CITY TIMES SATURDAY ****** ****
WHO IS THIS MAN?
From Page 1.
Yesterday the man seen in the photo created havoc with the City’s public. He placed himself on the Bay Bridge in the early peak hour traffic. Throwing rubbish at cars, running across the traffic lanes, jumping on and off vehicles when they were stationary, punching bonnets and screaming.
City Police and ambulances arrived, after subduing the unknown man he was placed in an ambulance. Then he was taken to City Hospital for assessment and treatment.
City Police have not identified this man and have given no reason for his actions. They have requested that anyone with any information regarding the identity of the unknown man and the reason for the rampage to please contact the front desk of the City Police on 666-220099.
The unknown man is in a satisfactory condition and under observation at City Hospital. The police have provided a police guard but would not say whether there would be any charges laid.
MARY SMITH:
CITY TIMES SUNDAY ****** ****
DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN AND WHY HE ATTACKED MOTORISTS ON THE BAY BRIDGE FRIDAY ****** ****?
From Page 2.
The unknown man is still under police guard at City Hospital. The City Police have received a number of calls regarding this incident. They are following up on this information and we should have some answers for you tomorrow.
Please contact the City Police on 666-220099 if you have any information that could assist the police with their enquiries.
MARY SMITH:
CITY TIMES
MONDAY ****** ****
WHO IS THIS MAN? CONT…
JOHN DAVID SOAMES; HOMELESS, ALCOHOLIC, SELF MUTILATOR.
From what we have been able to discover here at the City Times Mr. Soames went out on a rampage as the result of an AM Television Program.
He was a the South Street Hostel eating breakfast. There was a program on the television about the history of the Union at the local Chemical Plant. All of a sudden he leapt to his feet sending his breakfast and chair flying. He started screaming, pulling at his hair and he ran out of the hostel.
No one at the hostel was able to shed any light as to the reason for his behavior.
The manager stated that he was one of the regulars at the hostel. He often was drunk and displayed signs of not looking after himself properly but had never displayed any violent behavior before towards anyone at the hostel.
We will continue to look into the matter and endeavour to shed some light into the story behind it all.
MARY SMITH:
CITY TIMES
WEDNESDAY ****** ****
TODAY IN THE INSIDER: THE STORY of JOHN DAVID SOAMES:
INSIDER:
STORY BY MARY SMITH; FROM AN ANONYMOUS SOURCE.
The street could have been in any suburb in any town. The houses having all been built during the boom after the war. Three bedroom, fibro, workers homes. All placed in the centre of a quarter acre block. All basically the same but taking on the individuality of their residents. Different addresses, No. 55 had blue window frames, No. 23 had a wild garden with only a glimpse of the home through the trees. All having a shed in the back left hand corner big enough to park a car under. A rotary clothesline standing in the right hand corner of the rear yard. Letter boxes sitting either on the right or the left of the gates in the centre of the chain link fences.
The house down the south end of the street, was the one that stood out of all the homes in the street. Because it was dirty, paint peeling, broken windows and a dust bowl of a yard. The only grass being in overgrown tufts here and there. A rotary clothesline hung at a drunken angle with clothes draped at various places on the line.
The man was big, dirty and terrifying. He stunk and all the kids hid when they saw him. He would come home and all the street would know. There would be swearing, screaming, all types of crashing and banging sounds. This would be when we would see the young boy who lived there. He would be naked and chained to the clothesline and the man would beat him. He would hit him with his fists, kick him if he was wearing his boots, hit him with the hose or a lump of wood that he would find in the yard. If it was cold the man would hose him down and leave him there chained up.
CITY TIMES WEDNESDAY ****** ****
INSIDER:
From page 1.
Some one, it would depend on who was home at the time, would ring up the police when the man started on his family. The police would come and break it up. Unchain the boy, if he was still chained up. You would see ambulances, cars with social workers, doctors and other officials at this house at all times of day and night. But the man never seemed to stop doing these things when he came home. No one in the street ever really saw any of the members of the household other than the man and the boy. That was until “The Day.”
It was like any other hot summers day with the children playing in the street. Riding bikes, kicking footballs, playing cricket and hopscotch. The sky was blue and the air was still. With the shimmer just above the ground that we all associate with those hot summer childhood days. As the day wore on the cicadas started their sound.
Suddenly the noise of the children stopped and the children disappeared off the street. Some of the mothers that were home at the time looked out their windows or front doors at the sudden lack of sound. Seeing the man they realised what had happened. Keeping a watchful eye on his presence as he staggered down the road towards his house.
One of the mothers decided that enough was enough and rang the police before anything had actually started. We assume that on this afternoon due to the amount of previous complaints the police took a little longer to attend. The usual sounds began coming from the house and as usual people gathered just down the road. Waiting to see what happened this time. But this time it was different. Instead of just the swearing, banging and smashing there was another sound. There was another voice. Not a deep voice but a voice different to the man.
Then there was screaming, awful screaming and wet thumping sounds. The other voice started screaming stop, stop, stop.
CITY TIMES WEDNESDAY ****** ****
INSIDER:
From page 2.
While this was happening the fathers and mothers who had been out for the day, at places of work, shopping or other errands, started returning home. They along with the children from the street gathered with the group already waiting.
There was a waiting silence as the police cars finally arrived in the street. Then began the most awful wailing sound.
The police entered the house and all of sudden there was radios crackling and people calling out. Then ambulances arrived and more police cars. Police tape was bought out and hung around the house. As the people stood there the man was bought out handcuffed and covered in blood. There had been whispering and some louder comments but it all went deathly quiet at this time. No one moved. Then as the first of the ambulance teams emerged from the house with a body on a trolley the mothers and fathers gathered their children up and returned home.
There was an uneasy atmosphere as people went about their normal evening routines. This is when the outside world came and touched the safe place. The children learned about the news, the law and the bogeyman. No body’s lives were ever the same.
The story broke the next day. Finally the community knew the boy’s name. John Soames. How he, instead of taking the beating as he had every time before, had answered the man back. This man was his father, this man was the Union man at the Chemical Plant. His name was David John Soames. This sent David into a rage like never before. David went berserk hitting everyone and everything. In the end lashing out repeatedly at the mother and daughter, that no one in the street had even knew existed. The beatings that he delivered killed the mother and left the daughter in a coma.
David was charged with murder and assault and went to jail. The son, John, was taken and put into a home.
CITY TIMES WEDNESDAY ****** ****
INSIDER:
From Page 3
John went from place to place never really fitting in or settling down. He fell through the system never receiving the help he needed to deal with the abuse and its results. His sister eventually passed away. His father died as a result of prison violence. John just kept drifting ending up homeless and an alcoholic.
Then on Friday ****** **** the Television program that was on while he was eating breakfast at the hostel showed him a piece of his past. At the sight of his father he lost control and the result was the incident on the Bay Bridge.
The City Police have decided not to press charges. The City Hospital has helped John enroll in a drug and alcohol program as well as providing him with extra counselling.
That is who the unknown man is and what made him the man he is today.
We wish him all the best for the future.
MARY SMITH:
“Leigh” 25.06.04.
