[jambutty]

As a victim of crime on 10 occasions I feel that I have more right to make my feelings known than those who have not been a victim and only spout what they think they will feel.

You do not know how you will feel until you have experienced it.

7 burglaries (8 if you count the night-time break in of a newsagents that I managed), 1 vehicle being torched plus several cases of vehicle vandalising, 1 mugging by some glue sniffing turd who wanted my bag of chips that left me battered and bruised and 1 GBH that put me in hospital.

The initial feeling is “I wish that it hadn’t happened”. Immediately followed by “I’d like to rip the thug’s heart out.” In other words revenge. Then the law abiding side of me kicked in and I hoped that the torags would be caught and punished.

Sadly only one burglar was caught and the thug who put me in hospital. I have no idea what happened to both.

When my son on his bike was hit by a drunken driver and put into hospital (Booth Hall) on a life support machine and unconscious for a week I wanted to tear the driver limb from limb. The last thing on my mind was ‘let the law handle it’. In the end I had to settle for the law taking its course but a 12 months ban and a fine was nowhere near enough punishment.

It didn’t take into account the victim’s weeks of loss of memory and the frustration and anger at having to learn simple tasks all over again. Not forgetting the 6 months of no school because of memory loss. The blinding headaches that still occur today.

It didn’t take into account the nightmare that I found myself in. Could I agree to switching off the life support if it came to that?

So unless you have actually been a victim of a serous crime you know diddly squat and your moral outrage towards capital punishment is a sham.