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A martial arts enthusiast pulls a vehicle with a rope connected to his eye sockets during a performance in Hefei, Anhui province November 30, 2009. Picture taken November 30, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily

Pictures of the year: Oddly

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    Spider bite no excuse for rape, court says

    SYDNEY
    Thu Nov 1, 2007 11:57am EDT
    A Sydney funnel-web spider rears up on its hind legs as a tube used to extract venom is placed nears its claws at the Australian Reptile Park at Gosford, 100 km (60 miles) north of Sydney, January 31, 2001. REUTERS/Mark Baker

    SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man who kidnapped and raped a woman blamed his actions on a spider, local media reported on Thursday.

    Oddly Enough

    Philip Spiers pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape, but told a court that the poison from a funnel-web spider bite had left him with a viral illness which led to his actions.

    But a toxicologist told the New South Wales state District Court there was no medical evidence to suggest a spider bite could be responsible for anger and hatred.

    Spiers, who kidnapped and raped the woman in 1997, was sentenced on Wednesday to eight years in jail.
    Oddly Enough


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