February Senior Moment

Monday, 20 February 2012

Justice for Pauline

Cowering in her bedroom and doubtless terrified, Pauline Reddick must have felt confused and helpless as two thugs rummaged through her home downstairs. Although they did not assault her, it is likely they hastened her death. As a coroner was later to record, she died that same day at the age of 80 from a stroke, in all probability caused by the trauma.

By all accounts, the police did an excellent job of tracing the culprits and the young criminals were rightly convicted. At this stage Pauline’s family, their lives ruined, may have taken a small crumb of comfort in seeing justice done.

But now even that has been taken from them. It has emerged that the despicable duo involved in the raid are already back on the streets after just six months’ detention. As one of them sneered to his friends on the internet: “Six months. Haa! Bring it on easy!” One cannot imagine the further pain this caused Pauline’s family. But this does not mean that we must sit by passively. Charlotte Leslie, the MP for Bristol North West, has already lent her support to our campaign to seek proper justice, proper sentencing for those behind such heinous crimes.

As Ms Leslie so succinctly puts it: “In the justice system, it is still the case that it can seem the rights of criminals are put above those of the victims or their families. This is particularly traumatic for our most vulnerable groups, like the elderly.” It is high time the law also recognised this.

Roses are ... trouble

The most touching article in this Valentine’s month issue of Mature Times will, I fear, also prove to be the most explosive. It transpires that for the last 70 years since they first met and fell in love, Jack Mills has presented his wife, Millie, with a bunch of flowers every single week, without fail. How wonderfully uplifting! How romantic! And, I suspect, how wrong of us to publish it. I can’t help thinking the piece, on page five, is destined to invite unfavourable comparisons throughout the length and breadth of the country. I can visualise it now: marriages and other long term relationships will creak and strain amidst cries along the lines of, “There, see, that’s how you treat a lady!” Sorry chaps, I didn’t think that one through.