Every day there is something. Another story of a woman being raped.
A woman murdered. Violated. Abused.
And almost every time, women look at the sentencing and we weep.
We weep for the victims and we weep for the kick in the teeth by a justice system that seems hellbent on throwing a protective cloak around the man responsible, because it is mostly men, and steering them on a path to rehabilitation.
This week, we featured two incredibly brave women – Julie Spence and Carol Burns – who have joined forces to call for tougher sentences for sex offenders.
They waived their right to anonymity and spoke out about their own ordeals to highlight the lenient jail terms sex criminals receive in Scotland.
Julie was raped in her own home while her attacker was out on bail and Carol says she was abused by a music teacher at school.
Harpal Singh Sehra was sentenced to just four years for repeatedly raping Julie while her children slept in the house.
William Wright was given just 20 months for abusing a girl between 1977 and 1992. Charges that he abused Carol and another woman were dropped.
It’s a familiar story. Not just as reporters but as members of the public. We have all, at one time or another, railed at the seemingly cold, heartless justice system for the way it treats victims and appears to cosy up to offenders with inscrutably light sentences. Who can possibly be punished, let alone “rehabilitated”, in 20 months?
You can’t tell me that someone with decades upon decades of history of abusing children can suddenly be “fixed” in the 10 months actual jail time he would do.
Or a rapist who had so little regard for his victim he carried out his attack while children were nearby will come out of prison four years later with new-found respect for women and will keep his grubby little paws where they belong.
Do-gooders are going to tell me that sending these men to the harsh environments of prison doesn’t prevent re-offending because, wait for it, jail has a negative impact on them. A brutal existence. Sorry, what? What about the brutality shown to their victims?
It might make the poor souls unhappy but for 20 months or four years, one more woman is safe from suffering at their hands.
But they had miserable lives themselves. They were abused, they didn’t have a job; he was made redundant and it changed him; he witnessed violence in his own home. On and on goes the hand-wringing and excuses for the despicable behaviour women suffer.
Having a job or something meaningful in their lives didn’t stop these men from offending.
Wright was a respected music teacher in a school. Wipe away that veneer of respectability and he was just a pervert with dark, twisted desires involving innocent children.
We need to integrate them with society, the criminologists tell us. Protect them against the downward spirals that lead to offending.
Wright was already integrated in society – he was a trusted member of the community, for goodness sakes. How much more joined did he need to be?
I could list countless “meaningful” jobs of killers, rapists and sexually violent men. Social status, background and your job mean nothing.
There is no “disorder” that compels rape. And, yes, there are many motives behind any sexual offence. But that doesn’t mean those who commit such offences should be treated with kid gloves and receive sympathy.
Violation of your body is one of the cruellest crimes. Victims are left with feelings of self-loathing, rage, blame and disgust that have repercussions for the rest of their lives. Sexual offences range widely but for the most serious – rape and the abuse of children – society rightly demands and expects the perpetrators to be punished.
By all means, teach the narcissist with hostile feelings against women some empathy and give guidance to the pervert paedophile why his twisted desires are wrong.
But can you do it from behind bars while they serve very long sentences so women like me and you can feel safe in our own homes and on the street?
The death of “fearless” crime journalist Peter de Vries shook me to the core.
Not that his untimely death came as a surprise, given he had been shot at least five times – including at least once in the head – just over a week ago.
It also felt there was a sense of inevitability about the circumstances surrounding his tragic demise.
Peter, who was a household name in the Netherlands, was one of my personal heroes in the world of journalism.
Dedicated, tenacious and fiercely brave, his driving force was justice for victims.
He was afraid of no-one and proved it many times in his work.
Latterly, he had been advising a key witness in the prosecution against Ridouan Taghi, known as the Netherlands’ most-wanted criminal.
Any attack on a journalist is an attack on democracy and press freedom – and it’s happening more often.
More than 1500 reporters have been murdered worldwide since 1992.
Of course, there will always be people who want to harm reporters and none of us are ever completely safe – even in so-called civilised countries.
Well-intentioned words about protecting journalists must be backed up by action and everyone – from law enforcement to social media companies to media organisations – can and must do more to ensure all journalists can carry out their vital work without fear of repercussions.
Silencing journalists through threats, intimidation, violence, abuse and murder must never be simply considered as a “hazard of the job.”
Criminals send a message when they kill reporters. “We are in control,” they’re saying.
Peter’s motto was: “On bended knee is no way to be free.”
Amen, Peter, Amen.
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