Ned Kelly as a Victim of The Police

Introduction

Ned Kelly is known as the most Famous Australian bushranger. Born in Beveridge Australia in December 1854, Ned’s father died when he was just 12 years old and he dropped out of school to start supporting his family of 12 as a result.

Ned Kelly is a victim because the police were corrupt against him and drove him into a world of crime, he was wrongfully accused of murder and only fought or killed when necessary and he was raised in a poor, discriminated against family.

Ned Kelly was an ill-treated victim, targeted by corrupt police who forced him to become an outlaw. The Vintage News states ‘Young Kelly witnessed harassment by the police as members of his family were often targeted as usual suspects due to their association with crime.’ Furthermore, Ned’s father had previous run in’s with the law causing Ned to be accused of crimes long before he became a criminal. BBC News stated that ‘If Kelly was tried today and had proper legal representation, he would never be convicted of murder because he was acting in self-defence. ’ This proves that Ned’s sentence was unfair and very poorly judged. Ned Kelly is definitely a victim because police drove him into a world of crime and they were corrupt against him.

Ned Kelly was wrongfully accused of murder and only fought or killed when necessary. During the Stringybark Creek incident Ned killed 3 police officers, but in his defense he was protecting himself. Page 29 of the Jerilderie Letter states ‘This cannot be called wilful murder for I was compelled to shoot them or lie down and let them shoot me…’ This means that Ned Kelly was only acting in self-defense and that he was obliged to shoot the police officers before they did the same to him. This is proof that Ned Kelly is a victim because he was accused of wrong doings and sentenced harshly for acting in self-defense.

Finally, Ned Kelly is a victim because he was raised in a poor, Irish family that faced discrimination. They were an underprivileged, selector family who were discriminated severely because of this. ‘They claim that Ned Kelly was a victim of his circumstances. He lived in a society of inequality between rich and poor… Irish Catholics and English Protestants.’ (The Age , 2003) This means that Ned lived in a world of discrimination and proves that he was judged based on his financial state and nationality. Many hardships would’ve come from this discrimination and this could possibly have been the reason Ned outlawed.

Conclusion

To conclude, Ned Kelly is unquestionably a victim of his circumstances for a number of important reasons. Ned was targeted and driven into a world of crime by corrupt police, he was accused wrongfully of murder and he only fought or killed when necessary. He was also raised in a poor discriminated against family. These reasons definitely prove that Ned Kelly is a persecuted victim.