Two Young Boys Tortured in a Small Mining Town in Yorkshire
I have had to really steel myself to read about the appalling case of the tortured boys from Edlington.
I have two children myself and although mine are older now, I can remember all too clearly the worry when they didn't come home at the time they said they would, or if they didn't happen to be where I thought they were etc.
I am sure most parents are the same, but few could possibly imagine the horror of what these parents must have endured when they learned the sickening extent of the ordeal suffered by their young boys.
The victims, aged just 9 and 11 years, have had hospital treatment and are receiving counselling.
They, along with their families, have the sympathy of the nation.
What they don't have, however, is justice.
The attackers, boys themselves of 10 and 11 years, have been taken to a young offenders prison, for an indeterminate period of time where they will be 'rehabilitated'.
In five years time their sentence will be evaluated and there is a chance they could be released.
Their mother has been moved from her home by police for 'her own protection' and their father continues to live in the same village where the attack took place.
None of family have been named, all of their identities being protected.
To my mind, both the mother and the father of the attackers should be thrown into prison, with the key thrown after them.
I do not believe that their sons are solely responsible for the assault, the main perpetrators of this crime are the parents, who have turned two innocents into man-made monsters with no consciences.
These boys have never been taught how to behave, they have probably never felt loved or valued, they could not understand the meaning of respect, or trust, in fact they probably have not even heard these words spoken at home.
I see these boys as no different to wild animals who have been unleashed from their parents' den of iniquity.
Moreover, they are more dangerous than even the most ferocious of wild beast, as they didn't attack to survive, they attacked to assuage their boredom and to live out the violent and sexual fantasies that they have witnessed on appalling films, which they should never have been allowed to see.
I read that there had been a sign outside the family home which read' Beware of the Kids'.
How can any self-respecting parent allow a sign like that? It is tantamount to admitting that the children pose a threat to anyone approaching the house and it completely sums up the attitude of the mother and father of these boys, who do not deserve the title of parents.
The papers and TV news channels are busy reporting that the blame lies with the government, citing that the over-availability of benefits allowed the parents to stay at home, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol and watching violent, pornographic films.
Whilst that is all very well, there are plenty of families claiming benefits for genuine reasons who produce fine, upstanding and well-rounded children, who don't resort to mindless, immoral activity.
Other fingers of blame point to the Social Services who failed to have the boys removed from what was so obviously an unsuitable home for children.
The police too have come under attack, being accused of not communicating adequately with social services, thereby contributing to the mistake of allowing the two boys in question to be fostered by an elderly couple, just three weeks before they launched their horrific attack.
Apparently there had been many many calls to the authorities about incidents of anti-social behaviour and violence but because the children were under the age of criminal responsibility, nothing had been done.
The papers list some of the horrendous crimes carried out by the older siblings, e.
g.
stabbing and mugging an elderly woman, burglary, actual bodily harm, threatening and abusive behaviour etc.
It is so easy for the social services to blame the police, and the police to blame bureaucracy, but surely, the buck must stop with the parents? These parents need to named and shamed and punished.
All the while that parents know that they are not ultimately accountable for their childrens' crimes, there is no deterrent against this type of abuse.
These people created monsters and have delivered them to a life of misery, a misery which has now spread into other peoples' lives, and which could potentially destroy anyone in their path.
What do you think can be done? What should we be doing to prevent this kind of thing happening again and what punishment is fitting both for the parents and the offenders?
I have two children myself and although mine are older now, I can remember all too clearly the worry when they didn't come home at the time they said they would, or if they didn't happen to be where I thought they were etc.
I am sure most parents are the same, but few could possibly imagine the horror of what these parents must have endured when they learned the sickening extent of the ordeal suffered by their young boys.
The victims, aged just 9 and 11 years, have had hospital treatment and are receiving counselling.
They, along with their families, have the sympathy of the nation.
What they don't have, however, is justice.
The attackers, boys themselves of 10 and 11 years, have been taken to a young offenders prison, for an indeterminate period of time where they will be 'rehabilitated'.
In five years time their sentence will be evaluated and there is a chance they could be released.
Their mother has been moved from her home by police for 'her own protection' and their father continues to live in the same village where the attack took place.
None of family have been named, all of their identities being protected.
To my mind, both the mother and the father of the attackers should be thrown into prison, with the key thrown after them.
I do not believe that their sons are solely responsible for the assault, the main perpetrators of this crime are the parents, who have turned two innocents into man-made monsters with no consciences.
These boys have never been taught how to behave, they have probably never felt loved or valued, they could not understand the meaning of respect, or trust, in fact they probably have not even heard these words spoken at home.
I see these boys as no different to wild animals who have been unleashed from their parents' den of iniquity.
Moreover, they are more dangerous than even the most ferocious of wild beast, as they didn't attack to survive, they attacked to assuage their boredom and to live out the violent and sexual fantasies that they have witnessed on appalling films, which they should never have been allowed to see.
I read that there had been a sign outside the family home which read' Beware of the Kids'.
How can any self-respecting parent allow a sign like that? It is tantamount to admitting that the children pose a threat to anyone approaching the house and it completely sums up the attitude of the mother and father of these boys, who do not deserve the title of parents.
The papers and TV news channels are busy reporting that the blame lies with the government, citing that the over-availability of benefits allowed the parents to stay at home, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol and watching violent, pornographic films.
Whilst that is all very well, there are plenty of families claiming benefits for genuine reasons who produce fine, upstanding and well-rounded children, who don't resort to mindless, immoral activity.
Other fingers of blame point to the Social Services who failed to have the boys removed from what was so obviously an unsuitable home for children.
The police too have come under attack, being accused of not communicating adequately with social services, thereby contributing to the mistake of allowing the two boys in question to be fostered by an elderly couple, just three weeks before they launched their horrific attack.
Apparently there had been many many calls to the authorities about incidents of anti-social behaviour and violence but because the children were under the age of criminal responsibility, nothing had been done.
The papers list some of the horrendous crimes carried out by the older siblings, e.
g.
stabbing and mugging an elderly woman, burglary, actual bodily harm, threatening and abusive behaviour etc.
It is so easy for the social services to blame the police, and the police to blame bureaucracy, but surely, the buck must stop with the parents? These parents need to named and shamed and punished.
All the while that parents know that they are not ultimately accountable for their childrens' crimes, there is no deterrent against this type of abuse.
These people created monsters and have delivered them to a life of misery, a misery which has now spread into other peoples' lives, and which could potentially destroy anyone in their path.
What do you think can be done? What should we be doing to prevent this kind of thing happening again and what punishment is fitting both for the parents and the offenders?
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