Paper: Police Probe Assaults on Stephen Hawking

[Guaranteed]

LONDON (Reuters) - British police are investigating a series of alleged mysterious assaults on disabled top British scientist Stephen Hawking, the Daily Mirror reported on Monday.



The paper said detectives wanted to question Hawking, a Cambridge University professor and author of the best selling "A Brief History of Time," about a number of minor injuries he had recently suffered.


"The family are worried sick. They've been suspicious for some time that someone has been harming Stephen," an unnamed source told the paper.

<snip>

The world famous physicist is confined to a wheelchair after contracting motor neurone disease, a muscle-wasting condition, while at university. He can only speak through a computerized voice synthesizer.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&e=4&u=/nm/crime_britain_hawking_dc

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Alright...I'm trying not to laugh, here.

This is actually really messed up, if it's true.

[fabius]

1. This is weird.

Why on earth would anybody do that?

"Give me the secrets of the universe...We have ways of making you talk..."

BTW I've read his book, it's amazing. And not too involved for the non-physicist.

[Diego360]

2. Abuse by Caregivers

is a real and serious issue for disabled folks who depend on assistance for their daily activities. Quite often, such abuse is not reported because the disabled person is unable to afford a replacement assistant (and because their lives quite literally depend on the care they receive). Being poor and disabled obviously makes one more vulnerable to abuse. I assume finances are not an issue with the the Prof., but unreported abuse is also a huge problem when a caregiver is a family member or spouse. Hope this is not the case for Mr. Hawking.

[Guaranteed]

4. He can talk, though, through his computer...

Why doesn't he say something?

[thebigidea]

5. because the calls are coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE!

[Guaranteed]

8. LOL

Okay, again that wasn't funny but I'm laughing.

[legin]

7. this is all a bit hazy

but i think he divorced his first wife, and married his carer. If i remember what i was told correctly I think you are getting pretty close towards the end of your post.

But I am not at all certain it's along while ago when i think I was told this, at a meal where we had had a bit to drink.

[legin]

3. I'm pretty certain I've heard of this before

i used to work in the disability sector in my area (S.London) and someone mentioned it there, it must be a couple of years ago now. Whether this is the same thing ?

????

[SoCalDem]

6. The article did not say who cares for him

I thought he was married.. Anyone who would mistreat someone so physically helpless is truly wicked..:(..

He needs to tell someone .

[Must_B_Free]

9. Maybe BFEE wants him to change the nature

of how he sees the universe...

[DoNotRefill]

10. There's gonna be hell to pay one his Posse hears about this....

http://www.mchawking.com/

[Enraged_Ape]

11. Why do you find that funny?

:shrug:

[NNN0LHI]

12. I am confused as you are. What are we missing here? n/t

[Algorem]

13. I suspest Dean.He's really angry you know.Really really really really ang

ry.Mean angry.Crazy angry I tell you!

[bicentennial_baby]

14. Why would you laugh at this?

Assault on the disabled is soooo not funny.

[bicentennial_baby]

15. They think it might be Munchausen by proxy....

"The Daily Mirror reported Monday that Hawking's three children feared he might be the victim of someone suffering from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, a disease where sufferers harm others to draw attention to themselves.

"The family are worried sick. They've been suspicious for some time that someone has been harming Stephen," an unnamed source told the newspaper.

The inquiry was triggered when nursing staff contacted police last summer after the professor was left stranded in his wheelchair in the garden of his home on the hottest day of the year and suffered severe heatstroke and sunburn, the Mirror said."

If this is true...fucking disgusting. My father is in a wheelchair and cannot be left outside for any length of time, regardless of the weather.

[Algorem]

16. A possessed slide rule?

[Algorem]

17. perturbed pocket protector?

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. Hawking should be able to get better care than this.

He has many admirers & friends.

Although I have always suspected that his work leaned toward the Chauncey Gardener, there must be a great deal of merit to it, otherwise people wouldn't hang on every word.

[legin]

19. this may be the original Mirror story or an update

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=13832635&method=full&siteid=50143

Make your own mind up, I'm not editoralising by cutting and pasting.

Edit:fixed link
Edit: No I haven't this is one day I shouldn't be allowed out
Edit: maybe this time
Edit: Now it works