I don’t normally cover these stories. Usually I’d expect Julia to pick them up. However, this one reminds me that nothing has changed since the death of Victoria Climbié.
I am not someone who dotes on children. Indeed, I find their presence makes me feel awkward so I tend to avoid them. This is why Mrs L and I never had children. However, I cannot grasp the sheer evil necessary to do what was done to this little boy. Even I, someone who tends to be distant when it comes to children, found myself with tears in my eyes as I read what he’d been through. This poor little mite was not only cruelly tortured before being killed, he was, like Victoria two decades ago, left to the devices of these monsters by the state in one of the few times when it has a duty to intervene.
There needs to be not only a full investigation into the failures, but sackings at the very least and where appropriate prosecutions.
My usual robust objection to the death penalty finds itself wavering when faced with monsters such as these two. I understand that Tustin has been complaining that the other prisoners are mistreating her in jail. Well, boo hoo. Maybe they will get the justice they deserve while there.
Yes, I know – bad cases make for bad law, but in this instance, I am indulging my emotions and why not?
I hope the cretins calling for lockdowns read this tale and feel
A real sense of shame. The part where his uncle was threatened with arrest for ‘breaching lockdown’ laws when he had been notified by the little boy of his treatment and lack of food really made me incandescent with fury. Maybe the necessary law to make lockdown illegal and advocacy of it a criminal offence could be called ‘Arthur’s law’
Like you, I consider myself relatively inured to the outrages of the past few decades but this one moved me to tears. In some ways I think her living in morbid fear of attack by ANY other inmate would be a fitting punishment, even taking into account the cost. As you say, pure, unadulterated evil.
I think the sight of that child with his smile just hit me. Everyone failed him at some point.
The education system in England must be amazing. I’m reading every day about different “lessons being learnt”.
And they never are.
Even the news reader on the telly was losing it
Stories like these simultaneously make me despair for humanity, but strangely give me hope.
These people are scum. Plain and simple. They deserve the death penalty or to be locked up in an oubliette and left to starve – fitting for what they did to a defenceless child who depended on them for everything.
It makes me despair – how could anyone stoop so low? There is true evil in this world, and these two are an example of it incarnate.
On the other hand, the people who are societies misfits and reject, Those who prey on other people and don’t care about hurting others, look at what they did and are appalled – and they are exactly the sort to exact punitive vengeance. (Good.)
It shows that there are corrective mechanisms inherent in humans and that maybe there’s hope for us yet – that even the worst of us have limits that aren’t that easy to get past and that when they are passed, a correction is inevitable.
The lack of self awareness is astonishing in this woman as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to find she’s clinically a psychopath. Complaining about having salt thrown at her after what she did. Though now she’s been convicted, she should be more concerned about what they’re going to throw at her next. I understand boiling sugar water is a favourite…
And she deserves every last drop.
Him too.
Everything that happens in Social Services is with the implied knowledge and permission of the head of that county’s Social Services. Everything that happens in that county’s Police force is with the implied knowledge of that Chief Constable. So, why haven’t these incompetent, negligent, morons not resigned, or be required to resign? Along with them should be the local Social Services manager and the Police Chief Superintendent. Will it happen? Of course not. The fact that lessons will be learnt is enough to pacify the zombies of this world.
The first case like this that I was old enough to understand was that of Maria Colwell in the early 70s. We’ve had half a century since then to improve social services. What precisely has been accomplished?
One problem is that social workers are often quite young and may have entered the field from university. Usually middle class with good intentions but they are afraid of these kind of families and reluctant to confront them. Said families are expert at fooling them and using social security to their maximum benefit. When I was a child in Scotland, before social workers! We had what we used to call the ‘ cruelty men’ who were called in if suspected cruelty or neglect was reported or suspected. Many were retired police and ex army and the culprits were afraid of them rather than the other way round. I could hardly read the story of that poor child and hope they suffer in jail. I was at one time a bit involved with child cases as a member of the Children’s Panel. Some awful cases but also horrified by the attitudes of some social workers, this was at the time of the child abuse hysteria. They believed the most ridiculous things which a moments thought would have made clear and the methods used to try and coerce small children into agreeing with them reprehensible. Maybe one day we will get it right.
Lots of outrage from the fraternity normally screaming “pro-choice!”
So then, please define in more detail: which children can be murdered and which cannot?