[name_m]Trigger[/name_m] Warning (not blurred): death caused by negligence
[name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] " [name_f]Kate[/name_f] " [name_u]Demeter[/name_u] Tarras (57) is the judge who precided over the trial of the joyrider who left Mai’s husband paralysed from the waist down. Criminal cases based around negligent behaviour are Kate’s speciality, as when she was only seven, her parents died after a carbon monoxide leak in their home, which was caused by no maintenance checks being provided to the building and the landlord actively putting off them as he didn’t want to spend the money. [name_f]Kate[/name_f] only survived because she’d spent the night at her granny’s house, and wrestled with guilt throughout her early teens, thinking if she’d been home, somehow she could have saved them. Although she’s managed to get out of this thought process, with the help of proper therapy and a very supportive family network - especially her grandmother who’s still alive and living in the cosy house all her relatives picture fondly when they’re not popping by - it’s what sparked Kate’s interest in criminal justice. While the man who’s actions led to her parents deaths was convicted and sentenced time in prison, she wanted to help others find closure, leading to her journey: first a junior assistant, then a prosecutor, and now a judge.
In spite of carrying a foreboding reputation for how she holds herself in the court room, Kate’s not a woman without empathy. She always makes time to speak to the families post-verdict and if someone shows genuine remorse, she’s willing to help them seek the right help; as she wants to prevent more terrible things happening instead of just throwing people away and not bothering to do more. With the young man who severely injured Mr Tham - so badly he’ll never be able to walk again - there was only excuses and a degree of victim blaming to make things even worse, which not only angered [name_f]Kate[/name_f] but disappointed her, as she’d hoped he’d see the error of his ways and think about the father who’s life he’d changed in a traumatic, needless manner. She was clear to not shame or attack his family though, people who’s guilt made up for his lack of, and explained to them why she chose a harsher sentence when the time came. [name_f]Kate[/name_f] herself is a mother - a single parent by choice - to three kids, all adopted. They all had ties to the legal system somehow but she never lets anyone make assumptions of them because of this, and while she’s busy, always has time for them - usually going on family outings to paint pottery, as her granny loves receiving the art as gifts.