On August 9th last year a young woman named Gemma Hayter was murdered in Rugby, her body was found by a jogger on the disused railway line in the town. The local newspaper, the Rugby Advertiser covered the story and asked me to comment after the trial. Here is what I said:
Mahatma Ghandi and Winston Churchill both famously said that a society will be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. The tragic story of Gemma Hayter confirms the truth of these comments.
Gemma’s death is truly tragic and none of us can be unmoved by reading the events that led up to it. But as we read, maybe we can reflect on how to care for the most vulnerable in our society, valuing them for who they are, enabling them to take a full part in our lives together and enjoying what we learn from them.
The five young people involved in Gemma’s death have been called evil and certainly these actions cannot be acceptable in our society. But we have allowed people to live chaotic lives with no moral framework on which to base their actions. As a result they too have become vulnerable and we will be judged as much on how we treat them as those with learning and other disabilities.
Somebody else said “All that it takes for evil to flourish is that good men and women do nothing”. Together, we can make Rugby a better and safer place to live by following the words of Jesus “Love your neighbour as much as you love yourself…” That, It seems to me, is a pretty good place to start.
Somebody else said “All that it takes for evil to flourish is that good men and women do nothing”. Together, we can make Rugby a better and safer place to live by following the words of Jesus “Love your neighbour as much as you love yourself…” That, It seems to me, is a pretty good place to start.
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