Anyone who pays attention to the news will have seen coverage of the mass killing of adults and children by Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on December 14. The reality is that, although it’s rare in comparison to most crime, these “spree” or “rampage” killings are common enough that we’re horrified because they’ve happened again.

I don’t think New Zealand has a tradition of serial killings, but, sadly, we do lay claim to some devastating mass killings – I won’t list them because I don’t need to, and those people whose lives have been affected ...

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