Thank you for the follow up details on this, David. It was written in such a compassionate way. I hope that the system helps Simon get the treatment that he appears to be needing.
Ever since I first heard about this, I have felt so conflicted about the whole thing. This article put my feelings into words beautifully. Thank you both for having sympathy for the victims, as well as the perpetrator. The whole thing, as sad as it is, is also beautifully written. I wish more news was reported on like this.
With a story this strange and this sensationalized, the actual people involved can often feel like an afterthought, so thanks for this.
I'm in the weird place of hoping we never hear from Simon again. Not just because it'll mean he's changed his behavior, but because I don't think all this intense, uncaring media scrutiny (not including Webworm in this) does even the healthiest of people any good. I hope Simon can get the help he needs out of the spotlight, and the victims can heal and find peace.
The picture of him being stalked by the cameraman is so confronting. The story is so representative of how so many have to end up in the judicial system to access any kind of support. It goes back to the ‘care’ in the community policies of the 1980s (I remember it well in Thatcher’s Britain). Simon had seemingly found a way of getting a safety hug that he so desperately needed. I hope he gets the care he deserves now.
Also feeling for the victim, whose only option was to trigger a criminal process as there was no other accessible service to intervene.
Totally - to be brought in under the police and courts is unfortunate, but perhaps a sign of big gaps in the system when it comes to mental health (in Melbourne, but New Zealand too and America CERTAINLY).
Imagine if we spent the money it cost to run that criminal process on supporting Simon’s wellbeing. I was at a breakfast with Chris Hipkins yesterday and he raised this wider issue of what we would prefer to spend our tax payer dollars on.
After reading this I’m having a bit of a moment of melancholy - not about the case, which has been and remains a sad one, but the fact that this piece is so *different.* I don’t think there is a whole lot of writing or reporting in any forum right now that engages with the interiority of the actors involved. Simon did a bad thing, but he’s also hurt, scared, and sorry. The victims are confused, upset, and scared in their own way. It’s less a good guy/bad guy story and more one of how we, in our brokenness, collide with others and hurt them too.
That nuance and interiority is challenging to write and challenging to grapple with as a reader, and I wonder how much its absence affects our views on crime and punishment, political discourse, everything. That is to say, it’s easy to feel morally unassailable, far more difficult to bring a genuine empathy to bear when evaluating those you feel are wrong, inscrutable, or even repugnant. I’m not all kumbaya about this, and I do think there are some genuine fuckwits in the world - I enjoy commenting about some of them here on Webworm - but I do question the balance we have between judgment and, if not compassion, then at least understanding. I think this piece is a really striking attempt at something a bit different, and I’m going to join the chorus wishing comfort to the victims and help for Simon.
I'm so glad to read there's been some resolution. And I know I had a very strong reaction when you initially posted this story due to my own son having uncontrolled epilepsy; I feel bad about that now knowing Lara may very well not be able to help himself. I hope this means he'll get the help he needs.
The whole thing is just really tragic. And I still don't fully grasp how this has been going on for 12+ years with no intervention (or certainly none that the authorities have been willing to share with me).
D.C hit the nail on the head. I guess as a style guide thing, news can't take on a tone like Webworm does; They have to be top down pyramid style with INFORMATION and little else (context be damned, often). And I think that is where newsrooms can fail.
Aside from the more objective reporting of the TV news and print mastheads, we have so many outrage-baiting media shows in Australia (Today Tonight; A Current Affair; 60 Minutes at times) that seem to have no qualms about labeling any given situation as “shocking,”“disgusting,” “dodgy,” etc etc etc. They certainly don’t adhere to a dispassionate style guide, and so part of me wonders whether a crass, judgmental perspective simply rates better. That, like this whole situation, makes me sad.
And meanwhile, the public still believes the garbage they read or heard the first time around regardless of whether they find out it was disproven, and the damage is done.
Well, here's the thing. People can make complaints to the media council, threaten them legally for not adhering to journalism guidelines and reporting false information etc, but because the public absolutely laps that type of reporting up, those particular media companies are rich and powerful enough to pay people off and the vicious cycle continues. It's disgusting.
I really hope that he is paired with a person or organisation that can help. As far as I understand, more offending occurred between when he first appeared in court, and when he was sentenced.
I wonder if he is depersonalizing or experiencing some kind of episode that isn’t a seizure but makes him feel what he *thinks* is a seizure is coming on? Even tho he’s not having seizures maybe he thinks he is, or thinks a seizure is the closest thing to what he is feeling?
Beautiful writing from DC. Massive props to you David for actually engaging in the story and shining a real light on it when the rest of the media seemingly ignored it for years. Hopefully this makes the streets a wee bit safer and helps Mr Lara get the help he needs.
I very much admire D.C. Maxwell’s reporting of this. Especially as we (the webwormers) were here when the guy was first written about (by David) and had some concern about his health, then, as he was shown to be a fraud/scammer we were willing to condemn him like a braying crowd of pickfork wielding, um, angry people and be creeped out by his deviant behaviour because it seemed to bring him some sort of pleasure (yuk). Now we are back to feeling bad for the guy as he obviously needs help. Actually I’m speaking for myself here obvs. I just think it’s interesting that I’m willing to side with the voice of reason and empathy on most occasions. The ‘other side’ of the story not sensationalist media reporting. The same was true of the webworm view of the guy on the subway in the States who was killed by another passenger when he was only trying to get help for himself- sensationalist media was instantly on his case as he was obviously dangerous and deranged and was restrained (and killed) by a brave member of the public. What I’m trying to say here is I’m pleased to be able to read the webworm view instead of simply chomping down on whatever is fed to us widely as truth. It makes for interesting discussions with people who take media reporting as gospel too. My only criticism of D. C. Maxwell’s story is there were no pics of the neon pantsuits that were there on the day within the media phalange. I immediately wondered what colour neon they were but could only see men in puffer jackets and jeans and a few coloured coats in the shots provided.
🥹 There is nothing "good" about this saga, apart perhaps from Simon getting some help, plus "victims" realising they were not crazy to be upset/concerned/scared etc. It seems from the excellent write up of the Court sitting, that it is more than just a manipulative person tricking people, but probably some mental health issues - you would think the type of sentence given would be as a result of proper assessments and he would otherwise have been fined or incarcerated?
It is such a difficult area as in mental health - the perpetrator may not be totally cogniscent of the harm they do, but victims are harmed nevertheless 🤷
I have more than one relative with "mental health" challenges - some "self-inflicted" via drug abuse but another was via brain damage at birth - IS that "mental health" if it is physical damage⁉️ I query because we are led to believe that "mental health" can be treated & a person returned to "normal/near normal" functioning, but my brain-damaged relative could NOT be "treated" and NEVER be "normal" - the management by his parents, siblings, cousins (yes I would be pulled out of class at school to deal with "incidents"!) was attempts at behaviour modification, but unfortunately that also applied to learning BAD & harmful behaviours from role models 😱 Is severe Autism "mental health" ⁉️ Is CTE damage in contact sports or other head injuries "mental health" if it results in behaviour that puts them or others at risk ⁉️
Sorry... it is an "inside day" due to weather, so instead of gardening or walking I am prone to philosophise 😁
I think yes to mental health for all the things you mentioned. Damage to the brain (whether genetic, physical or environmental) can cause mental health issues. I'm not sure we're led to believe all people with mental health issues can be returned to 'normal' (what is that anyway?). Some can, some can have life long issues (similar to more 'acceptable' physical disorders like high blood pressure or high cholesterol). We need a system that can provides supports around all types of people.
Is autism mental health though? It’s a neurotype—a brain that isn’t damaged, but with development that deviates enough from the norm to be noticeable. It comes with strengths and weaknesses that vary based on the individual. It also affects the entire body (e.g. sensory issues).
Other disorders and mental health issues (anxiety, depression, etc) are frequently co-morbid with autism, but they’re not the condition itself.
I think we need to fine tune categories around what is and isn’t mental health.
This book is really interesting in this area...covers labels, the DSM etc and a lot of the issues you mention. It is not a simple issue but I think we probably all agree that there's needs to be more support for everyone. The Age of Diagnosis: How the Overdiagnosis Epidemic is Making Us Sick - THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER https://share.google/zBOMHXBshsJ6IwF34
I am aware of O'Sullivan's positions and deeply disagree with many of her conclusions. I think it's incredibly harmful to minimize the risks of late and missed diagnoses of conditions like autism and ADHD, as an example.
I'm also wary of her stance against patient experts, and on calling conditions like long COVID psychosomatic; the evidence is strongly against her.
Her book is quite a deep dive. I'm not sure her stances are as black and white as you think. For example, she didn't claim all long Covid cases were psychosomatic. At least that's what I thought after reading her book.
🤷 I tend to agree, BUT worry that everything being dumped in a "mental health" bucket confuses the issue & cuts down public appetite for different treatment options? As in some are thought to be caused by chemical imbalance so various drugs can help but unaware public recoils from certain "illegal" or psychedelic drugs, and then what about physical brain damage that can't be reversed & might be helped by other means like microchip technology perhaps (or not at all!) Also violent dementia patients, where family are (rightly/mistakenly?) upset when their whanau are sedated but if they are not they lash out & injure caregivers ⁉️
Absolutely the "system" needs to provide effective support for ALL types, as there is obviously no "one size fits all" solution like the days of lock them all away out of sight 🥺
Absolutely.. it is super nuanced and hard for the general public to understand. I found this book helpful: The Age of Diagnosis: How the Overdiagnosis Epidemic is Making Us Sick - THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER https://share.google/zBOMHXBshsJ6IwF34
Thank you both for handling this sensitively. The more we see mentally ill people as PEOPLE, the better. People who need support and help. What he was doing was wrong and needs to stop immediately, hopefully this has achieved that. But also I hope that he is now in a system that will finally give him the help he needs.
Thanks D.C. and David for your work on this update 😣. I hope Simon can find a way to exist in the world without victimising others but it sounds like pretty entrenched behaviour at this point 😳
I go into some inconvenient inbuilt impartial analysis mode (it drives my "black and white" thinking partner batty) about stories like this. Growing up my mother had often untreated bipolar disorder and visiting her in inpatient treatment we met a cast of random people at different difficult stages in their journey 😣 I commented this on someone else's post but there will always be people existing on the fringes of society 🥺 Might not always be a solution for every individual.
Nicely reported D.C. Unfortunately I imagine other articles will be much more sensational. All governments need to overhaul their mental health services, there is an overwhelming need for help out there!
Thanks for this sensitively written article. I do wonder if the help he needs exists within public mental health care, the long history of this behavior suggests it would be a hard pattern to break. Interestingly I've seen some social media posts recently about a person in New York who camoflages himself to the footpath so people step on him. Again, it sounds like he's done it for years. In the bad old days these people who end up in long term psychiatric care. Now we have a community treatment model, which has a narrow range of treatment options, people with unusual ways of behaving are likely only going to get some meds and the odd visit to a psych ward. What we need more of is community connection and alternative treatments so people who don't fit into with mainstream society have somewhere they feel safe
The footpath guy (and the two guys who do this with rugs in bars in nyc) have a sexual fetish for being stepped on. The bar/carpet guys do this with consenting patrons - the park guy doesn’t. But either way for them it’s not what would be classed as a psych issue. Absolutely agree that people need to feel safe!
Interesting to think about what we class as a psychiatric problem or not! Especially when a person's behaviors don't fit comfortably into psychiatric definitions, which are culturally defined anyway.
As a neurodivergent adult who is sometimes confused in certain social situations, I appreciated the compassion and empathy D.C. showed to Simon in this piece. Does it excuse his behavior? Absolutely not. Will it get him the help and support he needs? I really hope so.
Thank you for the follow up details on this, David. It was written in such a compassionate way. I hope that the system helps Simon get the treatment that he appears to be needing.
I was really lucky that D.C. was in Melbourne and free that day - he has some news background, has compassion, and is a really great writer.
Ever since I first heard about this, I have felt so conflicted about the whole thing. This article put my feelings into words beautifully. Thank you both for having sympathy for the victims, as well as the perpetrator. The whole thing, as sad as it is, is also beautifully written. I wish more news was reported on like this.
I think D.C nailed it. Thanks, Mh.
With a story this strange and this sensationalized, the actual people involved can often feel like an afterthought, so thanks for this.
I'm in the weird place of hoping we never hear from Simon again. Not just because it'll mean he's changed his behavior, but because I don't think all this intense, uncaring media scrutiny (not including Webworm in this) does even the healthiest of people any good. I hope Simon can get the help he needs out of the spotlight, and the victims can heal and find peace.
The picture of him being stalked by the cameraman is so confronting. The story is so representative of how so many have to end up in the judicial system to access any kind of support. It goes back to the ‘care’ in the community policies of the 1980s (I remember it well in Thatcher’s Britain). Simon had seemingly found a way of getting a safety hug that he so desperately needed. I hope he gets the care he deserves now.
Also feeling for the victim, whose only option was to trigger a criminal process as there was no other accessible service to intervene.
Totally - to be brought in under the police and courts is unfortunate, but perhaps a sign of big gaps in the system when it comes to mental health (in Melbourne, but New Zealand too and America CERTAINLY).
Imagine if we spent the money it cost to run that criminal process on supporting Simon’s wellbeing. I was at a breakfast with Chris Hipkins yesterday and he raised this wider issue of what we would prefer to spend our tax payer dollars on.
After reading this I’m having a bit of a moment of melancholy - not about the case, which has been and remains a sad one, but the fact that this piece is so *different.* I don’t think there is a whole lot of writing or reporting in any forum right now that engages with the interiority of the actors involved. Simon did a bad thing, but he’s also hurt, scared, and sorry. The victims are confused, upset, and scared in their own way. It’s less a good guy/bad guy story and more one of how we, in our brokenness, collide with others and hurt them too.
That nuance and interiority is challenging to write and challenging to grapple with as a reader, and I wonder how much its absence affects our views on crime and punishment, political discourse, everything. That is to say, it’s easy to feel morally unassailable, far more difficult to bring a genuine empathy to bear when evaluating those you feel are wrong, inscrutable, or even repugnant. I’m not all kumbaya about this, and I do think there are some genuine fuckwits in the world - I enjoy commenting about some of them here on Webworm - but I do question the balance we have between judgment and, if not compassion, then at least understanding. I think this piece is a really striking attempt at something a bit different, and I’m going to join the chorus wishing comfort to the victims and help for Simon.
I'm so glad to read there's been some resolution. And I know I had a very strong reaction when you initially posted this story due to my own son having uncontrolled epilepsy; I feel bad about that now knowing Lara may very well not be able to help himself. I hope this means he'll get the help he needs.
The whole thing is just really tragic. And I still don't fully grasp how this has been going on for 12+ years with no intervention (or certainly none that the authorities have been willing to share with me).
Gosh I wish the mainstream media would write such a balanced, compassionate account. It's exactly what we need at this time. Thanks both.
D.C hit the nail on the head. I guess as a style guide thing, news can't take on a tone like Webworm does; They have to be top down pyramid style with INFORMATION and little else (context be damned, often). And I think that is where newsrooms can fail.
Aside from the more objective reporting of the TV news and print mastheads, we have so many outrage-baiting media shows in Australia (Today Tonight; A Current Affair; 60 Minutes at times) that seem to have no qualms about labeling any given situation as “shocking,”“disgusting,” “dodgy,” etc etc etc. They certainly don’t adhere to a dispassionate style guide, and so part of me wonders whether a crass, judgmental perspective simply rates better. That, like this whole situation, makes me sad.
I forgot about A Current Affair - God, the *worst*.
And meanwhile, the public still believes the garbage they read or heard the first time around regardless of whether they find out it was disproven, and the damage is done.
Well, here's the thing. People can make complaints to the media council, threaten them legally for not adhering to journalism guidelines and reporting false information etc, but because the public absolutely laps that type of reporting up, those particular media companies are rich and powerful enough to pay people off and the vicious cycle continues. It's disgusting.
Well damn. That sounds like the behavior and response I'd expect if he were autistic after all.
I feel bad for the people he wronged, and Simon himself. This whole story feels like the result of layers of failure.
Thanks for reporting, D.C. and David!
I really hope that he is paired with a person or organisation that can help. As far as I understand, more offending occurred between when he first appeared in court, and when he was sentenced.
I wonder if he is depersonalizing or experiencing some kind of episode that isn’t a seizure but makes him feel what he *thinks* is a seizure is coming on? Even tho he’s not having seizures maybe he thinks he is, or thinks a seizure is the closest thing to what he is feeling?
I would say, through reviewing a lot of testimony, photos and videos - that he does not think he is actually having a seizure. I am confident in this.
Beautiful writing from DC. Massive props to you David for actually engaging in the story and shining a real light on it when the rest of the media seemingly ignored it for years. Hopefully this makes the streets a wee bit safer and helps Mr Lara get the help he needs.
Thanks, Helen. That is exactly what I am hoping for too.
I very much admire D.C. Maxwell’s reporting of this. Especially as we (the webwormers) were here when the guy was first written about (by David) and had some concern about his health, then, as he was shown to be a fraud/scammer we were willing to condemn him like a braying crowd of pickfork wielding, um, angry people and be creeped out by his deviant behaviour because it seemed to bring him some sort of pleasure (yuk). Now we are back to feeling bad for the guy as he obviously needs help. Actually I’m speaking for myself here obvs. I just think it’s interesting that I’m willing to side with the voice of reason and empathy on most occasions. The ‘other side’ of the story not sensationalist media reporting. The same was true of the webworm view of the guy on the subway in the States who was killed by another passenger when he was only trying to get help for himself- sensationalist media was instantly on his case as he was obviously dangerous and deranged and was restrained (and killed) by a brave member of the public. What I’m trying to say here is I’m pleased to be able to read the webworm view instead of simply chomping down on whatever is fed to us widely as truth. It makes for interesting discussions with people who take media reporting as gospel too. My only criticism of D. C. Maxwell’s story is there were no pics of the neon pantsuits that were there on the day within the media phalange. I immediately wondered what colour neon they were but could only see men in puffer jackets and jeans and a few coloured coats in the shots provided.
Some of the ladies coats were quite fetching though 😏😏
🥹 There is nothing "good" about this saga, apart perhaps from Simon getting some help, plus "victims" realising they were not crazy to be upset/concerned/scared etc. It seems from the excellent write up of the Court sitting, that it is more than just a manipulative person tricking people, but probably some mental health issues - you would think the type of sentence given would be as a result of proper assessments and he would otherwise have been fined or incarcerated?
It is such a difficult area as in mental health - the perpetrator may not be totally cogniscent of the harm they do, but victims are harmed nevertheless 🤷
I have more than one relative with "mental health" challenges - some "self-inflicted" via drug abuse but another was via brain damage at birth - IS that "mental health" if it is physical damage⁉️ I query because we are led to believe that "mental health" can be treated & a person returned to "normal/near normal" functioning, but my brain-damaged relative could NOT be "treated" and NEVER be "normal" - the management by his parents, siblings, cousins (yes I would be pulled out of class at school to deal with "incidents"!) was attempts at behaviour modification, but unfortunately that also applied to learning BAD & harmful behaviours from role models 😱 Is severe Autism "mental health" ⁉️ Is CTE damage in contact sports or other head injuries "mental health" if it results in behaviour that puts them or others at risk ⁉️
Sorry... it is an "inside day" due to weather, so instead of gardening or walking I am prone to philosophise 😁
I think yes to mental health for all the things you mentioned. Damage to the brain (whether genetic, physical or environmental) can cause mental health issues. I'm not sure we're led to believe all people with mental health issues can be returned to 'normal' (what is that anyway?). Some can, some can have life long issues (similar to more 'acceptable' physical disorders like high blood pressure or high cholesterol). We need a system that can provides supports around all types of people.
Is autism mental health though? It’s a neurotype—a brain that isn’t damaged, but with development that deviates enough from the norm to be noticeable. It comes with strengths and weaknesses that vary based on the individual. It also affects the entire body (e.g. sensory issues).
Other disorders and mental health issues (anxiety, depression, etc) are frequently co-morbid with autism, but they’re not the condition itself.
I think we need to fine tune categories around what is and isn’t mental health.
This book is really interesting in this area...covers labels, the DSM etc and a lot of the issues you mention. It is not a simple issue but I think we probably all agree that there's needs to be more support for everyone. The Age of Diagnosis: How the Overdiagnosis Epidemic is Making Us Sick - THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER https://share.google/zBOMHXBshsJ6IwF34
I am aware of O'Sullivan's positions and deeply disagree with many of her conclusions. I think it's incredibly harmful to minimize the risks of late and missed diagnoses of conditions like autism and ADHD, as an example.
I'm also wary of her stance against patient experts, and on calling conditions like long COVID psychosomatic; the evidence is strongly against her.
Her book is quite a deep dive. I'm not sure her stances are as black and white as you think. For example, she didn't claim all long Covid cases were psychosomatic. At least that's what I thought after reading her book.
🤷 I tend to agree, BUT worry that everything being dumped in a "mental health" bucket confuses the issue & cuts down public appetite for different treatment options? As in some are thought to be caused by chemical imbalance so various drugs can help but unaware public recoils from certain "illegal" or psychedelic drugs, and then what about physical brain damage that can't be reversed & might be helped by other means like microchip technology perhaps (or not at all!) Also violent dementia patients, where family are (rightly/mistakenly?) upset when their whanau are sedated but if they are not they lash out & injure caregivers ⁉️
Absolutely the "system" needs to provide effective support for ALL types, as there is obviously no "one size fits all" solution like the days of lock them all away out of sight 🥺
Absolutely.. it is super nuanced and hard for the general public to understand. I found this book helpful: The Age of Diagnosis: How the Overdiagnosis Epidemic is Making Us Sick - THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER https://share.google/zBOMHXBshsJ6IwF34
Thank you both for handling this sensitively. The more we see mentally ill people as PEOPLE, the better. People who need support and help. What he was doing was wrong and needs to stop immediately, hopefully this has achieved that. But also I hope that he is now in a system that will finally give him the help he needs.
Thanks D.C. and David for your work on this update 😣. I hope Simon can find a way to exist in the world without victimising others but it sounds like pretty entrenched behaviour at this point 😳
I go into some inconvenient inbuilt impartial analysis mode (it drives my "black and white" thinking partner batty) about stories like this. Growing up my mother had often untreated bipolar disorder and visiting her in inpatient treatment we met a cast of random people at different difficult stages in their journey 😣 I commented this on someone else's post but there will always be people existing on the fringes of society 🥺 Might not always be a solution for every individual.
Nicely reported D.C. Unfortunately I imagine other articles will be much more sensational. All governments need to overhaul their mental health services, there is an overwhelming need for help out there!
I very much agree with you on both points.
Thanks for this sensitively written article. I do wonder if the help he needs exists within public mental health care, the long history of this behavior suggests it would be a hard pattern to break. Interestingly I've seen some social media posts recently about a person in New York who camoflages himself to the footpath so people step on him. Again, it sounds like he's done it for years. In the bad old days these people who end up in long term psychiatric care. Now we have a community treatment model, which has a narrow range of treatment options, people with unusual ways of behaving are likely only going to get some meds and the odd visit to a psych ward. What we need more of is community connection and alternative treatments so people who don't fit into with mainstream society have somewhere they feel safe
The footpath guy (and the two guys who do this with rugs in bars in nyc) have a sexual fetish for being stepped on. The bar/carpet guys do this with consenting patrons - the park guy doesn’t. But either way for them it’s not what would be classed as a psych issue. Absolutely agree that people need to feel safe!
Interesting to think about what we class as a psychiatric problem or not! Especially when a person's behaviors don't fit comfortably into psychiatric definitions, which are culturally defined anyway.
There will always be people existing on the fringes of society aye 🤔🤔🤔
As a neurodivergent adult who is sometimes confused in certain social situations, I appreciated the compassion and empathy D.C. showed to Simon in this piece. Does it excuse his behavior? Absolutely not. Will it get him the help and support he needs? I really hope so.
Thanks D.C. and David for sharing this update.