Only Video of Irwin's Death has been Handed over to Wife

I've just recently read an article where Australian officials have confirmed that the only copy of Steve's death has been handed over to his wife Terri. They have stated that all other copies of the footage has been destroyed, and she is the only one to own the footage.

Does anyone else see a problem with this?

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Australian officials have handed the video of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's fatal encounter with a stingray to his family and destroyed any remaining copies to prevent the grisly footage from being made public, a state coroner said Thursday.

Queensland State Coroner Michael Barnes said police gave the original film of Irwin's death to his wife, Terri, in late December and that all copies of the tape, which was shot during the filming of a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef, had been destroyed.

"The footage has been the subject of widespread media interest and it was wholly appropriate that we took all possible steps to ensure something of such a personal and tragic nature did not fall into the wrong hands," Barnes said in a statement. "This is in line with the wishes of the Irwin family."

www.cnn.com...

There are a lot of people who want to see this footage. There are a lot of news stations that would probably pay money to retrieve this footage. The admission that Mr Irwin's wife is the only one to hold this footage, is opening her up to the risk of vandalism, robbery, etc., by fanatics who wish to steal the film and sell it to the highest bidder.

Was there any need to step out and say, "Hey everybody, She's got it! & Nobody else does!". ...Shop Brinks!

I fail to see the need to make this information public. I am sure most of us assumed that his wife held some sort of footage on it, but to make it so public, I believe it is quite possible that she will be the victim of some sort of break and enter to obtain the footage.

Her decision to keep the footage private, is her decision and her decision alone. I applaud her for it. Out of respect for the memory of Steve, this footage should be kept private. My curiosity peaks from time to time where I would be interested in seeing the footage, but not at the expense of the Irwin family.




[edit on 5-1-2007 by chissler]

I think it is great that she is in possession of the only copy. If I was her I'd probably destroy it.

Originally posted by Umbrax
I think it is great that she is in possession of the only copy.

Agreed. But the public confirmation of this, may pose a serious risk to her and her family.

Originally posted by Umbrax
If I was her I'd probably destroy it.

If she possesses this footage, I can see no other option than destroy it. She has openly said that, "This footage should never see the light of day", so why wouldn't she destroy it?

--

Am I making something out of nothing here? Does anyone agree that this admission on behalf of the Australian officials is unnecessary and may pose a risk?

In a morbid sense, I would like to see this video.
That being said however, I can say with absolute coviction that if this video were of a family member of mine - it would NEVER be shown, which would lead to it being exploited. I am a fan of Steve Irwin. He did things that would terrify me, and he did it with a contagious smile on his face.
God rest your soul Steve, may god shine light on the Irwin family and loved ones.
Having a very young son, I watch the Wiggles (way too much of the Wiggles in my smiling opinion) and Steve Irwin and his family were friends of the group, and made my family smile in his appearances.
The world will sorely miss the love this man brought to humanity, and moreso the wild kingdom. His memory should be of the wonderful insights he gave us to the wild kingdom, and not his dying on a video.

RIP Steve, you will be sorely missed.

Just my 2 cents.

Originally posted by chissler
Am I making something out of nothing here? Does anyone agree that this admission on behalf of the Australian officials is unnecessary and may pose a risk?

No, I whole-heartedly agree with you. If they felt a need to say anything of the sort, they should've just said "It's been released to family." Even that's a bit much IMO, but there's no need to specifically point her out.

That video is worth millions.

I want to see it.

Peace

If the video were stolen from the house, and a news station purchased the footage. Then they proceeded to play the footage for everyone to see.

Would they face a criminal action? I can see them being sued, and the perpetrator facing criminal action, but what would come of the news station who aired the footage?

It's strange that they say the only footage is in his wife's hands. I recently saw some still pictures of the stingray incident (yeh, I know it could be a fake), and they seemed to be very compelling and real photos, although I have no way to verify this.

Could this mean that only the video was given to Irwin's wife but there may be some photos out there?

Curious to know who actually owned the raw footage before it would have been used in a production? Maybe the cameraman made a duplicate before they handed the original over.

Originally posted by ben91069
I recently saw some still pictures of the stingray incident (yeh, I know it could be a fake), and they seemed to be very compelling and real photos, although I have no way to verify this.

Could you post the photos or tell us where to find them?

Peace

******warning images may be considered offensive to some***********

EXTERNAL LINK

Edit: I wanted to add, that these could have been PS'ed from some other footage of Irwin, but someone who can blow them up and look at them closer could verify if they are real or not.

[edit on 5-1-2007 by ben91069]

Damn, they look real to me. I don't know if management will allow that link due to what else is there, maybe you can just post the photos in the thread. Thanks Ben.

Peace

I started another thread with the pictures without the rest of the stuff Ben.

Peace

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's final program is complete, but the show about the sea's deadliest creatures will not include footage from the day he was killed by a stingray, his manager said Saturday.

Irwin died September 4, minutes after a poisonous barb from a stingray's tail pierced his chest while he was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef in northern Australia shooting footage for two projects, including one titled "Ocean's Deadliest."

Irwin's final moments were caught on video tape, and were used in a police investigation and coroner's examination of the death.

The original tape was returned to Irwin's widow, Terri, and all copies were destroyed, Queensland state Coroner Michael Barnes said earlier this week.

www.cnn.com...

The episode is set to air on January 21st in the United States. Footage of the day when Irwin died will not be included in the episode, however, footage from the week preceding his death will be. I hope the episode pays respect to what kind of man Irwin was and has some sort of fitting tribute at the end.

January 21st, mark the calendar, set the Tivo, do what you have to do. I don't think this is one that you'll want to miss.

I actually agree with you, you make a very good point.

Now, on the other hand, I do recall reading in numerous places that Steve Irwin once said that if he ever died he would have wanted it to be caught on tape...

Personally i'm happy for the tape to be given to the family. According to news reports here it is the first time that the queensland govt has ever done this. Usually video or tape evidence or copies thereof would stay in the hands of police or coroners dept.

As an aside it was bloody annoying to hear a news reporter state last week when a women was stabbed by a rays barb that she was attacked.
Rays do not attack humans, they defend themselves from human stupidity and ignorance.

Originally posted by ben91069
******warning images may be considered offensive to some***********

You were right. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Not the Irwin 'photos' but the rest. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww

Seriously .. I hope that it's true, that she has the only copy, and I hope she destroys it.

Ummm,

I'm not so sure those are real photo's. My reasoning - they came from the National Enquirer last September.

photos1.blogger.com...

I could care less if I see it and could care less if any of you want to see it. You nor anybody else has any right to see it. Because he was in the spotlight doesn't change anything. The man seemed like a good man for our children and his family. What else do you want from him? Leave well enough alone and worry wbout bigger problems than seeing a well like man die on video.

As far as putting her at risk, i really doubt it. She has the only video so the crook who may steal it will only get money from a private individual or he's busted. Everything will be fine as long as we remember him for the good things and not his death.

Originally posted by I See You
I could care less if I see it and could care less if any of you want to see it. You nor anybody else has any right to see it. Because he was in the spotlight doesn't change anything. The man seemed like a good man for our children and his family. What else do you want from him? Leave well enough alone and worry wbout bigger problems than seeing a well like man die on video.

Actually, it's I couldn't care less. I could care less actually defeats the whole purpose if you think about it. Semantics though, moving on.

For the most part, this thread has agreed with everything you have said. No need for the slight hostility towards us.

Originally posted by I See You
As far as putting her at risk, i really doubt it. She has the only video so the crook who may steal it will only get money from a private individual or he's busted.

That statement does nothing to indicate that she is in no physical danger. If someone is going to go to the lengths of stealing the video, then she certainly runs the risk of being the victim of a physical attack. The police have openly stated that she is the only person to have this video, anyone who is looking for it now knows they would have to go to her for it.

Originally posted by I See You
Everything will be fine as long as we remember him for the good things and not his death.

I love the optimism. But I strongly believe the police enforcement have put her in risk by stating what they have. You have agreed with the risk of this video being stolen, that alone indicates that she is in some danger. With any luck, if someone were going to steal it, they would not inflict any physical harm onto Terri Irwin. Not always the case on an intrusion. Even without a physical attack, the fact someone broke into her house would leave her in some serious discomfort.

[edit on 7-1-2007 by chissler]

Being the only video as the police stated the criminal would have a hard time making a profit without getting caught. Granted if any try they have the brain of a stegosaur. What would you do with a pop 1 video as far as selling it goes? Unless it was for a private collection it's worthless. A personal stash would not bring premium. You can't sell it on ebay without the risk of being caught. This is why I say she/Terri and family are most likely safe from this scenario.