I have stayed clear in this blog of writing about the ghastly murder of Becky Watts. The odds of her family and friends reading it are minimal, but in any event the story is everywhere, certainly locally. The Bristol Post, the local TV and radio stations – you cannot avoid it and nor should you. Inevitably, the national press has picked the story up and the very predictable headlines have emerged. And I find them very offensive.
Yes, I know the phrase, “The new Fred and Rose West”, originated from Becky’s dad but imagine his feelings when asked about Nathan Mitchell and Shauna Hoare. His life must be utterly ruined, his brain frazzled following a lengthy court case. The gruesome details were overwhelming and I say that as someone who has only followed the story in the media. How on earth would you have coped listening to all the gory detail in the courtroom, a few yards away from the person who was responsible for it? Who and what Mitchell and Hoare actually were is simple: Nathan Mitchell and Shauna Hoare.
Becky’s dad Darren Galsworthy who like Mitchell hang for what he has done. For all my personal feelings about (and against) capital punishment, who am I to tell him he is wrong? Put myself in his shoes, a living nightmare that might never truly go away, and how do I know that I wouldn’t feel any different? Shorn of emotion, I can argue that all killing is wrong, that I would rather Mitchell spends the rest of his natural life deprived of his freedom, all of his life. And to grow old, behind bars, never to be freed, to be constantly reminded that he will never enjoy anything that the rest of us can enjoy. That, I would argue, would represent a far better punishment than hanging him and so allowing him to never have to deal with the consequences of his evil actions. I’ll bet if I was Becky’s dad, I’d probably want to carry out any punishment myself, regardless of any consequences. How can you make any sense of logic out of it all?
These stories are, mercifully rare, but that doesn’t make them any less horrific. I feel for the police officers involved too because they were confronted with some terrible scenes during their work, they have seen things no normal human being would ever want to see. I will not repeat specifics here. It is all out there, it’s terrible.
So do not decry of disparage anyone in the family who believes Mitchell should be hanged for what he has done. Mitchell’s actions were beyond evil and depraved. He is inhuman beyond belief and has no remorse for what he has done. I would like to see him rot in jail for the rest of his days and only wish there was a hell for him to go to.
