When I heard the news that Alan Barnes, a 67 year old man who is just over four feet tall and suffers from impaired vision was mugged outside his home in Gateshead, I had the worst kind of thoughts about this country. I tire of hearing that Britain is going to the dogs because despite the best – or should that be the worst? – efforts of the Daily Mail, it isn’t. I always argue with people that the grass really isn’t greener on the other side and all the problems we have are not uncommon to other countries around the world. But when you read of an incident like this, it’s not a good place from which to argue. Until Katie Cutler came along.
Mr Barnes did not want to return to his home after this sickening and cowardly attack and who could blame him? He must have been extremely fearful that the half-witted lowlife who attacked him might come back and finish the job off. He’d had his collar bone broken. What might end up being broken next time?
Katie Cutler read about his story and set out to raise £500 towards the cost of finding Mr Barnes somewhere else to live and as I write she has raised £225,000. Some 17,000 people have so far donated in a couple of short days and now the dream of him getting a new home will surely come true.
And this is why Britain isn’t broken. Words cannot describe how I feel about Mr Barnes’ assailant. What could possibly have been going through his mind when he attacked this frail old man? Did it not occur to him how awful was the act he was about to carry out? Did he not have the slightest conscience twinge? If the person – I hesitate to call him a man because real men don’t do things like this – has the slightest amount of decency and contrition he has to do this: hand himself into the police, admit what he has done and apologise to Mr Barnes. Indeed he should apologise to all of us for defacing the society in which we live. Although a real man would never have carried out this assault, he would certainly now hold his hands up and beg for forgiveness.
I have known some hard cases in my life but I have never come across, nor would I wish to, someone who was capable of hurting a vulnerable person who couldn’t even see properly.
Perhaps Mr Barnes might even forgive the person who turned his life upside down, I don’t know, but I do know that he deserves a full, unqualified apology.
We are still a strong society, a good country with an overwhelming majority of decent, compassionate people. We aren’t going to stand for this, sorry. Whoever did this will be hunted down. Someone will know him, maybe someone will shop him. I know I would. I don’t want this person to be physically punished – although I know he would be if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time – but this is not the time for mob rule and vigilantism. Be a man, grow a pair, hand yourself in.
Get well soon, Mr Barnes, and know that the vast majority of us are right behind you. And David Cameron? Invite Katie Cutler to Number 10 straight away and thank her on behalf of the whole country. She spoke and acted for the vast majority of us.
