It’s pot luck for a child whether it is born into a loving and supportive home or one where violence and fear prevails. Pity the child if it is the latter.
Hearing about the cruel and sadistic violence inflicted by two brothers when aged only 10 and 11 against a 9 and 11-year-old because they were bored has been truly shocking. One of the helpless victims was only moments from death when his beaten and bloodied body was discovered by police. The unsuspecting lads were lured to an isolated wood ravine where they were strangled, stripped and forced to sexually abuse each other. The older victim was seriously injured when pieces of ceramic sink were dropped on his head.
Reading about their dysfunctional home life sent shivers through me. The young brothers, who had been placed in foster care a few months before the attack, had a chaotic upbringing with their violent father, mother and five brothers. They were shown "extreme" horror films and the younger brother had access to pornographic DVDs and smoked cannabis grown on his father’s allotment.
What happened to the innocence that young boys this age should be able to enjoy? When did they turn into such monsters? Their brutish and depraved behaviour was the result of their horrendous upbringing and the parents should somehow be made to face the consequences of their appalling parenting, if that is what you can call it. By law, they are able to hide behind their sons’ anonymity, but that should not deter them being called to account as well.
It was the lack of emotion which I found so chilling, the fact that these two brothers had no sense of reality and empathy when they chose this kind of vicious violence as a pastime because they had “nowt to doâ€.
The brothers have been detained indefinitely in detention after admitting causing grievous bodily harm, but were told they would serve a minimum five years. I can just imagine their parents saying, “it’s nowt to do with meâ€.
UPDATE 23 January: The Times today reports that the parents of the two torturers face prosecution for child neglect and abuse. Better late than never, hey?
It also states that they are considered to pose such a high risk to the public that they may never be released from custody. One is thought to be in danger of becoming a psychopath.
A serious case review found that agencies missed 31 opportunities to take action that would have prevented the crime. Only one member of staff has faced any disciplinary action.
Please, please, please let’s hear the full facts about this case in public so everyone can hear what happened and authorities can review their procedures and help deter such lapses happening again.
Ellee – the link you provided under ‘Reading about their dysfunctional home life’ gives no detail or info about their home life that I could see. Am I missing something?
And the woman that was imprisoned by her father and repeatedly raped, has she lured a couple of children to waste ground to torture them or raped anyone after imprisoning them? I seemed to have missed that news story, have you a link?
Oh here we go…Social Services fault now ..just on the news. Where are their other brothers. Where is the mother of these boys. She should be in court too.
As you say Ellee, the lack of emotion and empathy these boys have…!
Also where are/were the rest of the family,aunties, uncles, grandparents.
Hi Pip, I’ve amended the link which goes into more detail about their home lives. It was the brothers who lured the two boys and abused them, there is no mention of a woman being imprisoned by her father, so I’m lost there.
Anne, I believe that parents should take responsibility for the actions of their children. They weren’t born as monsters, it was their upbringing that caused it. And the local authority has apologised too.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/8475432.stm
What we had here in Doncaster ( a council infamous for many a reason in the past , could itself be classed as dysfunctional )was social workers classing the mother as ” a victim ” and in doing so ignored the effects of the womans behaviour on her seven sons .
Its also a typical of the modern day social depts mindset that the neighbours who have to put up with the effects of this type of family are ignored or worse told its nothing to do with them .
No time for old fashioned values of behaviour in many social workers team meetings .
Every sort of ” family ” is to be pandered to .
The parents it seems have ” fled ” their home .
No doubt they are now in a safe house getting 24 hour protection from the police .
There will be no arrests of either mother or father ( I use these terms in the broadest sense)as it will be argued that to do so opens up the posibility of all the children being identified !
Of course the white wash in the dept has started with only a short overview report of 12 pages against the full story of 150 .
Once again no one will personally take ( or be expected to ) the personal blame .
No one will be sacked unless the papers stick in there .
And the most offensive disclosure is that the Doncaster council have now called in the police to investigate who leaked the full report to the BBC .
Thats it Donny get your priorities right.
I dont know who is the more repulsive the council or the police in complying with them.
I feel like Mrs Angry.
Surely it is a crime to drug your children, allow them to drink vodka and allow them to watch 18-rated movies? I agree with Ellee, these boys did not make themselves into monsters, and the adults who did this to their sons should be held to account. It is not “social services” fault, they did not put cannabis into a 10-year old’s dinner.
I wonder if “mum and dad” thought it was something to be proud of that their sons watched horror movies and didn’t flinch, did you read in the trial report how one of the boys commented that he felt OK watching the mobile phone footage, because he didn’t feel sick. It made me wonder if that was the approved reaction in his household (sorry, can’t bring myself to call it a home).
I hope the two other little boys who suffered so greatly get all the love, support and understanding they need from their families and their community, now and for many years into the future. How would you ever get over such an experience?
Disaffected, you have every right to feel like Mrs Angry. There were so many people involved in these boys’ lives, such as teachers and neighbours. Why couldn’t this have been prevented?
Gina, I agree with every word you say, especially the last paragraph.
Thanks, Ellee. It is all really very unpleasant.
Pip, Thanks to you too. I think the more we hear about the background of this case, the more apparent it will become that the father at least should have been charged with cruelty and imprisoned for his violent behaviour, and the mother too if she turned a blind eye against illegal activities involving her sons.
Hard to disagree with you Ellee.
The problem is Ellee that Doncaster are trying their hardest to shut down all info on the case ( no doubt as ever to avoid those in charge getting the blame ) it has come out on question time on Radio 4 tonight that yesterday they were in court getting injunctions taken out against the BBC broadcasting all the report.
This is what happens , the ” system ” is not interested in ” learning lessons ” it only seeks to cover its own back and its a disgrace.
The last thing that Doncaster council will wish to see now are any of the adults (the so called family members ) up in court as of course that would be in the open and all facts laid out for the world to see.
I remember some years ago being apprached in my official capacity ( the like of which you know ) regarding concerned grandparents of a small child being brought up by a heroin addict mother .
The social workers paper work read “this is just a different kind of parenting ”
Luckily the grndparents did eventually get the court to give them the childs care.
As a Comensalist, I hold that equality lies not in everyone being the same, but in everyone not getting a choice in the circumstances of their birth.
Certainly, it is unbelievable to think anyone would choose the parents of these children for their own.
Why are these parents not in gaol?
The article states :
“The court heard how the brothers watched ultra-violent movies as part of a “toxic home life†of “routine aggression, violence and chaosâ€, while one of them smoked cannabis from the age of nine and drank cider.â€
What is most frightening to me is that in years to come, these ‘torture boys’ could become fathers of their own children.
Is it possible to rehabilitate someone who has strayed so far from the norm of human decency?
Grim, of avasay.com
Disaffected, nothing about this case must be kept secret, there is the highest public interest and everybody must learn from the mistakes made and be held to account for poor decision making which led to this happening. It was minutes away from being another horrific child murder case.
Peter, you ask, “Is it possible to rehabilitate someone who has strayed so far from the norm of human decency?”
I don’t know the answer. If we knew what had happened to the killers of the Bulger toddler, and other child murderers after they were freed from their sentence, it would be possible to answer your question. Are these institutions the best place to learn about decency and remorse? Or do they just pick up even more vile tricks to practice when they are freed?
Ellee – The things I’d heard about the case before seeing your post told a different story. Gossip and witch hunting should be avoided. I agree with you; nothing about this case should be kept secret.
Pip, yes, let’s hope we will get to hear the true facts about this very sad case. I shall be visiting your blog soon, btw, sorry it’s been a while.
We have had a lot of tragedies in this country in the last few years..involving children…and in the last week we have had this horrific case and a case of a mother who has been jailed for faking her sons illness, and causing him lots of harm.
We had little Jamie Bulger case as well.Also the case of Baby P..and others after him. All with women involved. All these women must have family. And these women are the mothers. Are they with such violent men that they are scared or are they just not educated or do they just not give a damn.
There was also something else in the news about a lady that abused her partner and starved him and allegedly got her brother involved to beat him ….and he died. And this women allegedly beat previous partner, who was father to her children.
We are living in a very very sick society.
I know as a mum what to look out for but just as importantly as a Nanny that I notice things and would question things. I don’t see my grandchildren that often but I would know.
Thatcher and the destruction of ‘society’. You won’t like it and people will make a million excuses to pretend it isn’t the case, but it’s true.
Children no longer have a parent at home to guide them, everyone has to work to keep their head above water. Nothing matters except what you own and how much you earn.
The surrender to market economics and capitalism in all walks of life has led to the steady decline we are now seeing. And you know it’s true.
Some things can’t have a price put on them.
And as a teacher, why the fuck would it be my fault?
Ellee,
Here are some reasons to believe that Doncaster are intent on making sure the full facts do not come out .
Its chair of Safeguarding Children Board ( one Roger Thomas ) stated on air that they will not be released as ” the council had to follow gov recommendations “, note recommendations . Apparently these are not mandatory so the council has decided not to let them be known .
Doncaster council would not even allow the judge in the case to have sight of the full text using the same feeble excuse not to do so.
There have been 7 other child deaths known to Doncaster council since 2004 , if they were at all genuine in their claims of concern they would throw aside their own wish to self preservation and do what is right now for the sake of all those children.
They wont , they will cower behind so called rules of information sharing.
As for Steve Wilsons comments , what Margaret Thatcher said was there was no such thing as society but there was family.
That was the bedrock for childrens happiness.
And as for no parent at home , well its the Labour Gov that wants to see every tiny tot away from its mothers breast asap and into the care of the state via childrens nurserys where they are just numbers .
Its under New Labour that we have turned into an Orwellion nightmare my friend.
Just wanted to applaud Disaffected’s comment above.
And (present company excepted) I hate the way journos and politicians are all jumping on the bandwagon to use this terrible incident to justify their own prejudices and their own careers. Sick.
In this era where “someone must be to blame”, if children are under the age of criminal responsibility, it must be their guardians who are to blame – who else? Yes, the police and social services might be blamed for inaction, but the guardians have the ultimate responsibility. In cases of under age children like these, the parents should be charged with the crime committed by their children.
Indeed, this is a worldwide problem and quite shocking.
English Pensioner, I agree totally, well said.
I agree with EP and with you. If it had been a pet dog who’d been savaging, the dog would have been put down and the owner punished.
That is so sad. Well the community should really take all alarms seriously. For example if the school reports some strange behaviour or something and help those kids.
Even if you are an adult the blame is never yours. Weather it´s the alcohol, childhood or violent video games the blame is never yours.