Editorial: Killer's past no excuse for vile act

What a sad and disturbing tale the life of Dean Mulligan has become.
It's likely those who knew the Feilding man viewed him with some sympathy, given his status as an amputee.
That sympathy would have vanished at 7.54 on Wednesday night, when a jury in the High Court at Wanganui found Mulligan guilty of the murder of sickness beneficiary Marice McGregor.
Mulligan had been involved in a secret relationship with Ms McGregor, but that relationship came to a sudden and brutal end in April last year when he bashed her three times over the head with an iron bar, and left her in a ravine off State Highway 4, 50km north of Wanganui.
Murder is, of course, reprehensible in all its forms, and the people that matter most right now, Ms McGregor's family, will take some comfort in the knowledge that someone has now been held accountable for her death, and in a few short weeks will be sent to jail.
It's important also to not forget Mulligan's family, who will also be hurting in the knowledge that one of their own could commit such a vile act.
As often happens with murder cases, in the wake of the verdict being delivered, more information has emerged regarding Mulligan's background.
It's information which sadly raises the question of how surprised Mulligan's family would have been at Wednesday night's tragic denouement. It was revealed Mulligan had previously been given a suspended jail sentence and ordered to undergo counselling after he admitted a charge of arson. He had tried to set fire to a playcentre.
His past included being bullied as a schoolboy, bouts of depression, and enduring years as a social outcast who struggled to make friends, particularly with women.
Our judicial system is littered with examples of people like Mulligan, people with difficult backgrounds whose time as free members of society has ended with one horrific act.
As long as these examples continue to pile up, there will be continued scrutiny of our country's social support, counselling and rehabilitation services.
But however these services are viewed, it in no way excuses Mulligan's actions. Plenty of people are bullied, suffer from depression and struggle to make friends.
Most of them don't go on to kill.
Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz