The gunman, Martin Bryant of New Town, Tasmania, has officially been charged on Tuesday during a bedside court hearing at the Royal Hobart Hospital. The hearing that took about 5 minutes saw Bryant charged with the murder of Kate Elizabeth Scott from Western Australia, one of the diners in the restraunt. This charge is just the first of a number of charges to be brought upon Bryant. The Proceeding took place with none of Bryant's family present, only his legal counsel by his side.
Martin Bryant has been described as a wealthy 29-year-old with sun-bleached hair and pale blue eyes with a gentle look. But a search of his home and interviews with family, neighbours and friends revealed a bizzare and lonely life led by this man.
To some, Bryant was described as a happy and friendly person who always had a cheeky grin. Local hotel proprietor, Jim Laycock, described Bryant in a Channel Ten interview as being "a simple but nice" man who "had never done anything wrong". But to others, Bryant was a moody character with a love for firearms.
Several years ago Bryant had gained the trust of a middle-aged heiress. Eventually being allowed to move in with her at her suburban home in New Town. Many rumored that the woman, spinster Helen Harvey who at that time was in her 60's, and he were lovers. One neighbour likened Bryant to one of the "strays she brought into the house, like all her dogs and cats".
Then in 1992 Ms Harvey was killed in a car accident in which Bryant was involved in also. Bryant suffered head injuries and no one is really sure how much he was affected by the accident. Some friends say he was never the same again. Bryant also started to react strangely, even laughing at the car accident.
Bryant inherited $650,000 after the accident but soon after suffered another major blow. Bryant's father committed suicide, leaving him a lonely man.
He continued to live in the New Town house after Ms Harvey's death and had always been a respectable person. However, 12 months ago he started to grow his usually short hair long and began taking on a 'surfie' image. But one of his friends has stated that "as far as I know, he didn't go near the water". He was also described as "that sort of bloke, a bit hard to work out".
A search of Bryant's New Town house also revealed that there was more to him than met the eye. Weapons magazines and violent movies littered the floor and furniture in the house.
Neighbours have descrided Bryant as "Polite and well spoken, never agressive but he had a strange look". "He was obviously very lonely. There were very few people going in and out of the house. I felt sorry for him. And I made a point of talking to him".
But another neighbour has described him as causing "quite a few problems" when he lived on a farm east of Hobart several years ago with Ms Harvey. Bryant use to sleep all day and walk around the property and other peoples properties at night, often firing a gun. "You never knew what he might do because he was always unpredictable" another woman said.
At school Bryant was described as "a good student" up until he left the New Town Boy's High School in year 10. "I can't believe he has done this; we're all stunned, absolutely stunned".
The tragedy in Tasmania has shocked and saddened the nation. At the hospital where Bryant is being treated, death threats have been made against him and during the night graffiti appeared on the hospital wall reading "An eye for an eye". For the residents of Tasmania this tragedy is beyond belief. Occurring in a usually quiet, small community there mainly for the tourists.
As the families and friends of the 35 victims come to terms with their losses, the police and politicians are wondering just how such a tragedy could occur. Calling and fighting for tighter gun laws and strict control on the importing of weapons. The Tasmanian parliament is having the week off as a mark of respect and at 10:30 on Wednesday morning the nation will stop for a minutes silence.
But, nothing can be done now to help those 35 for whom it is too late. It will take many months, even years for the residents to fully come to terms with what has happened. But even then, this terrible tragedy in Australian history will always be remembered, as the day a tourist attraction, became a killing field.
Jeremy Jakis is a free-lance writer from S. Adelaine, Australia.
(c) EmergencyNet News Service, 1996, All Rights Reserved.
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