Parliamentary sketch – Killers treated better than victims!

Killers treated better than victims!

Killers should be given lesser “rights” than their victims.  A victim, and their grieving family, should be given greater consideration and protection than the killer.  Or so most of us think…

However, when a husband kills his wife (or vice versa) he continues to enjoy “next of kin” rights!

Should a child be placed with the killer’s family or the victim’s blood relatives?  Should the victim’s personal effects, diaries, estate, family heirlooms go to the killer’s family or to the victim’s blood relatives?  Who should have the greatest right of “appeal” against Court rulings and sentencing?

If there’s any natural justice then, like me, you’d expect the victim’s family to have the greatest rights and consideration.  But you’ll be shocked to learn that, if a killer is “next of kin” he enjoys greater rights than that of the victim’s family.  The victim’s family even have to ask the killer for permission to give the victim a funeral!

This can’t be right and that’s why I called a debate this week to ask a Home Office Minister to answer questions.

I have raised these issues on behalf of Joanne Bryce, a constituent from St Ives.  (Many will know her late husband, Alex, who died last year.)  Joanne’s sister, Claire Oldfield-Hampson, was killed by her husband, David Hampson, on 25th September 1996 at their home in the town of March, Cambridgeshire.  He buried her body in the garden.  Claire’s body was exhumed on 16th December 1998.  In what I’ve described as “horrific injustice”, at the subsequent Court hearing Hampson was convicted of the diminished charge of “manslaughter” of his wife.  This plea was accepted because the Crown Prosecution Service and the Judge accepted that Hampson had “suffered” psychologically from the effects of his wife’s “nagging”!

The killer was deemed to be “next of kin” and so enjoyed those “rights”.  This cannot be correct!

Joanne and I are fighting for justice.  We are encouraged at the reopening of the Stephen Lawrence case and are seeking many of the “mishandled” matters relating to this case to be put right.

 Clamping down on benefit recipients?

At a time when the Chancellor is blowing the whistle on unemployed and low income benefit recipients, I’ve asked Government Ministers to explain why it is that hundreds of large landowners will continue to receive £million cheques of tax payers’ money which they don’t need – through the Common Agricultural Policy – just because they own farmland?  I’ve nothing against supporting marginal family farms in areas like ours, but, when public finances are under pressure, Ministers need to explain why this happens.

 

Andrew George MP

Kernow a’n West ha Syllan

West Cornwall and the Scillies

Kwartron Porthia

Constituency of St Ives

Tel:  01736 360020

Fax:  01736 332866

 

9th July 2013