Possibly due to the fact he was never taught any morals by his parents? Possibly because he wasn’t being fed so he had to steal for his food? He was put in a home with boy’s years older than him. Even if they were his age I doubt he would have been able to befriend them. This boy wasn’t told rights and wrongs by his parents yet alone any social skills. So Owen Kane had no friends, no life and no hope. Do you think he would have grown up to have a decent life or do you think he would have ended up in Mountjoy? Well at least he could have a small family reunion. Are you getting the picture members of the jury?  

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   Now, I am not arguing against the prosecutor because I think I can magically change all of your morals, so that you believe that Michael Lamb is not guilty. What he did cannot be justified. We all know that, even he does. He, according to our law kidnapped this child. However normally when we think of a kidnapper we think of a man who grabs a screaming, shouting kid. Is this what Michael Lamb did? I think not. Michael asked Owen If he wanted to go with him and Owen said yes. We have no proof of this due ...

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