US Gamer who travelled to Britain to stab woman who dumped him jailed for life

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Tommi
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US Gamer who travelled to Britain to stab woman who dumped him jailed for life

A baby-faced American gamer who flew to the UK and launched a frenzied knife attack on a woman after she ended their online relationship has been jailed for life.

Shane Coffey, 20, was sentenced to serve a minimum of eight-and-a-half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and grievous bodily harm at Guildford Crown Court today.

U.S. citizen Coffey, from Boston in Massachusetts, smashed through a window to break into the home of the 19-year-old woman in Epsom, Surrey, in the early hours of April 18.

He then attacked her with a hunting knife, which he had concealed in his luggage, in her bed before her brother came to her aid. Both siblings suffered serious stab wounds.

The court heard Coffey and Farha Dowlut had first started chatting when she was aged 14, after meeting through online gaming.

Gino Connor, prosecuting, said the pair had regularly spoken online but had stopped chatting after Coffey had remotely hacked into Miss Dowlut's computer and read her chat logs with other people.

They discussed Coffey visiting her at her home and exchanged Christmas gifts, which gave Coffey her address.

They started talking again in November 2013 and their exchanges over message services, games and Skype were described as 'a bit flirty' at times by Miss Dowlut.

'There came a time when she realised there were family expectations and she was expected to marry a Muslim,' said Mr Connor.

'She informed the defendant they should not see each other any more but could still be friends.'

He had previously sent her an Xbox console and games and, when he wanted the gifts back, she tried to sell the console online but was unable to transfer the funds to him as he did not give her the right bank information.

Contact between them became more sporadic and in March, after a big argument, she told Coffey to 'get out of her life.'

The court heard that Coffey had booked a flight to the UK in February, as well as a stay at the Premier Inn in Epsom.

He arrived at Heathrow Airport on April 17, having smuggled a Schrade combat and hunting knife in through customs in his luggage, along with cable ties and tape, and got a taxi to his hotel, close to Miss Dowlut's home.

Mr Connor told the court Coffey went for a walk, as 'reconnaissance' to scope out the area around Miss Dowlut's home.

At 3.07am the following morning, Coffey walked to her home and sat at the bottom of the garden for around an hour, watching Miss Dowlut's first-floor bedroom window who had fallen asleep.

'Suddenly she was awoken by a shattering and it was the noise of her bedroom window being smashed with a brick,' said Mr Connor.

'When she heard the smash she started to scream as she became aware of a dark figure on top of her.'

'He [her brother] grabbed the defendant around the neck from behind, putting him in a headlock as he attempted to pull him off his sister.'

Judge Christopher Critchlow said Coffey had 'a rich and developed fantasy life with a high degree of narcissism.'

'It is difficult to imagine a more nightmarish situation for a young female asleep in her own bedroom, being awoken and attacked by a man intent on killing her,' he said.

Police officers arrested Coffey at 4.48am and he was taken to King's College Hospital in London for treatment. He told a doctor there he had come to England to see his ex-girlfriend.

'He said he stabbed her because she wouldn't give the stuff back, she was there, he jumped her and attacked her,' said Mr Connor.

Coffey was sectioned under the Mental Health Attack before he was charged

In an interview with police, Coffey said voices were telling him to get his stuff back and had told him to hack in to her computer.

He said he had heard voices since the age of 14 and had taken drugs including LSD, ecstasy and cannabis since he was 16.

The court also heard that Miss Dowlut spent three days in hospital as she received treatment for multiple cuts to her chest, legs and arms.

She suffered from shock and depression and said her A-level grades suffered as a result of the attack.

It is difficult to imagine a more nightmarish situation for a young female asleep in her own bedroom, being awoken and attacked by a man intent on killing her

Judge Christopher Critchlow

Coffey admitted attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm at a plea and case management hearing on October 22.

Richard McConaghy, mitigating, told the court Coffey had in fact intended to kill himself after the attack, rather than wipe Miss Dowlut's computer and hide his tracks.

He said Coffey had a troubled childhood with a drug-addicted mother and alcoholic father, and was moved around between homes and care for many years.

'He found himself delving into a world where he lived his life online rather than forming particular personal, meaningful relationships,' he said.

He later admitted that he had been motivated by a jealous rage at seeing chat logs between Miss Dowlut and other men when he hacked her computer, rather than voices.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Antony Archibald, of Surrey Police, said: 'This case was extremely complex and involved a set of unusual circumstances which could never have been foreseen by the victims.

'This was an extremely frightening incident for the family, carried out by a troubled man who carefully planned the attack with disturbing precision.

'We have no doubt that Coffey intended to kill that night and he may have done had it not been for the brave and courageous actions of the family members who stopped him and quickly contacted police.'

He added the case illustrated the dangers of the internet and warned users not to give out personal details.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2844617/Baby-faced-U-S-gamer-lau...

Olga/non member since Dec. 2008 Check out my latest video on Gaming Addiction and public awareness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6JZLnQ29o

Andrew_Doan
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This is the beginning of

This is the beginning of more. Here is an excerpt from a chapter I recently wrote for a psychology textbook:

Human beings practice who they want to become, and individuals must be careful what they practice and how they program their brains. When a young child spends too much time in Internet gaming or Internet activities, there can be significant problems. We propose an analogy to clarify how a child's nervous system may develop when exposed to excessive time engaging in Internet gaming or other Internet activities. Observe your left hand. The thumb will represent the cortical areas associated with all the benefits of video gaming: quick analytical skills, improved hand-eye-coordination, and perhaps improved reflexes. The index finger will represent the cortical areas associated with communication skills. The middle finger will represent behaviors associated with social bonding with family and friends. The ring finger will represent the capacity to recognize emotions of both self and others (empathy). Lastly, the little finger will represent the cortical areas associated with self-control. These higher executive functions are all learned behaviors, requiring time and practice. When a child spends on average of 7h 38m in front of a digital screen for entertainment, that child is exceeding 7-fold the recommended daily dosage for healthy screen time (Przybylski, 2014). Folding the fingers into the palm of your hand represents this situation. As the brain mature, the end product is a young adult who is all thumbs in their thinking: possessing quick analytical skills and quick reflexes, but lacking in communication skills, having few bonds with people, exhibiting little empathy, and showing minimal self-control.

Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD

My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan

*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.

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