GTA made me do it [ridiculousness]

Does this image make you want to shoot your local law enforcement peace keeper?

Just thought I'd do a nice short little post about a man in New Zealand. Tim Reid, a 25-year-old New Zealand man, is claiming through his lawyer that he beat up a police officer and stole a patrol car because he had played GTA. This is a quote from a news account:

[Reid] committed violent offences and compulsively played Grand Theft Auto. Mr Nicholls [Reid's lawyer] said a video game that showed violence toward police was a public safety concern, with the game promoting the behaviour...

Wellington District Court judge Denys Barry jailed Reid for five years... He said Reid was hardwired for violence and anti-social behaviour and programmed by his recreational pursuits.

Oh for fricks sake! I really don't have to stand on a soapbox and rant about this, because Gamepolitics.com points out a very interesting aspect of Reid's life.

GP: Reid, according to the report, began smoking pot at age five. He had been physically and sexually abused while growing up, and continues to abuse drugs and alcohol. He has priors for assault and robbery. Moreover, he is a 25-year-old man, not an impressionable adolescent.

Right...video games made him do it. Spare me.

-Jeremy aka Adridius