Attacker Issues Apology to Harrisons
Michael Abram, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday in an Oxford Crown Court for attempting to murder George Harrison and his wife Olivia, issued an apology to the couple after the trial. Abram’s lawyer read the written apology, which expressed Abram’s sorrow about the attack but disassociated Abram from it.
The letter reads: “I’m writing this letter in the hope that it would be passed on to Mr. and Mrs. Harrison. I wished to say how sorry I am for the alarm, distress and injury that I have caused when I was ill. I have seen many doctors prior to the attack and I was never told that I was suffering with schizophrenia or any mental illness. I thought my delusions were real and everything that I was experiencing was some kind of witchcraft. I know that Mr. and Mrs. Harrison fought for their lives on December 30, 1999, and that they must have been terrified by the lunatic in their house.”
Harrison’s son, Dhani, who attended the proceedings with his mother Olivia was not moved by the letter, telling BBC reporters, “It’s tragic anyone should suffer such a mental breakdown. We can never forget he was full of hatred and violence when he came into our home. Naturally the prospect of him being released back into society is abhorrent to us.”
“We will now continue to rebuild our lives,” Dhani said, adding that his father was “doing fine.”