9/26 Warwick, NY Former Employee, Fired for Child Pornography, Returned to Shoot 3 Supervisors then Self

Victor M. Piazza, 55, returned to his former workplace after he was fired 19 months ago to shoot 3 bosses before killing himself with a .38-caliber revolver. He was a quality control manager at ,Verla International, a nail polish factory when he was fired when they found child pornography on his computer at work. The previous Friday, Mr. Piazza was charged with violating his probation when officers showed up unannounced and found an open bottle of vodka and adult pornographic DVDs in his bedroom. There charges would most likely led to his detention. The two co-owners and other office manager survived but the latter is in very critical condition. "I don't remember anything unusual about him except that his wife was afraid of him," said Orange County Assistant District Attorney Robert Ostrov, who prosecuted the child pornography case. "She didn't want her daughter spending time with him. She thought he was dangerous." May of the employees of Verla also said they were not shocked Piazza was behind the shootings.

9/15 Chattanooga, TN Rent-a-Center Client Attacks When Asked for Back Payments

Gale Ford was a customer of Rent-A-Center and was late on payments. When Jonathan Nash came to collect, she came out of the door, cursing and yelling at him. As he turned to walk back to his truck, she jumped off the porch and shoved him in the back. He kept walking, but then she grabbed a hammer and started running toward him. He said her boyfriend grabbed her just in time before she could hit him with the hammer. She was taken to the County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault.

7/20 Ocean City, MD Hooters Waitress Stabs Other Over Slander

Cecily Tabia Caldwell, 19, was sentenced to seven days in jail for first- and second-degree assault and possession of a deadly weapon with intent to injure when she attacked another young female co-worker at the Hooter’s Restaurant where she worked. At approximately 11 p.m, police responded to the scene where they found Caldwell outside. The victim later admitted saying negative things about Caldwell, who later found out. As a result, Caldwell overreacted and stabbed her several times during an altercation outside of the restaurant.

8/1 St. Paul, MN Clerk Shoots Self by Accident with Gun Bought by Employer for Protection

Nail Mahmoud’ death has been ruled an accidental death as he was shot in the head while working at the Quick Stop gas station. It was determined that while he was handling the firearm, it went off, striking him in the head, after he watch he dropped the gun back in the drawer. There was gun-powder residue on his hand. The family blames the owner of the store who bought the gun after a recent attempted robbery. He allegedly trained his employees on its use and advised not to keep a round in the chamber.

Westchester County, NY Adopts Policy Barring Discrimination against Victims

Recently, the Board of Legislators of Westchester County, NY adopted their human-rights law so that landlords and employers will be forbidden from discriminating against victims of sex abuse, domestic violence and stalking.

“To bring such a claim, a person must have notified the employer or landlord of the situation by producing a police report, restraining order or testimonial from a doctor, minister, counselor or similar professional. Alternatively, the person could argue that he or she had been discriminated against simply based on perception" by filing a complaint with the county Human Rights Commission, which can issue cease-and-desist orders or demand monetary damages.

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http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050928/NEWS02/509280374/1018

9/21 Christ Church, Barbados Woman Stabbed to Death at Work

20-year-old Marissa Clarke was stabbed to death at her workplace by an assailant who had threatened her just hours before in the presence of two lawmen. An investigation of the incident and why he was not arrested when he made the threat is being conducted by the Commissioner of Police.

9/13 London, UK Former Security Guard Murders Woman, then Self

Michael Pech, 30, murdered Clare Bernal, 22, at her beauty county at Harvey Nichols, an exclusive department store. He had been a security guard there but was fired for harassing her after their brief dating relationship. Just before 7.45 pm, in breach of a court order preventing contact with his former girlfriend, Pech calmly walked into the store and began talking to Bernal across the counter. He then went behind the counter and shot her, killing her and then himself. In the following week Pech was due to be sentenced for harassing Ms Bernal and could have faced up to six months in jail. He had previous stated “If I can’t have you nobody will.”

9/12 Vallejo, CA Man Runs Over Wife

Alfred Digiandomenico, 38 allegedly ran over his wife 44-year-old Dianna Digiandomenico as they were removing a portable office trailer from the El Toro Fire Station at about 5:53 p.m. When the police arrived, she was lying in the cab of a pickup truck, where her husband put her after she fell out of the bed of truck and he ran her over with the rear wheels. Witnesses state that the couple were having an argument when the husband pulled out of the area in a cloud of dust, and that the wife, who had been sitting on the driver's side bed rail, fell off. As he apparently made a sharp U-turn, he ran over her legs and lower body as she lay on the road. The couple operated a transportation and hauling business. He is being held on an unrelated parole violation.

7/11 Sheldon, VT Sniper Kills Man on Tractor

33-year-old Kenneth "Kenny" Jerome was murdered by a sniper who shot him with a .22 while he was working on the Diamond Hill Custom Heifers farm. He lived and worked there with his girlfriend Jennifer Miller. Miller had been supporting the investigation that led to the conviction of her former husband, 36-year-old Dennis Harrness on charges of arson. Harness and his brother, Tommy, had allegedly been stalking and harassing Miller before and since the trial. While suspected by many in the community, neither have been charged yet.

AU Study Shows Prevalence of Violence against Women at Work

A new report by The Office of Women's Policy of the Victorian State in Australia suggests that violence against women at work is widespread and common. The study is called Safe at Work? Women's Experience of Violence in the Workplace and shows that 61 per cent of Victorian women have experienced violence in the workplace in the past five years. The report, which surveyed 1000 women, also showed that only 59 per cent of these women reported incidents to their employers. But there is an impact; more than 11 per cent of respondents took sick leave to deal with the problem while another 3.5 per cent were making WorkCover claims (similar to USA’s Workers Compensation). The office is accepting submission on what can be done to address this issue till November 11.

NHS (UK) Joins the Corporate Alliance against Domestic Violence

The National Health Service (NHS) has joined other organizations such as the Body Shop International, BBC, AOL Time Warner, KPMG and Vodafone to join the Corporate Alliance against Domestic Violence. The NHS is the largest employer in Europe. This association, comprised of more than two million UK workers, takes a stand against domestic violence that impacts their workplace and their employees’ lives. As part of its campaign, NHS Employers has published on-line guidance for employers and employees who know or may be victims of domestic violence.

9/2 Sagamihara, Japan Bar Patron Stalks then Slashes Waitress

Koji Nojima, 40, an unemployed man, was arrested for attempting to murder a waitress of a local bar. At around 9:53 p.m., the 33-year-old woman had just arrived at the bar when Nojima ambushed her, pushing her down and slashing her neck with a knife. Eyewitnesses alerted the police who arrested Nojima at the scene. The victim suffered slight slash wounds.
Nojima began drinking at the bar last year. After she rejected his advances, he continued to stalked her and sending e-mails to her mobile phone. Last March, the woman consulted local police over his stalking behavior. The police then instructed Nojima in May to leave the woman alone which stopped the visits to the bar and e-mails.

AU Hospital Fined $100,000 for Assault on Nurse

Hunter New England Health was fined more than $100,000 for violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act over an incident at its Morisset Psychiatric Hospital in 2001. A nurse was working alone in the hospital's courtyard when he was assaulted, requiring hospital treatment for his injuries resulting in a total of 17 days off work. The Act, similar to the USA OSHA general duty clause, requires employers to provide safe workplace for their employees. In addition to the fine, the Industrial Relations Commission directed the health service to pay the legal costs of the prosecutor.