Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian extremist who murdered Robert Kennedy, was again denied parole in California:
A CALIFORNIA parole board has refused to release Sirhan Sirhan, who killed US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy in 1968, saying the assassin remained a danger to society.
Sirhan opted not to attend today’s parole board hearing and did not send anyone to represent him, Tip Kindel of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
“Essentially, the board found he continues to be a danger to public safety and is not suitable to parole,” Mr Kindel said.
“He was given two opportunities by the panel to show up, and declined.”
The board concluded Sirhan killed Kennedy in a “cold, calculated and callous manner” with disregard for the senator and those with him, Mr Kindel said.
Psychiatric exam results presented to the board indicated Sirhan “hates Americans and, if released, wants to be involved in Middle East politics”. [Tip to Tim Blair]
One of my favorite examples of Chutzpah was Sirhan’s statement to the parole board in 1982:
“If Robert Kennedy were alive today, he would not countenance singling me out for this kind of treatment.”
I suppose that it is just Sirhan’s bad luck that somebody killed Robert Kennedy.
This is a real-world example of the classic plea for mercy: “A boy is on trial for murdering his parents, and he begs of the judge leniency because he is an orphan.”