Man mocked youtube Garda has form of autism

spaceman1 · 08-06-2007 1:46pm #1

This is an article about a man with autism I saw in the Daily Mail...I'm just wondering what people think about it, the article should be on the Daily Mail website....

The article is about a man who suffers from asbergers syndrome and is apparently mocked by a garda, all recorded on a video clip, which was later put on youtube. The man, Mr. Campbell, has been contacting the garda many times reporting boy racers, who he claimed were making disturbances outside his house. Mr Campbell has had many different court cases for making hoax calls and verbal assault incidents....

The actual video clip shows Mr Campbell getting angry because the Garda in question refused to call Mr Campbell by his first name and then laughing...

Im just wondering, what people think about it all....

maireadmarie · 08-06-2007 1:57pm

I have direct experience of Asperger's Syndrome, having a member of the family with it; I'm quite shocked that no-one defended this man when he was taken to court over calling the guards re. boyracers who apparently didn't exist; people with the syndrome can pick up sounds at a great distance, and this can cause them a lot of suffering; so, the motor sounds may not have been in the next street as he thought; or he could have been having auditory disturbance, also common with autism, which caused him to think he was hearing boy racers; whatever, I don't know why they would conclude he was making hoax calls, and I'm surprised no-one defended him on those points.

r3nu4l · 08-06-2007 2:04pm

Well I have a cousin with Aspergers syndrome and he does behave very oddly at times. Aspergers tend to fixate on subjects. My cousin is into film, ask him anything...even about some obscure bollywood film from the early 1900's and he'll tell you who directed it, who starred in it, what other films they did, that their grandson now works as an animator for TheSimpsons etc.

It appears that if this Brendan Campbell does have Aspergers, he may have fixated upon the law/gardaí etc. Before my cousin had intensive behavioural therapy he had severe problems with basically letting his mouth get him into trouble

He also used to refuse to answer to his name, instead only answering when he was called "Dr. Manlington"

Perhaps Brendan Campbell responds only to the name Brendan and sees his father and not him as Mr. Campbell.

A few people in other threads in this forum are claiming it may be fake because the voice is so repetitive and monotone in nature. To be honest, when I was first listening to it I thought about my cousin and his Aspergers Syndrome. I'm not saying that the tape is not a fake but my first thoughts were not of a fake.

It's a disgrace to be honest. If the Gardaí are well used to him calling, they will be aware of whether or not he has Aspergers. If he does have Aspergers, they would know and if that's the case then they should be sacked. To deliberately goad someone who through no fault of their own behaves differently to the "norm" in society is wrong. They wouldnn't dream of teasing a Downs syndrome man like that and would get the sack for it so the same should happen here.

EDIT: mareid marie I just saw your post! I can second the auditory distraction. My cousin, who is now 21 can't stand pubs or clubs that play music. It drives him batty! It appears as though he senses sound differently to others, although I don't know anything much about that aspect.

seamus · 08-06-2007 2:10pm

One question:

Did the Garda in question know that this man was Autistic, or was he just regarded as the local loony?

r3nu4l · 08-06-2007 2:24pm

seamus wrote:

One question:

Did the Garda in question know that this man was Autistic, or was he just regarded as the local loony?

Well if he really has been charged and in court on occassion then the gardaí would know he has Aspergers as any defence solicitor would know that that was a good starting point for the defence. The DPP would also have been aware.

As for that particular Garda, who can say for sure but I can imagine that the Sargeant at least would have informed him of local "personalities" and what to expect.

maireadmarie · 08-06-2007 2:38pm

And I have a problem with the expression 'local looney' too; there are all kinds of mental problems, and a little more understanding from those of us lucky enough to be considered stronger in intellect would be a boon. Indeed, while autism seems to be congenital or to begin in early childhood, many of us may yet need understanding for similar conditions, caused by, eg. strokes, accidents, or neurological illness - who knows when one of us is going to become a victim of something like that; I recall a lovely young guy who was injured at rugby, when he was much recovered but sadly brain damaged, he came back to college and stopped a lecture to ask what the lecturer had said a moment ago, and I remember about two hundred people laughing and making noises when the lecturer told him off - the mob thing, I think they call it. As we left the lecture he came over, leaned his head on my shoulder and cried. That's not something you forget easily. And please don't say it, I know, I'm Matronising again...

r3nu4l · 08-06-2007 2:43pm

I think Séamus was asking if that is how he is regarded, he wasn't making a judgement call or saying "that would be alright then if the garda thought he was just the local looney". He's trying to clarify how aware of the situation the Garda was.

Nevyn · 08-06-2007 2:55pm

r3nu4l wrote:

EDIT: mareid marie I just saw your post! I can second the auditory distraction. My cousin, who is now 21 can't stand pubs or clubs that play music. It drives him batty! It appears as though he senses sound differently to others, although I don't know anything much about that aspect.

Sensory Peculiarities / Sensory Integration Dysfunction it the term for it.

http://movingmountainsforkids.com/si.asp
http://www.aitinstitute.org/berard_ait_hyper_acute_hearing_spd.php

IT is common for those with aspergers to have this but that does not mean a person has to have aspergers or be on the austic spectrum to suffer from this.

A Primal Nut · 08-06-2007 3:08pm

Having mental problems doesn't justify making stuff up. I know Kingscourt well; this guy spends his time looking for people who might be committing driving offences or whatever, and if nothing happens he makes it up and reports it. He makes about 100 calls a day wasting gaurd's time. Eventually, patience is gonna run out. At least he didn't get angry. What did you expect to happen: the gaurd to take him seriously? The sargeant would not need to inform the gaurd of local personalities; trust me the gaurd knows him well; which is more the reason he wouldn't take him seriously.

On principle, the gaurd shouldn't have done what he did, but who cares it was funny, and I certainly don't feel sorry for Brendan Campbell. I don't know if the gaurd knew he had asperger's syndrome, but he certainly knew he was crazy; and being rung constanly rung over and over again by the same person would wear anyone's patience. At least he didn't tell him to **** off. I'm not saying the gaurd didn't make a mistake, but I don't think anyone with a sense of humour could resist winding him up after that many phone calls.

Thankfully, nothing should happen the gaurd. Kingscourt is a small town where everyone knows everybody, the gaurd in question is very popular, whereas Campbell is known to be crazy, a local looney with a nasty streak.

It's definitely not a hoax

r3nu4l · 08-06-2007 3:28pm

A Primal Nut wrote:

What did you expect to happen: the gaurd to take him seriously? The sargeant would not need to inform the gaurd of local personalities; trust me the gaurd knows him well; which is more the reason he wouldn't take him seriously.

I expect that the guard would have treated him with respect and simply thanked him for his call and hung up and to keep doing so every time he called. I suppose you think it's okay then to have all people with mental and behavioural difficulties rolled out and abused for your amusement?

Why not take the old and senile into our town centres and point and laugh at them? Or take someone with Parkinsons disease and ask them are they alright because they are "looking a bit shaky". Oh the laughs we could have, that'd be great. :rolleyes:

EDIT: I won't even bother with a lot of the rest of your post as it displays such an incredible level of ignorance. Suffice to say Aspergers does not equal crazy.

Nevyn · 08-06-2007 4:08pm

Honestly I think it looks like the garda was aware of some of the caller's triggers and played on them for his own amusement.

Crucifix · 08-06-2007 4:16pm

I've heard some people saying that they felt guilty about laughing at the vid, or that they've decided the garda was in the wrong (having previously not thought so), since they found out he had Asperger's. This seems weird to me, as the caller was clearly 'not right in the head', and I don't think just because there's a name for what's wrong with him changes anything.
For the record, I laughed at the vid and think the guard was in the wrong.

maireadmarie · 08-06-2007 5:00pm

r3nu41, my family member, like your cousin, has an obsession. In his case it's tractors - he has collected a ton of books and magazines on them and they basically taught him to read; he knows about every type and make of tractor, even the minor modifications in make, since the first tractors! His main ambition is to have one himself. I think that's one of the things with Asperger's, the total specialisation in one subject. There's a recent book which claims W.B. Yeats suffered from the condiition, but what his obsession was I'm not sure, unless it was poetry.

My son didn't speak until he was four and did have social difficulties (like saying to a neighbour "I can see the line where you dyed your hair"), but he's doing fine now and goes to the local small pub, where the customers are very caring and understanding, I must say. In fact, life would be dull and unthinkable without him. I hate to think that in years to come, someone might treat him as that guard treated Brendan Campbell. I think I'd come back and haunt them!

JC 2K3 · 08-06-2007 5:10pm

I think that while the Garda was in the wrong, it's not acceptable that he was calling them constantly and wasting their time.

r3nu4l · 08-06-2007 5:28pm

JC 2K3 wrote:

I think that while the Garda was in the wrong, it's not acceptable that he was calling them constantly and wasting their time.

This is very true but for many years Aspergers went unrecognised for what it was and it;s only in the last 15 years or so that good methods of helping Aspergers sufferers with their behaviour have been developed. If someone with Aspergers gets the proper help as a child then they can grow into a very competent adult who might be seen as "very nice but sometimes a little odd/eccentric".

If Brendan Campbell does have Aspergers (still unconfirmed at this stage) then he may never have received any help to modify his behaviour patterns and never trained how to tell when people are annoyed with him. If you are never given any help or guidance in life then it is hard to change, especially when you suffer from a condition that makes any change from your own developed and methodically ordered routines almost impossible to begin with.

He cannot be blamed for this behaviour, simply telling him it's wrong and not to do it won't work with Aspergers. They think differently to us.

Mareidmarie, tractors? That's going to make a very expensive 21st birthday present, I hope you have about €100,000+ to spare

I think I've said this on boards.ie before but when my cousin was introduced to friends of ours and found out they were German he decided to engage in a conversation about World War II, hitler and the nazis. The look on their faces was priceless

seastar · 08-06-2007 5:58pm

I don't know why people were laughing at the video - it wasn't even funny. I just thought the guard was pathetic and bored, looking for a way to entertain himself. Shame he found such a cruel way to do it.

maireadmarie · 08-06-2007 6:07pm

r3nu41, your cousin could make a fortune on Mastermind, I'm thinking

My son is heading for his third decade - he plans to buy an ancient tractor to do up - usefully he prefers the old ones. I must say they look pretty dinky myself.
Seastar, I agree about the 'cruel'. Also, perhaps a transfer to a really busy station would be a good idea. It seems there were more than one standing around at the time.

nesf · 09-06-2007 12:52am

JC 2K3 wrote:

I think that while the Garda was in the wrong, it's not acceptable that he was calling them constantly and wasting their time.

I completely and utterly agree. Asperger's might be the reason for his actions but it isn't an excuse. Similar to how bipolar might be the reason for driving at high speeds and ending up in a crash but it doesn't excuse the person from responsibility completely. There has to be some repercussions from it.

maireadmarie · 09-06-2007 1:37pm

What's their own fault, Brian?

r3nu4l · 09-06-2007 1:53pm

Brian, do you mean that having Aspergers is their own fault? If so then I think you should use Google to find out a bit more! If not, please explain.

nesf wrote:

I completely and utterly agree. Asperger's might be the reason for his actions but it isn't an excuse. Similar to how bipolar might be the reason for driving at high speeds and ending up in a crash but it doesn't excuse the person from responsibility completely. There has to be some repercussions from it.

I do agree that Brendan Campbell is responsible for his own behaviour to some extent but that does not make it right to mock him for his behaviour. If this incident had happened 20 years in the FUTURE, then I would hold Brendan Campbell more responsible than I do now because these days there are very good and well known ways to help Aspergers sufferers understand what is socially acceptable and integrate better with society. However, I would imagine that Brendan Campbell or his parents received little or no help in raising their child because Aspergers was so poorly understood and indeed I imagine that teachers and neighbours probably thought he was a "bad" child! Those sort of attitudes inthe past led to the exclusion of people from society who were wholly incapable of understanding that society.

A short time ago Channel 4 did an excellent television documentary on children with Aspergers and showed the difficulty that these children can have even with the very best education and training. It was called "Only Human - Make me Normal". I can't imagine what the world must be like for someone who has never received help or training.

If you read "The curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" it gives some idea of what Aspergers is like and how Aspergers sufferers think and interact with the world. I'd recommend it.

spaceman1 · 09-06-2007 8:33pm

I think, people cant help having disorders, but, there must be some kinda garda training regarding people who have problems. It seems obvious to me the garda in question didnt....

Victor · 15-06-2007 6:43am

This is similar to the difference between neurosis and psychosis. Someone suffering from psychosis does not know they are doing wrong, in fact the may think they are doing the very opposite.

Regularly beat a child and they will only know violence - you cannot blame them for their behavior until you show them something different.

Their is a substantial piece on this on page 8 of Phoenix Magazine (15 June 2007).

seamus wrote:

or was he just regarded as the local loony?

Even local loonies are entitled to basic respect. I have various customers varying from well adapted to "quite peculiar" who just need a little understanding and patience.

r3nu4l wrote:

Well if he really has been charged and in court on occassion then the gardaí would know he has Aspergers as any defence solicitor would know that that was a good starting point for the defence. The DPP would also have been aware.

I get the impression it was the District Court, so no DPP and he may not have had a solicitor. The article states the judge was not made aware of his condition, even though the judge suspected he was a "Walter Mitty character" but presented as an anti-social type by Garda evidence.

A Primal Nut wrote:

Having mental problems doesn't justify making stuff up.

He may have been 100% certain he knew what he was hearing, even if it was all in his head. Indeed, he may have been hearing other things that he mistook for cars on the street.

I know Kingscourt well; this guy spends his time looking for people who might be committing driving offences or whatever,

Sit at any traffic lights for 5 minutes and you will see offences.

and if nothing happens he makes it up and reports it.

Do you have any evidence that this is deliberate? Do you have any evidence of this at all? Do you not think it would be better for Garda time to be spent on the street, not making videos to laugh at? Oh, and gardai are the last ones that can accuse anyone of making something up.

He makes about 100 calls a day wasting gaurd's time.

I can only assume this is speculation. If anyone had made so many calls they would have been referred for psychiatric evaluation.

Eventually, patience is gonna run out. At least he didn't get angry. What did you expect to happen: the gaurd to take him seriously? The sargeant would not need to inform the gaurd of local personalities; trust me the gaurd knows him well; which is more the reason he wouldn't take him seriously.

You sound "authorative" there.

On principle, the gaurd shouldn't have done what he did,

but who cares it was funny,

I found it sad, not funny. Sad that gardai get their kicks this way.

and I certainly don't feel sorry for Brendan Campbell.

So if someone had a serious (but "funny") accident it would be OK for a garda to mock them?

I'm not saying the gaurd didn't make a mistake, but I don't think anyone with a sense of humour could resist winding him up after that many phone calls.

So how about we wind up people with broken legs or rape victims?

Thankfully, nothing should happen the gaurd. Kingscourt is a small town where everyone knows everybody, the gaurd in question is very popular,

"Ah sure he’s a grand lad, sure leave him alone" - they (3 of them) embarrassed a member of the public, themselves and the force and wasted Garda time.....

whereas Campbell is known to be crazy, a local looney with a nasty streak.

The evidence would appear to point to him being misguided, not a sociopath.

JC 2K3 wrote:

I think that while the Garda was in the wrong, it's not acceptable that he was calling them constantly and wasting their time.

From Campbell’s point of view it was perfectly understandable and may not have appreciated it was not acceptable.

Brian Capture wrote:

People who have Asperger's syndrome - surely this is their own fault?

You mean like people with Downs Syndrome, women and Muslims?

nesf wrote:

I completely and utterly agree. Asperger's might be the reason for his actions but it isn't an excuse. Similar to how bipolar might be the reason for driving at high speeds and ending up in a crash but it doesn't excuse the person from responsibility completely. There has to be some repercussions from it.

If he doesn't know he is making a nuisance of himself, he can't be blamed. But he can be educated.

spaceman1 wrote:

I think, people cant help having disorders, but, there must be some kinda garda training regarding people who have problems. It seems obvious to me the garda in question didnt....

There is some sensitivity training, but I don’t know how far it goes. My experience has been that many gardai “shoot* first and ask questions later”. More experienced gardai and community gardai seem to be better behaved in this regard.

* Shoot their mouths off that is.

maireadmarie · 15-06-2007 10:26am

Oh, Victor, I concur with your post completely. Sadly, it isn't just the guards who need sensitivity training, but members of the public as well. I suppose many people felt happy to read the next day how Brendan cried and cried and could not stop when he realised about the publicity he had got? As the mother of a person with a similar condition, that was heartbreaking to read.
In a way I could understand the heartless comments of his brothers, because being reared with someone with Brendan's condition can be difficult. On the other hand, I would have hoped that their love for him might have overcome their negative feelings with regard to him - they certainly abandoned him in public, metaphoically speaking.
If I were the given the choioce of a world where people llike Brendan Campbell and my son were in the majority, and one where among other things it was acceptable to get amusement from the pain of others, be intolerant and mocking of someone with a different mind-set, judge the value of a guard or any other person by his popularity and show a coldness and heartlessness to another's bewilderment, well then, I will take Brendan Campbell and people like him every time.

taking_it_90 · 02-11-2010 4:00am

I Know this was donkey years ago but I just came across this article from the anglo celt and couldnt believe it when I saw it. I left the following comment on their page.

"This is a shame on our nation and our judicial system. It is clear that Brendan Campbell is in desperate need of help and compassion rather than threats of imprisonment! Yet again this confirms Ireland's disastrous approach to mental health issues and highlights the massive importance for the people of Ireland to stand up against this abuse and demand better care for our marginalized citizens!"

YouTube"s "Mr. Campbell" barred from Co. Cavan

Comments (1) |

Print | [EMAIL="?subject=Article%20you%20might%20like,%20seen%20on%20the%20Anglo%20Celt%20website&body=http://www.anglocelt.ie/news/roundup/articles/2008/12/17/34186-youtube034s-034mr-campbell034-barred-from-co-cavan YouTube"s "Mr. Campbell" barred from Co. Cavan"]

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The man who was involved in the Garda You Tube controversy that gained notoriety around the world in which he claimed 'I"m not Mr. Campbell, I"m Brendan Campbell' has been barred from entering Cavan and Monaghan.
Brendan Campbell, Caradas House Drumconrath, Navan, appeared before Bailieboro District Court charged with using or engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a peace at Main Street, Kingscourt, on February 3.
Judge Sean MacBride said 'I will have zero tolerance with this man and if he crosses me again I will jail him.' Convicting him of the offence, Judge MacBride sentenced him to two months suspended on him entering a bond to keep the peace for two years.
Conditions including the defendant staying out of Cavan and Monaghan, he resides at Caradas House, liaise with his medical advisor, attend his psychiatrist, psychologist, takes prescribed medication, and commits no criminal offences.
If the defendant appeals his sentence, Judge MacBride ordered that the €500 be lodged, he would also impose a curfew from 11pm to 7am, he was to sign of every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at Bailieboro Garda Station between 9am and 9pm.
Matthew Carolan said he and Tommy Carroll were walking home and as they passed SuperValu Brendan Campbell was standing there. He told them to 'go home' and said to Tommy 'go home you little b.......' Tommy walked up to him and asked him why he was saying that. They then headed for Mount Saint Joseph and as they did the Garda car pulled up and they took over there. They made statements to them over what happened.
Replying to Ms. R. Martin, solicitor defending, witness said they were coming from the pub when the incident happened. They were only in the pub for an hour. Witness didn"t see Carroll hit Campbell with a bottle of coke.
Garda N. Folan said he was on mobile patrol in Kingscourt driving towards the Dublin Road when he observed three males outside SuperValu. As he approached them, he saw the defendant walking down the ramp towards Carroll and Carolan waving his crutch at them. Brendan Campbell was shouting that Tommy Carroll should be arrested for assault. Witness directed Carroll and Carolan to leave the area. The incident happened at 3.05am.
Gda Folan said the defendant claimed he had been assaulted on the night. Both Carolan and Carroll didn"t appear to be intoxicated on the night.
Brendan Campbell said the incident occurred on January 27 and not February 3. Both Carroll and Carolan verbally abused him about the You Tube video. Tommy Carroll threw a bottle of coke at him hitting him on the leg. They called him 'lump hammer,' 's... head,' and 'hoppy c...' Witness didn"t shout anything at either of them.
He also denied that he waved his crutch at anyone. Witness also told the Gardaí that night that he got a kick.
Replying to Inspector R. McMahon, witness denied he did anything and claimed it was Tommy Carroll who abused him over the internet incident. He denied he was in the habit of reporting people to the Gardai.
When Inspector McMahon put it to him that pulse record showed that the defendant had contacted the Gardai on 147 occasions, witness admitted he contacted them about people abusing him.

Permabear · 02-11-2010 5:19pm

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