Question F**k my life

Ok. So, I will apologise for the potty language in the title, even though it's censored. But it's true. F**k my life. I have been in hospital for the past two and a half weeks because that asswipe of a AC repairman took issue to being bankrupted in the legal case against him, proceeded to break into my parents house while I was down with the flu and home by myself, and attempt to stab me to death. I've been in hospital for a week, and I am SO glad that this hasn't gotten onto the news or papers. That FUCKER (pardon my language) nearly hit my f**king kidney, and severed a major artery!! I was so f**king lucky not to bleed out before my parents could get home after I called them while bleeding on the floor. It. Has. Been. Hell.

Well, Thank God for modern medicine! Glad you made it, Minh and I'll keep you in my prayers mean time. I hope the full weight of the Aussie Judicial system comes down on this maniac. Keep your chin up.

Unfortunately, this event has Two (2) bad consequences for Mihn:
1- Health issues, which he already mentioned.
2- Since the attacker will be in jail, he won't have any sort of income. Meaning that if his current assets aren't enough to cover the damages, chances of recovering the rest are very slim.

Step 1: (Complete) Survive Minor Catastrophe
Step 2: (Complete) Gain Nemesis
Step 3: (Complete) Survive Major Catastrophe
Step 4: Gain Superpowers
Step 5: Don Costume
Step 6: Save World

You're halfway there, Minh!

Step 6 can be replaced with 'try to take over the world'

Sir Lee wrote: Unfortunately, this event has Two (2) bad consequences for Mihn:
1- Health issues, which he already mentioned.
2- Since the attacker will be in jail, he won't have any sort of income. Meaning that if his current assets aren't enough to cover the damages, chances of recovering the rest are very slim.

Oh, it would be nice if he was in jail. Unfortunately, he's been on the run since the incident. Asshole.

Morpheus wrote: Step 6 can be replaced with 'try to take over the world'

This is my personal fav option Muhahahhaha 'pets evil hairless cat!'

take it easy!

man talk about bad situation...not only do the Aussies have every critter on the continent trying hard to kill them each day!

but now you have a crazied 'joker' style nutter to keep an eye out for!

lighttech wrote: take it easy!

man talk about bad situation...not only do the Aussies have every critter on the continent trying hard to kill them each day!

but now you have a crazied 'joker' style nutter to keep an eye out for!

Ha!! I actually didn't think of it that way. But still, things ain't that bad here in Sydney. For one, you only really get the bad crawly critters out in the more rural areas (mainly the outback, though there are paralysis ticks and snakes on the Northern Beaches where I used to live), and the crocs and larger predators tend to stick to Queensland. I've actually never seen a snake outside of a zoo, and as for other things...let's just say that there's a lot of insects here that are annoying. As for other things like bluebottles, they're only really a threat if you go in the water, and they really only sting a lot. I've been stung by one, and while it hurts like hell, it's not that bad. Other stuff like Box Jellyfish only really exist up in Queensland where the water is warm enough, and there's no such thing as drop bears. Or are there???

As for the joker nutter, he's still AWOL. There's police outside my parent's house, and my parents are home with me, but I'm still scared sick that he's going to find a way to get back into the house.

I'm not going to say anything more about the flood damage. Dude, you win the "my life got fucked up recently" contest - award yourself a medal.

And yeah, it's understandable that you're nervous. I would be too. Too bad your government decided you don't have the right or need to have the tools necessary to defend yourself. A 1911 or an XDM-40 at your hip are really good ways to calm fears about a nutjob trying to attack you. (Glocks work too, but I'm not a fan of them...)

OTOH, if guns were easy to come by, the deranged contractor might have shot him full of holes...

Sir Lee wrote: OTOH, if guns were easy to come by, the deranged contractor might have shot him full of holes...

My thoughts exactly. Instead of a nutjob with a knife, you'd have a nutjob with a gun and a full clip.

But I'd rather drop the governmental gun control criticism. This isn't the place.

CrazyMinh, I'm glad to hear you got better after that incident. You're very lucky to be still alive. I hope they catch the guy soon, and you can rest in peace.

Polk Kitsune wrote:

Sir Lee wrote: OTOH, if guns were easy to come by, the deranged contractor might have shot him full of holes...

My thoughts exactly. Instead of a nutjob with a knife, you'd have a nutjob with a gun and a full clip.

But I'd rather drop the governmental gun control criticism. This isn't the place.

Why not? You just went there too.

Regardless, Minh doesn't live in an RPG or a Hollywood movie. He lives in a reality that at the close ranges you encounter in a house or even a residential yard, a nut with a knife will close the distance to his target before most people (including police) can draw and aim a pistol. The odds only get worse if the homeowner is untrained, asleep, or cornered away from where any firearms are stored (if that's what they are relying on).

The good thing is that, as you noted, you have police outside your parents' house. Hopefully that reduces some of your level of paranoia. Do your parents have an alarm system on the house on all entries? (I would suspect not - since not everyone in the world is as paranoid about violent thuggish intruders as we are - and we have the stats to prove that we're not totally paranoid!)

We're all hoping you make a full recovery and hopefully they find the guy and put him in prison where he now so clearly belongs.

I'm glad I'm a light sleeper, but often the easiest protection is a dog. Or an attack Maine Coon cat!

Not that there was much you could do having been laid out with the flu, but sometimes, a metal softball bat, a cricket bat, or even just an old ax handle works wonders. Hard to stab someone with a broken arm...

(Yes, I have seen a woman who couldn't be any more than 105 lbs. get a friend out of a very bad situation involving an abusive boyfriend by using an old ax handle.)

CrazyMinh wrote:
As for the joker nutter, he's still AWOL. There's police outside my parent's house, and my parents are home with me, but I'm still scared sick that he's going to find a way to get back into the house.

please tell me the cops at least have sidearms and are not just standing there with the thoughts of using 'harsh' language and a stick found in the yard as weapons??? If the need arises?

lighttech wrote:

CrazyMinh wrote:
As for the joker nutter, he's still AWOL. There's police outside my parent's house, and my parents are home with me, but I'm still scared sick that he's going to find a way to get back into the house.

please tell me the cops at least have sidearms and are not just standing there with the thoughts of using 'harsh' language and a stick found in the yard as weapons??? If the need arises?

Probably!


On the other hand, a Syndey police officer was attacked with a carving knife yesterday.

null0trooper wrote:

Polk Kitsune wrote:

Sir Lee wrote: OTOH, if guns were easy to come by, the deranged contractor might have shot him full of holes...

My thoughts exactly. Instead of a nutjob with a knife, you'd have a nutjob with a gun and a full clip.

But I'd rather drop the governmental gun control criticism. This isn't the place.

Why not? You just went there too.

Regardless, Minh doesn't live in an RPG or a Hollywood movie. He lives in a reality that at the close ranges you encounter in a house or even a residential yard, a nut with a knife will close the distance to his target before most people (including police) can draw and aim a pistol. The odds only get worse if the homeowner is untrained, asleep, or cornered away from where any firearms are stored (if that's what they are relying on).

... Why not? Yeah, true, I shouldn't toss in my ten cents, and block anyone from putting up their opinions and replies.

Though I will admit that a post going to blame a government about their gun control policies in a thread about an attack on someone made my blood boil.

I'd keep all the doors and windows locked at all times, and make sure he doesn't get in again. A good weapon, like Katssun might help you keep a peace of mind at least.

Ok, while I thank all you American gun-nuts for your advice, I'm quite glad that guns are restricted here in Oz. For one, we've only had one major gun massacre in our recent history, and it was the incident that resulted in our strict and sensible gun laws. If you're interested, here is the wikipedia article: Port Arthur Massacre

For two, if the AC man had a gun instead of a knife, it is highly probable I wouldn't have survived the attack, managed to successfully play dead until he left, crawl to the nearest phone, call 000 then call my parents, and then put pressure on my own wounds (plural) until the ambulance arrived. I nearly died just from a knife. Being shot??? Probably wouldn't have survived that. So yeah, I'm quite glad there is such restrictions on weapons. Because of them, I'm still alive, albiet with my chest wrapped in bandages like a mummy. I'm not going to criticise another nation's choices. All I'm going to say is that I'm glad for my nation's laws. Because of them, I'm still here.

Also, the NSW police use 40 cal Glock 22 semi autos. Plainclothes officers use the smaller Glock 23 or Glock 27 pistols. Police also carry capsicum spray, TASER X26 electroshock weapons, extendable batons, and ballistic-rated body armour. So, yeah. I feel pretty safe with them outside. Actually, the morning shift just pulled up right now. So I feel even safer now.

Though I prefer living somewhere where I have the option to own a gun and am a big fan of the Second Amendment, in practice it doesn't make a huge difference in most self defense scenarios. Weaponry -- of any sort, whether it's a gun, a knife, a club, or just a can of air freshener -- is only useful when you have time to recognize that you need to defend yourself, grab the weapon, and use the weapon. If you have time for that (you hear somebody breaking in, or you see the situation escalating), you might also have time to escape or evade the situation. Even if you can't, unless you have experience with high stress crisis situations, odds of freezing up, doing the wrong thing, or fumbling are high. You also need the willingness to actually use the weapon and cause possibly grievous harm or death to another person. The attacker, meanwhile, is attempting to give you as little time and room to maneuver and react as possible, is attempting to keep you petrified with fear, and had time to prepare for the encounter both mentally and physically, and maybe even chemically. They're also more likely than average to have experience with violence and fear. The deck is very much stacked in their favor.

Some people's response to all that is that we should all constantly be hyper aware of everything going on and dedicate a large portion of our lives to training and study so that we can outperform the bad guys. That's very good advice if you're a cop, soldier, bouncer, gang member, mutant, or generally in a situation where you'll frequently be at a higher than normal risk of violence. For everybody else, it's simply too much work for something that has such a low risk of happening.

In the USA, heart disease and cancer are the biggest killers, bar none. In 2015, heart disease accounted for about 630k deaths, and cancer accounted for 600k. Combined, that's just under half of our 2.7 million deaths. Most of the rest were other medical issues (esp. stroke, Alzheimer's, and diabetes). Accidental poisoning killed 47k. Suicides took 44k (about half used a firearm). Car accidents killed 37k. Falls and alcohol each killed 33k. Homicide was responsible for around 18k (13k by firearm). Accidental hanging, strangulation, and suffocation claimed 7k. Accidental drowning killed 3600. Fire and smoke killed 2600. Gun accidents killed about 500.

The exact stats will vary by year and country, but the takeaway is that even in America -- allegedly a violent place -- the overwhelming majority of death has nothing to do with violence. Most is medical issues. One in twenty deaths is an accident of some kind. One in sixty is suicide. Only one in a hundred and fifty is homicide -- and note that homicide is not the same as murder. That number includes the bad guys killed in self defense, and a big chunk of it is also bad guys killed by other bad guys (e.g. gang warfare, drug deals gone wrong, etc.).

Point is, violence is not the huge problem that many folks (on both sides of the gun debate!) would have us believe. It's actually one of the smallest problems we face nowadays. That's why we're all sitting here hearing Minh's situation and thinking, "Wow, that's terrible!" instead of "So? Three of my friends were murdered this month. You're alive. Grow a pair."

@Minh: I'm glad to hear you've got well prepared cops watching your back. Hopefully your roommate and building owner are also taking precautions. With luck, this guy will decide that he's made his point and quit digging his hole deeper.

Interesting points, Kettlecorn, and quite a bit of information. I am curious where you got your numbers on this, and if it paints a proper picture, but you do have a few points.

Yes, in an encounter with an aggressor, the deck is stacked on their side, since they're prepared for that moment, while the victim would not be prepared for it, no matter the weaponry they may have on hand. The normal populace just doesn't have the training, or time to be on high alert 24/7.

But the numbers you bring did raise some questions questions to my mind. Because the points you're trying to make is that violence is such a small number of death as if it was a contest on who's the biggest killer, and that's trying to deflect the debate in a different direction.

Diseases and health problems are certainly the biggest cause of deaths, there's no questions about that, and medicare access is another debate that's gatherred flames, but trying to compare violence to accidents and heart diseases isn't quite fair.

As much as we try to delay it, death will come, and in some medical cases, it's unavoidable. Accidents happen because they can't be prepared for. (They wouldn't be called accidents otherwise.) They're a constant statistic we can only try to prevent or delay as much a we can with either medecine or safety precautions.

But in the case violence, and in gun control in perticular, they key difference is 'preventable' deaths. At that point comparing to the number of other deaths doesn't make much of a difference in the debate. It doesn't matter how many other types of deaths happen, but the ones that could have been avoided and prevented.

To claim that both sides of the arguments on gun control avoid the number of death caused by violence compared to others is also misleading, since one side of the argument could use that as an excuse to dismiss gun control as 'needless' or 'not such a big thing', while the other would have nothing to say on the topic. It's besides the point, and to claim both sides aren't using it is just attempting to muddle the waters.

Yes, it is true that violence is often the focus of both sides, and that often is brought up with the hot topic of this debate: public shootings (or if you want more specific, school shootings). It's often the main point brought out in the news and for good reasons: it's dramatic. No one will say that a good thing has come up out of these, and the deaths of the inocents along with familly members grieving is often a shocking picture to paint. It's why gun control advocates try to fight so hard: to stop or at least reduce these things from happening, that the ease of access to these weapons is what allows these to happen. On the other side of the table comes people claiming that owning a gun is their rights, and saying that no regulations would have stopped these shootings, or more to the extreme, that a 'good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun', with the backing of Hollywood fantasy to fill those sails.

That's the narative I've seen so far and how those debates go.

But even when you take violence out of the equation, there is still a point to gun control, and even Kettlecorn's numbers point to that. As mentionned, suicides took about 44K lives, half of them involving firearms.

Now, I'm not going to say that half of these suicides could have been prevented by gun control. If someone is determined enough, they will find a way, be it with a firearm or not.

But there are also a number of failed suicide attempts that are prevented midway in when the attemptee changed their minds midway through. I've seen it in effect myself with a roommate who tried just that when I was in university. He tried with a familly size bottle of aspirin, and midway through, he chnaged his mind, called the hospital, and got the help he desperately needed. There are studies showing that these do happen, and sometimes the pain of going through with it draws the atemptee away from going through with it. A gun, unfortunately, doesn't have that kind of moment of hesitation. Once you pull the trigger, there's no going back. Some theorise that the ease of access to those weapons is what allows those attempts to be in those high numbers.

It may be a small number of lives that can be spared if a better gun moderation was in place, but I can immagine that those people who lost a loved one this way would hapilly sign all the paperwork in the world or hand over their guns for life if it meanth bringing that person back to give them the help they need.

It only takes one life saved to make it all worth it.

Now if having a firearm makes you feel safer, it's your right and your belief. If it makes you comfortable and empowered in your own way, it's your peace of mind. I might not aggree with it, but it's your choice.

If the goal was trying to give CrazyMinh peace of mind in their own home after a horrible attack, I can get behind that sentiment. Minh did go through something terrible and feeling safe would probably make it all better. Be it through an alarm system, the cops or obtaining a weapon. It's their decision and feelings there.

What did feel like a bad step though is claiming that their government doesn't care about their self-defence because they do have gun control. That was unnescesary and a targetted swipe. That's when the topic changed.

The country placed those gun control law because they do care about their citizen. Some claim that it removed their right to self-defence, but it also disabled those looking for violence or death an easy access, and it worked.

No, it hasn't stopped all death or all violence, but it may be because of these laws that Minh is still alive with us today.

That, I can be thankful for, and that is a feeling I'm willing to defend.

Polk Kitsune wrote: Interesting points, Kettlecorn, and quite a bit of information. I am curious where you got your numbers on this, and if it paints a proper picture, but you do have a few points.

The numbers come from the CDC. Specifically, I was looking at Table 6 (pages 32 to 34) of the National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 66, Number 6 from November 27, 2017.

Polk Kitsune wrote: Accidents happen because they can't be prepared for. (They wouldn't be called accidents otherwise.) They're a constant statistic we can only try to prevent or delay as much a we can with either medecine or safety precautions.

But in the case violence, and in gun control in perticular, they key difference is 'preventable' deaths.

What is a safety precaution if not a preparation? We prepare for accidents all the time. Grip tape on the steps of a bus, bicycle helmets, reflectors on the roads, GFCI outlets, swimming lessons, lightning rods, seatbelts, fire extinguishers, Life Alert, childproof lids, bad tasting video game cards, smelly additives to natural gas, epipens, and so much more. And of course, the fact that these precautions save lives means that accidental deaths are preventable deaths...

Polk Kitsune wrote: ]Now if having a firearm makes you feel safer, it's your right and your belief. If it makes you comfortable and empowered in your own way, it's your peace of mind. I might not aggree with it, but it's your choice.

You don't need to be so dismissive of others' beliefs and feelings.

However, since you decided to do so anyway, I'll tell you that I do feel safer knowing that the laws here still allow me to load a pistol with snake shot for those times I may need to clear out a rattlesnake from my shade house or to carry with me when checking my property. I do feel safer knowing that those laws in concert with "stand your ground" laws do deter casual burglars from dropping in while I'm home. I do feel somewhat reassured that if I do encounter a rapid animal I am still allowed by the law to shoot it dead before someone does get bitten. Those points take into consideration the fact that the police here would NOT be able to respond in time to a break-in, nor an ambulance for much of anything, and Animal Control's response time out here boils down to "Trap it yourself and bring it in."

I think this has gone rather far afield of CrazyMinh's thread since he's confirmed that, thankfully, the attacker didn't have a gun. Let's take the gun talk elsewhere.

Thanks Danzilla, that was going off course massively.

CrazyMinh wrote: Thanks Danzilla, that was going off course massively.

What? We can't scare you with the prospect of finding a snake in your toilet bowl, or hanging from the door knob you were reaching for?

null0trooper wrote:

CrazyMinh wrote: Thanks Danzilla, that was going off course massively.

What? We can't scare you with the prospect of finding a snake in your toilet bowl, or hanging from the door knob you were reaching for?

Oh no, that happens all the time here. Well, not all the time, but I have found redbacks in the toilet, and I have come home from being overseas to find a possum living under the couch. Even apartments aren't safe from those furry menaces. Although, seeing as home my apartment went up in flames...was is Possum Saboteurs instead??? Damm, now they're mastering guerilla warfare!!! They've mastered housebreaking, now they're turning themselves into hardened warriors!!!

[sigh]...you can only laugh about terrible things, and hope that they don't become worse. I've nearly died, I've had my apartment slagged by fire, and I've lost about two weeks of pay due to the initial fire, and have only gotten payed for the time I've spent off now because my two bosses think that I've been tortured enough by random events. So, Let's just hope that nothing else goes wrong. Shit, I've just jinxed myself, haven't I?

CrazyMinh wrote:

null0trooper wrote:

CrazyMinh wrote: Thanks Danzilla, that was going off course massively.

What? We can't scare you with the prospect of finding a snake in your toilet bowl, or hanging from the door knob you were reaching for?

Oh no, that happens all the time here. Well, not all the time, but I have found redbacks in the toilet, and I have come home from being overseas to find a possum living under the couch. Even apartments aren't safe from those furry menaces. Although, seeing as home my apartment went up in flames...was is Possum Saboteurs instead??? Damm, now they're mastering guerilla warfare!!! They've mastered housebreaking, now they're turning themselves into hardened warriors!!!

[sigh]...you can only laugh about terrible things, and hope that they don't become worse. I've nearly died, I've had my apartment slagged by fire, and I've lost about two weeks of pay due to the initial fire, and have only gotten payed for the time I've spent off now because my two bosses think that I've been tortured enough by random events. So, Let's just hope that nothing else goes wrong. Shit, I've just jinxed myself, haven't I?

this

Sure, definitively willing to table the argument. No biggie. Thread is about Minh's issue after all.

And geez. rabid animals, snakes in toilets and possums under your couches? I'll be happy that the worst I ever got was bugs in the house. Then again, I have seen my share of moose on the highways too.

Oh gods. Quick, someone do the rituals to dispel Murphy's Law!... What do you mean there's no such things?

Honestly, I hope your luck gets better. have a good one.

How are you doing today? Feeling better, I hope?

Better. Wound is healing up, police haven't caught the fugitive yet. Still mostly couchbound, although I did pop into Uni a little while ago to pick up my laptop charger.

Hello everyone, and finally, some good news: That BASTARD has been put where he belongs. Or should be in two day's time.

The guy was caught by police hiding out in some people's holiday house, which he had broken into to hide in. He put up a brief fight (with a knife, which he failed to do any harm with), and was put in jail without provision for bail. Not that anyone would bail him out. His wife divorced him three years before I met him, he has no children, and he has no living relatives. So, yeah. He's penniless, meaning he can't hire a defence attorney. Not that h'd have a case to defend. He was cleanly spotted by me, he was photographed by a thing I've been working on (a facial recognition device that greets people whose faces are recorded as they walk up to it. I was fiddling with it when the bastard stabbed me, and thankfully the photo was cached in the memory, so we have photographic evidence he was present), he was caught with the weapon used in the stabbing (which still had flecks of my dried blood on it, which the police forensics officers were very quickly able to identify as mine (due to some painful, but necessary blood extractions I was forced to give)), and anyway he:
- Broke into someone's Holiday House (B&E)
- Stole and consumed food from their cupboard (Theft)
- Attempted to stab a arresting officer with his knife (Resisting Arrest AND Assaulting a Police officer (double whammy!!!))
and
- Attempted to run after being dragged out to the awaiting vehicle and briefly being let go by the escorting police officer who tripped (evading arrest again)

So he's pretty guilty. The trial is already over, it was quick, easy and painful. He's been sentenced to minimum 45 years imprisonment, with minimal chance of parole; had a restraining order placed upon him so that when he leaves jail he's never coming near me again, or within 50m of any property of Fraser Properties (who own Central Park). He's currently awaiting transport to a avaliable facility where he'll be spending the next 45 years. After that, I'll be in my early 70's!!! So, probably won't have the strength to care whether he seeks revenge. Actually, 45 years might as well be life for him. He's going to step out into a very different world when he leaves that facility...

But this is a great time to celebrate!!! My wound is healing up, my assaulter is going to jail, it's had the most lucky case of minimum hassal for a legal case, the media hasn't gotten involved causing more trouble, and I survived a attempt on my life!!! I'm actually shocked it's been resolved in the span of 3 weeks!!! It's been the most stressful and scary 3 weeks of my life, but in the end everything turned out fine!!!

Thanks everyone for your incredible support. This is Crazy Minh, signing off.

EDIT: Sorry. When I said three weeks, I meant 1. It's just seemed that long from this end. That guy couldn't have been caught and tried quick enough. Sorry for the weirdness there.

Man, that raises "speedy trial" to a whole new level...

Yeah, that's really surprising even with the bulk of evidence against him. IANAL, and I couldn't speak for Australian legal procedure even if I were, but in the US even a plea deal can take weeks just to go to court, if only just because of scheduling concerns.

That isn't to say faster cases don't occur, especially if there is a lot of pressure to get the person firmly into the system and there is a plea on the table, but most major felony cases it takes time just to find a judge with the time to sit for it, and get the lawyers together with them to set a time when their schedules don't conflict. In larger cities, misdemeanor cases - and even some lower end felonies - go through a streamlined process that sometimes can be resolved in a few hours, but even then it is more common for the first meeting with the judge to be a pre-trial hearing just to set the date of the trial. At least that the impression I get, I have no personal experience with it.

It does depend on the case loads, so it can vary a lot between jurisdictions, even within the same municipal system. Suburbs with low population densities usually have fairly quick turn-around, but densely populated inner city districts, or conversely, sparsely populated rural ones, often take as lot longer (the former due to the number of cases, the latter because of the paucity of circuit court judges and criminal defense attorneys).

But again, that's the US; I don't have any idea how it works in Oz, though I assume it is fairly similar to UK courts. Since US common law and judicial practice are descended from Commonwealth law, despite significant divergences over the past 240 years, I can't expect it to be all that different.

I think that the court we took it to was just having a pretty decently short case list. I was very surprised at how fast it went, as I know that court cases usually take much longer to even get arranged. But, it got arranged in three days, we had him trialled in one, and sentanced the following morning. Quickest f**king case ever I think. Wait, is there a quicker one??? I'll look that up later today. But still, I'm glad that asshole is going where he belongs.

Australian law is very simular to US and UK law. As we engineers say 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. The major differences are our gun laws, our tort system, our district system (I don't quite get the 'district' system, but I don't think we have that), and how we divide and seperate powers between local, state, & federal governments. Also, we have some differences in how we punish criminals i.e. we don't have the death penalty.

And really he was only sentenced yesterday morning, so yeeeah...plus he was caught the afternoon I posted the message before my announcement, so four days is all it took. Bit chaotic, but I'm glad it went that way. May just be I've lost track of time, so sorry if there's some confusion over the dates. It's been a chaotic week, so I'm kinda struggling with the dates here. It doesn't help that I'm kinda out of my depth when it comes to law. Damm it Jim, I'm a engineer, not a lawyer!!!

I suspect what they did was keep what they charged him with relatively minor, assault rather then attempted murder for example, so that case only needed to be heard in a magistrates court rather needing to be bumped to a higher court.

With the amount of charges he racked up they could get him away for a significant time by just stringing the smaller sentences together, so no need to go to the expense and time of a full trial.

Of course, having no denfense lawyer of his own helped streamline it probably.