Thursday 11 July 2013

And The Crown Prosecution Service has decided....

....That the video evidence against the two identified assailants of my son (the third attacker was never identified) was not sufficient to warrant a prosecution and so no further action was going to be taken.

So my son, who still has no feeling on one side of his face after some nine months and has a metal plate in his jaw, has gone through all of the trauma of the attack; the painful recovery process; the loss of 6 weeks earnings and the inevitable psychological impact for nothing.

Justice? Remind me - what exactly is it? - because it is sadly missing in this case.

I hope the two gentleman who were arrested and no doubt advised to play the 'no comment' card by some lawyer never have the occasion to have to go through what my son did....then again, perhaps I do hope they do.

And worse.

Much worse.

22 comments:

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

David,

I know that this is not the news that you wanted to hear ... but experience tells me that these people will eventually suffer as your son has suffered. You will probably never hear about what happens to them ... but one day it will.

Please do not brood about this matter ... if you can. I hope that you and your family will be able to put this behind you.

All the best,

Bob

Graham C said...

Well why doesn't that surprise me! I had many years of dealing with the CPS and only on a rare occasion was I impressed.
Hope your son makes a full recovery and his assailants get their just deserts in the future

Quantrilltoy said...

my sympathies are with you and your son. The law must provide a suitably severe penalty to match the crime. People can talk about reforming prisoners or that prisons only make inmates worse.
However, keep some one in jail for a long time and he is not harming anyone outside of jail in that time. In the case of capital punishment you can say it does not deter but it bloody well deters the person executed 'cause he won't be doing it again.
Society needs to be protected from violent criminals.
There is something else. We expect justice to be done because, unlike in many historical times we no longer take the law into our own hands. Yet we do tend to cheer for the vigilante in all those films who flattens and sometimes kills the scum of the earth.

James O

David Crook said...

Hi Bob,

We will roll with the news and get on with our lives but the disappointment and anger at the injustice of it all does gnaw away.

I know you are right - karma, what goes around etc - and that is something we take a measure of comfort from.

It would have been nice to seen justice served though.

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Graham,

Many thanks for your kind words on both counts. Disappointment with the CPS barely scraps the surface....

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi James,

Thank you for your words of sympathy - they are much appreciated. You make a valid point about punishment and the thing that really upsets me, aside from the effect it has had on my son and the family, is the fact that these two low lives are free to do the same thing again.

Whilst I also cheer for the vigilante in the films it mainly because they are 'doing' what we would be 'feeling' in similar circumstances - however, we rely on the forces of law and order to protect us and they sometimes get it wrong.

All the best,

DC

tradgardmastare said...

David such vexing news for you and your family.I am sorry indeed to hear this. Sometimes there seems to be little or no justice to be obtained in our Society.Your family have suffered and the perps are free to do it again.
I agree with Bob re not brooding ( I know it will not be easy) but try to move towards moving on.That way the perps lose.Don't let it eat you all up or the perps win,
take care all of you.
Alan

Rob Young said...

You have my sympathy on this. I have to admit that I don't have as high a regard for our justice system as I feel people should have - it doesn't work for the advantage of the victim.

The Angry Lurker said...

What a load of bollox, sorry to hear this David, a pox on them!

BigLee said...

It's stories like this that make an ass of the Law. Those two scumbags are probably laughing their heads off and have just been emboldened to do it again in the future. I fail to see how the CPS can see that as anything other then a 'win' for the bad guys.

I can fully appreciate why you feel so let down and angry about the whole affair. Best wishes to you and your family and try (if you can) to put this behind you.

johntheone said...

It seems to be a sign of the times that the CPS wont go to court

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

Life is sh*t at times.... can you bring a private prosecution, or do you just want to move on?

Sean said...

I'm sorry that justice was not served. I hope your family can put this behind you and that your son is able to make a full physical and mental recovery.

Chris said...

Zeesh--and I thought stupidity in the justice system was just an American phenomenon! One redeeming development over here has been the ability of the victim to bring a civil suit against the perpetrator for lost wages, pain and suffering, etc. That's how O.J. was nailed; the jury awarded the victims' families a huge settlement against him, ruling out his ever being able to live the good life again. Is that possible for you? I can't think of a more worthy cause...

Best regards and my deepest sympathy,

Chris

David Crook said...

Gentlemen all,

Life goes on and we will bend with this particular breeze. After some deliberation I can see the point of the CPS although whilst obviously not agreeing with them. It is just so frustrating for all the reasons mentioned and it lessens one's faith in a system that is so ready to throw in the towel.

Many, many thanks for all your comments and good wishes - my post was written from a dark place and you have all served to lighten this for which I am eternally grateful.

All the very best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Chris,

That is an option and we also have the right to appeal against the CPS (which we are doing) but it just seems that we are having to fight for justice that should be taken as a given.

Many thanks though for your words of support.

All the best,

DC

Chris Kemp said...

Dear David,

Please pass on these thoughts to your son : I was assaulted twice during a retailing career*. I was lucky, in that if you know what you are loking for , you can see the scars, but I'm still a devilishly handsome chap, and the transient pain has been forgotten.

The courts were rubbish. I expected that, and was not too disappointed. It was hard for the first couple of years to accept that someone had walked into my shop, stolen stuff, and assaulted me when I tried to stand up for myself without support from the Police. That passed, when I decided that I would get on with doing what I was good at.

I haven't spent much of my life since wondering what happened to them, History has forgotten them, they don't get a mention during family gatherings and the good times. They are irrelevent to the human condition, like acne.

My observation would be that some time in the future after your next excellent adventure you will realise with surprise that you didn't think about what happened in the past at all. That realisation was a source of some satisfaction to me at the time.

You have a future.

Kind regards, Chris

* Retailing was far more dangerous than soldiering :O)

Hadik said...

My heart goes out to you. With sons of my own, I cannot imagine the anger and sadness you must feel. Be strong.

David Crook said...

Hi Hadik,

Many thanks kind sir - much appreciated. My son will be 25 next month and we still get nervous when he goes out and is late home.

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Chris,

The funny thing is that aside from my post (which was written from a very dark place at the time) I am now more angry/annoyed/disappointed at the forces of law and order than the assailants. My son seems to have gotten over it far better than his parents have!

We can and will appeal against the CPS ruling but I suspect it will be a hollow gesture.

Many thanks for your thoughtful words - they are much appreciated.

All the best,

DC

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...


Not fair!

Forget the ner-do-well's
Your son needs your time David
No.1 first and foremost

Best Wishes
Mark

David Crook said...

Hi Mark,

My son seems to have gotten over this far better than his parents have! The appeal against the CPS decision is now in place so we will await the outcome and take it from there.

Onwards and upwards.

All the best,

DC