Spider bite no excuse for rape, court says
 

(gg)

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man who kidnapped and raped a woman blamed his actions on a spider, localmedia reported on Thursday. Philip Spiers pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape,but told a court that the poison from a funnel-webspider bite had left him with a viral illness whichled to his actions. But a toxicologist told the New South Wales stateDistrict Court there was no medical evidence tosuggest a spider bite could be responsible for angerand hatred. Spiers, who kidnapped and raped the woman in 1997, wassentenced on Wednesday to eight years in jail.

He's just now getting sentenced? It's 10 years later!