Don't Ever Call Me Helpless by Ruth Wykes

Author:Ruth Wykes [Wykes, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: True Crime, Crime Shots, Short Stories
ISBN: 9780987341969
Publisher: Clan Destine Crime Shots
Published: 2013-06-04T02:13:04+00:00

Very little is known about Catherine Birnie's children, as is right. Life in a city as small as Perth would have been almost unbearable for anyone who was associated with the Birnies, let alone members of their family. When news of the arrests broke in the media, five of Catherine's children were living with their father. Her six-year-old son went home from school at lunchtime in tears, having been teased by older children. A relative told a local journalist: 'The children don't want to be judged. They just want some consideration.'

Catherine Birnie's letter is a very small insight into a complex issue. Was she, as she claimed, so in love with David that she was willing to do literally anything for him? She said it was her love for David, not the man himself, that made her commit those crimes. And she held to this line for many years, especially when there were people who were interested enough to ask her why she had committed such unthinkable acts against innocent young women.

Yet her story has changed a little over the years. Whether it's distorted memory, or whether the truth is slowly beginning to emerge, Catherine no longer credits her former partner with so much power when she relates the story to people.

After their arrest both David and Catherine Birnie claimed the only reason they murdered the women was to prevent them from being able to identify their killers. While this may appear a logical, if somewhat chilling confession, it doesn't account for the Birnies' behaviour.

The Birnies were displaying all the signs of being lust killers, for whom the killings had become as important a part of their perverted sexual rituals as the bindings, torture and rape. The fact that Birnie stabbed his fourth victim while he was in the act of raping her was an indication that his sickening violence was escalating, that what he had done in the past was no longer enough to feed his perverse appetite.

The FBI have undertaken extensive research on the crimes of sexual sadists, including interviewing a significant number of offenders and studying the case files. Their findings are used throughout the world as both a reference and an investigative tool. Some of the things they have learned certainly lend weight to the argument that David Birnie was a sexual sadist whose crimes would have escalated had he not been caught. This extract from the FBI's findings is enlightening:

Careful planning epitomizes the crimes of the sexual sadist, who devotes considerable time and effort to the offense. Many demonstrate cunning and methodical planning. The capture of the victim, the selection and preparation of equipment, and the methodical elicitation of suffering often reflect meticulous attention to detail.

The overwhelming majority of offenders studied used a pretext or ruse to first make contact with the victims. The sexual sadist would offer or request assistance, pretend to be a police officer, respond to a classified advertisement, meet a realtor at an isolated property, or otherwise gain the confidence of the victim.

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