So a man hailed as a hero for his actions during the Bondi Junction stabbing spree now finds himself in the dock for assaulting his own father. The charge is not guilty, he says, and the British justice system grinds on, indifferent to the fickleness of public opinion. Let me be clear: I take no pleasure in this.
The narrative of the hero is a comforting one, a story we tell ourselves about courage and selflessness. But the law is not a story. It is a cold, hard mechanism designed to measure deeds, not reputations.
And in this case, the deeds in question are sordid, private, and altogether less glorious than wrestling a knife from a madman in a shopping centre. We are faced with a paradox: can a man be both a saviour and a brute? The answer, of course, is yes.
History is littered with such contradictions. Think of the Victorian philanthropist who beat his children. Or the Roman senator who saved the Republic but owned slaves.
We want our heroes pure, but they are as flawed as the rest of us. The real test is not whether he is a hero or a villain, but whether the evidence supports the charge. The plea of not guilty is the starting point of that test.
The prosecution must prove its case. If they cannot, then the crown must fall. If they can, then even a hero must face the consequences.
That is the beauty of the law: it does not care about your reputation. It cares about what you did. And for the rest of us, it should be a reminder that heroism is not a licence for anything else.
You are not allowed to do wrong just because you did right. That is a lesson we seem to have forgotten in this age of instant forgiveness for our favourite celebrities, sportsmen, and yes, even ordinary men who rise to extraordinary moments. They are not above the law.
They are subject to it. And that is a good thing. It keeps us honest.
It reminds us that the law is not a respecter of persons. So let the trial proceed. Let the evidence speak.
And let the hero, if he is guilty, pay the price. If he is innocent, then let him walk free. But either way, let us not pretend that his heroism erases his humanity.
It does not. It only makes him more human.
