The Big Picture?

Bob Hinton has been accused several times of stalking the author of "Epiphany" with alleged "evidence" being posted on the "Exposing" blog.

A recurring story about Bob is that he obtained a photograph of Karen's husband by some nefarious method. Supposedly Bob's derogatory comments about Mr Trenouth are a thinly veiled threat designed to intimidate Karen by proving how easily he can obtain personal and confidential information about her.

Like much of Mr Hinton's "stalking", the facts are somewhat less alarming.

During an exchange with Bob, after confirming that she lived in Sudbury, Karen posted a long, rather humorous and apparently good-natured message that said, in part:

So, when can I expect your arrival, Bob? Just remember though - I have a wood-block knife set by the door. Plus, my husband is 6 foot 2 and 250 pounds! Everyone says he looks like Tom Selleck. Have you ever been to Ontario, Bob? It's beautiful - lots of lakes!!

To which Bob later responded:

Dear Karen,

"Plus, my husband is 6 foot 2 and 250 pounds! Everyone says he looks like Tom Selleck"

So he doesn't look like his photograph then?

And that's it. A smart ass reply to an equally smart ass post. Never did (or has) Bob ever claim to have a photograph of Karen's husband, much less used such a photo to threaten Karen. If anything, Karen should be relieved that Bob chose not to take the explicit threat in Karen's post seriously, but instead accepted that it was a joke and responded in kind.

This one of the reasons why there is a common view that Karen is somewhat impredictable. When in a mellow mood, she is prepared to joke or chat with people: however when her mood (inevitably) turns sour and she feels persecuted, everything that anyone has said to her becomes evidence of stalking, harassment, or intimidation. The smallest remark is inflated and distorted in a way calculated to make her look like the victim and the other person like the aggressor.

There are many examples of this type of distortion. This one was chosen because it demonstrates how a simple comment can become something totally different in Karen's retelling. It was also chosen because despite Karen repeating the new and improved version of the story many times, the truth can be readily seen by simply reading the original posts.

This is not to say that Karen has never been abused, or that she has deserved the treatment that she has received by many in the Ripper world-- and likely outside it too. We believe that Karen has had a very difficult time of things and we sympathize with her. However, just because a person has been a victim in some cases does not mean that they have been the victim in all cases. Nor does it entitle that person to in turn victimize others at will, including those who have defended or supported her in the past--a tendency of Karen's that even her allies at the "Exposing" blog have noticed and commented on several times.