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."

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

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