Black sheep

The news today is not great. It has sadly been dominated by crimes which we would probably rather not hear about. Yesterday, a man was jailed for the murder of five year old April Jones. Today, on my way home, I drove past a mass of police and forensic officers and later learned they were investigating a body believed to be that of the missing teenager, Georgina Williams. Earlier this week, the first of the two men responsible for the murder of Lee Rigby was released from hospital to embark on the legal process which will doubtless incarcerate him for many years to come. The two young men who murdered the Shropshire busker Ben Bebbington by a canal path last September were today given sentences of 16 and 14 years respectively before being considered for parole.

I write this because as bad as these stories are, they are not new. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that the world is a more evil place today than in days gone by. There will sadly always be people of this type. Thankfully, they are newsworthy for their scarcity. I always find it very difficult to understand what must drive anybody to consider taking the life of another. During the past week, strong emotions have been expressed in the wake of the killing of Lee Rigby. Calls to bring back hanging are never too far away when we are confronted by events of this magnitude. Such calls though would be misguided. We have come a long way since Ruth Ellis faced the noose and I would argue our approach since has been far more civilised. I do have sympathy with those who point to the paucity of some of these sentences though. The two lads in Shropshire could conceivably be released in fourteen and sixteen years time which seems rather at odds with the years denied to the innocent man they murdered. An eye for an eye though is a big step backwards to the dark ages from which we pertain to have moved away.

Doubtless, the law will deal very firmly with the two extremists responsible for last weeks' murder outside Woolwich barracks. I shouldn't imagine the two responsible will ever be considered for release because of the seriousness of the crime and their stated potential to repeat it. At a time when fewer people seem to profess a faith, it is regrettable that they have chosen to attribute their act to their faith. There is no such faith which would condone such an outrage. It is easy to forget what a great comfort faith is and can be to millions of people the world over. It does not follow that they will all become murderers in due course.

While all the cases to which I have referred here are distressing, the case of April Jones is arguably the worst. Whatever your opinions of the claims of the two men in Woolwich, at least we know why they did what they did. I'm damn sure we none of us agree with their reasoning but at least they have given us an explanation no matter how unpalatable. I just can't imagine how difficult it must be for the family of Lee Rigby. As for the family of April Jones, they will perhaps never know. Last August, 78 year old Winnie Johnson died. Her son Keith Bennett had been murdered by Myra Hindley and Ian Brady forty five years earlier. I can't imagine a more cruel fate than being condemned to live the rest of your life not knowing. For the sake of April's parents, I hope the man responsible for the death of their daughter has one shred of decency in him and reveals the truth - that is surely the very least they deserve.