Pathetic Excuses and the Law

More news from Australia...Philip Spiers was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnap and rape of a woman in 1997. Spiers asked the court to reduce his sentence because his actions were caused--not on his own will and volition--but because of a funnel-web spider bit him 12 days before the crime and might have left him with a viral illness that made him incredibly angry. Fortunately for the sane men and women of Australia, rage by spider bite is not a justification or excuse cognizable at law.