Burnt Oak Murder : Matthew Offord finally speaks

Matthew Offord MP has finally (three days after the event) responded to public pressure and given an interview to the Hendon Times.
I am taken aback by the crassness of his comments. Truly taken aback.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9147548.Hendon_MP__shocked__by_murder/

Matthew Offord, Tory MP for Hendon, said:

“These places do attract undesirable people. While it’s obviously very shocking, it’s not a new phenomenon in Barnet and across London.”

What places? Burnt Oak? Brothels? I'm not aware of any murders at brothels in Burnt Oak. This response brings complacency to a new level. In effect Offord says "It doesn't matter, it's not new and I don't care". What about the neighbours, the neighbourhood? This is Offords patch. He has no answers and no input. He adds :-

“It comes down to the prevalence of people carrying and using weapons and that’s the shocking thing. We really must get sentences to act as a deterrent."

This is nonsense. It comes down to effective community policing and good police intelligence. It comes down to MP's making sure their patch is safe. It comes down to making sure the laws we have are properly enforced.  Murder is a mandatory life sentence. Does Offord know nothing? The answer has to be prevention.  I cannot believe these comments.

One or two readers of this blog have queried why I was so upset by the comments of Tim Jones (not Tom , he's a talented singer) in the Hendon Times, regarding the Burnt Oak murder on Sunday. Let me explain why.

In the early 1990's a family friend was murdered by her husband in Edgware.  The husband then went and murdered a man he suspected of having an affair with her. I am not going to rehash the wrongs and rights of the case, but I will detail the effect on the family. Our friends mother, who at the time was in her 60's with a heart condition, was left with two grandchildren to look after aged 4 and 7. She was hounded by local and national press. All manner of stories were reported. The press made up quotes form her and other family friends. Pure speculation was presented as facts. The press reported that the two murdered people were having an affair, although this seemed unlikely to all who knew them. Sadly the only two people who could have confirmed or denied it were dead. Top QC, Michael Mansfield represented the killer and did a fine job of defending his clients behaviour.

What appalled me was the effect on the Mother of the victim and her children. They had no rights. The children returned to school to hear all manner of comments. The mother was asked all manner of questions by the press, which she couldn't answer. She was driven to the edge as friends and neighbours saw articles. Some were sympathetic, some confrontational, some just ignored her. The daughters diary, which provided a huge insight into the case was dismissed by the court as "hearsay".

What I soon realised is that people believe what they read in the press. Even when it is total fabrication. Press often say "The police told us". The police deny it. Victim support offer tea and sympathy, but the criminal justice system is really a business. Once the case was done and dusted, the press move on. Celebrity lawyers move to their next case, having chalked up "a good result". The children in my friends case were lucky enough to move abroad. The mother never truly recovered, but threw the Mill Hill and Edgware Times in the bin when it was delivered, religously for the rest of her life. She never recovered from the bitterness of how her daughter was portrayed.

This was in the days before the internet, twitter and instant news. The press then had the time and opportunity to check the facts, but they got most of them wrong. When I read the stories about the Burnt Oak murder, it all came back. I thought "what is the victims mum thinking. What will their children think. Is this the whole story. What is the other side of the story? We haven't hear that yet.